A Taste of South Texas

The Texas Gulf Coast; it's hard to imagine a more perfect storm of foods that I love. It's where you can find a mix of great seafood, steaks, barbecue, TexMex and even authentic Cajun food.

There's everything from good BBQ at a chain like Rudy's to really great barbecue at a local one-off like Killen's Texas Barbecue.

Rudy's Texas meat market style barbecue

Rudy's Green chili stew

Killen's Beef Rib and Brisket

Killen's Ribs and Sausage

All the great TexMex is like my idea of heaven.

Everything good about a TexMex breakfast

Freshly made tortillas

Breakfast tacos

Some of the best TexMex we had was at Lupe Tortilla. The best veggie fajitas and awesome margaritas. Just so good.

There's a place in Houston called Abe's Cajun Market. I can't even remember all the times that we ate there. It's a local place, off the beaten track, but for Cajun influenced cooking it was our go-to.

Cajun spiced boiled shrimp (image from Abe's website)

Crawfish Etouffee and Seafood Gumbo (image from Abe's website)

Image from Eater Houston

Besides a barbecue joint, Chef Ronnie Killen also helms Killen's Steakhouse. A gem of a restaurant located in the Houston suburb of Pearland. I had a wonderful meal there highlighted by both a perfect Manhattan and a perfectly prepared steak. Definitely worth the drive.

Another favorite is Perry's Steakhouse and Grill. Although we never did have a steak at Perry's, their signature Famous Pork Chop is amazing.

While there are a lot of places to find fresh seafood in the area, one of the nicest is Pappas Seafood House. Wonderful fresh fish cooked simply and a fried stuffed avocado appetizer I love.

A short and sweet list of the places the Dining Companion and I enjoyed. If you find yourself in the Houston area any of these places would be well worth a stop.

When I think about places with a food culture I think about a place like Southern Louisiana with its creole and Cajun flavors or coastal New England with its great seafood. Houston, for me, hadn't been a part of that conversation before. It is now. If you're looking for a place with a great mix of some of the best food cultures look no further. You'll find it in the Lone Star state, on the Third Coast, where the best of land and sea come together.

Happy dining!

Further Adventures in Barbecue

The Dining Companion and I have now visited just about all of, what are considered to be, the top BBQ spots around. At this point we're at the "varying degrees of good" phase. All of the barbecue we've had recently has been good; some has even been great. At the top level of the smoked meat game, clearly, these people know what they're about. First up is la Barbecue in Austin, TX. la Barbecue is located in a food truck park in Austin, TX and is another BBQ place with a Mueller family association.

We got in line about an hour before they started serving which put us about twelve people back. Not too bad and gave me a chance to take a look around GoodLife Food Park.

I'd also like to point out that GoodLife Food Park is pet friendly.  

Once la Barbecue started serving the line moved fairly quickly.

We placed our order and had our food in no time.

Frito Pie, pickles, Turkey, Brisket, onions, Sausage and bread

 Everything was great. The turkey and brisket were cooked perfectly with just the right amount of smoke flavor. The sausage is course ground and home made with a perfect balance of  seasoning. The Frito Pie with its shredded beef and pork topping was a delicious add on.

Overall la Barbecue does smoked meat on par with all of the other big hitters in this category.

I stopped by one of the other food trucks at GoodLife too, Hey Cupcake. I got a sampler of their mini cupcakes. Just the right thing to cap off our visit.

Next up is Black's Barbecue in Lockhart, TX. For those of you who may not know, Lockhart is one of the main BBQ towns in Texas. It is home to many of the most visited and written about barbecue joints in the state. Old school places that have been around for what seems like forever. We chose Black's as our Lockhart stop. Black's has been around for something like 80 years and has been in the same family all that time.

 

I looked over the menu and placed our order.

On this stop we got our barbecue to go. 

Sadly, that means I don't have any pretty pictures of the food we bought to show you.
These shots will have to do...

 

The good stuff is in the bag!

Once again, all of the smoked meats we had from Black's were really good. They also had something on their menu we hadn't seen before, a smoked pork chop. We had to try it and I'm glad we did. The thick cut, bone in pork chop was cooked to perfection. The smoking process brought out all of the pork's great flavor without drying it out. I'd definitely have it again.

Until we get to Memphis, I think this closes the current chapter on the Great BBQ Adventure. If something new and exciting happens in the world of barbecue we'll check it out and I'll be sure to mention it here.

Happy dining!

Silver Saddle Smokehouse - Bellville, Texas

We stopped in for lunch recently at the Silver Saddle Smokehouse in Bellville, Texas. Me and the Dining Companion going to a BBQ restaurant should come as no surprise. How I learned about this one might.

I was looking for a place for lunch that was dog friendly and Silver Saddle popped up. I use BringFido to help locate pet friendly restaurants and lodging when we travel with the 4 Pound Wonder.

A pet friendly restaurant in small town Texas and BBQ to boot? We were there.

I headed in to place our order. Silver Saddle Smokehouse is set up like most market style barbecue places. There is a handwritten menu near the counter that covers what's available that day. Meats can be ordered by the pound, in a sandwich or in a combo plate.

Seeing as how this was the first of two planned barbecue stops of the day we kept our order small. Ok, smallish.

We got the brisket and sausage with mac & cheese and corn casserole. Everything we had was good. The corn casserole was terrific. It was a nice place to stop for lunch. The fact that they could accommodate our dog was a nice bonus.

If you're traveling with a pet take a look online for places that are pet friendly. A surprising number of hotels and restaurants are. You might find yourself at a good barbecue place, enjoying the view of Main Street, and fending off a small dog before she can make off with the brisket!

Happy travels!

NOTE: The Dining Companion's hermana and I hit the road recently for a little road trip. That little trip took us from the sunny beaches of Southern California all the way to the rain swept coast of Washington state. We had a little adventure, a lot of fun and made some memories that will last me a lifetime. Posts about the trip will be along soon. Stay tuned!

Louie Mueller Barbecue - Taylor, Texas

After having visited one of the newer houses of smoke in Texas, Franklin Barbecue, we decided to make a pilgrimage (and that's what it is for any barbecue enthusiast) to one of the original temples of Texas style smoked meat, Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, TX.

There is no doubt that Franklin Barbecue in Austin is the current darling of the barbecue world. With good reason, if you ask me. I mention this only to make the point that while there are newer places doing great barbecue, the old school places that blazed the trail for them are still going strong.

Louie Mueller Barbecue has been in its current location in Taylor, Texas since 1959. As I took a look around it was easy to see the history of smoke in this place. The building itself seems nearly as smoked as the brisket.

Each dot represents where a customer came from to eat BBQ at Louie Mueller

We got there early and managed to avoid a line. I think we got lucky...

Once the doors opened we headed in. The problem, and it's always a problem, is that we can only eat so much BBQ. It was difficult, but we managed to narrow down our choices and still have room for dessert.

The menu

Sides, sauce and a sample

Lunch!

The brisket

The turkey

The Sausage and Pork Loin

The Banana Pudding

So what's the verdict? Is Louie Mueller Barbecue worth a journey to Central Texas? The short answer is yes. The long answer is hell yes! Every bite of smoked meat we had at Louie Mueller was pilgrimage worthy. It now holds the number two spot on my list of best barbecue.

Truth be told a thousand words could and have been written about the relationship between Aaron Franklin and the Mueller family (Aaron started out with John Mueller's old pit) about the fact that the Mueller siblings now run some of the best BBQ spots around (La Barbecue and John Mueller Meat Company) with a brother now in charge of the original family business, Louie Mueller Barbecue as well. Suffice to say that barbecue at the top of the of the game is a small community with a colorful and connected past. (A link to an article that covers some of that at the end of this post)

This history and passion is one of the many reasons you should be planning a trip to Texas to try it for yourself. Head to Austin for some great live music and awesome barbecue, then drive out into the country to experience where it all started. Hit the places along the Texas BBQ Trail and you'll see for yourself what drives the devotion to Texas style barbecue and get to enjoy some of the best smoked meats in the country.




Happy dining!


Note: An interesting article about the history of Texas barbecue from Texas Monthly magazine. Worth the read.  Also, if you love good food and a road trip I suggest you check out the Texas BBQ Trail.

We based our trip in Round Rock, Texas. This gave me the chance to try Round Rock donuts and another well known BBQ joint in the area. We also made a detour to Bellville, TX to try the Silver Saddle Smokehouse. Look for those reviews soon.