Iron Works (Austin)

The beef rib is one of the most succulent meats in the world of BBQ. When I lived in Austin, I found one of the best secrets around. A small remodeled iron shop taken over in a fight with culture in the Red River district of downtown. 

Here in this house holds one of the best beef ribs in Texas. Thick, fatty, moist, smokey, bearing a nice peppery crust. This is the item to get if you go here.

The sliced beef here is good as well, bearing a nice smoke ring, very moist due to proper rendering, and a nice smokey crust. 

The sausage is okay, not house made.

7/10 Rating

Longoria's BBQ (Fort Worth, TX)

A red barn/house yielding some of the tastiest sausage I've come across. The sausage is made from beef brisket in house. It showed a peppery, smokey flavor. The sausage was so good, it saved them from everything else. 

The ribs were okay, nothing to boast about. They had a very nice formed crust, a nice pepper & garlic rub, and a nice smokey flavor. The thing that I had a problem with was that they were reheated and were chewy. 

The sliced beef was bland, undercooked, and just not worthy. It was grey and showed no smoke line, no formed crust, and no smoke flavor. It was very chewy as the fat had not had time to render into the meat. This as well was reheated. 

I would like to go back on a day they weren't serving these reheated meats, but I will indeed go back just for the sausage.

 

Rating 8/10 (Based on Sausage)

Rating with everything else included 5/10

Cokers (Arlington, TX)

Cokers BBQ

The name really does explain it all. Decked floor to ceiling with both modern and antique coke memorabilia, early pop culture influenced this establishment.

The flow of this place goes as such: Sit down, full service. Ribs, claimed to be the best. 

I get the usual 3 meat combo (by the pound not offered here).

The sausage, of course not being house made, was okay. It was not anything to make me go back for.

The sliced beef brisket was okay, I mean it wasn't great but I ate it. It came out as grey as the sky that day, no smoke line was detectable. It tasted like meat, I mean there was no smoke to it or even a flavor at that. The fat on top was still very chewy, an obvious sign that the brisket was undercooked. 

Now these ribs that are supposed to be the states best....St. Louis style. These ribs were good, but not the best. The rub was salty and you know, that was my only complaint. They were smokey and tender, baring a nice crust. I would go back for these. 

5/10 Rating 

 If in the area, check it out.

Steak at Billy Ray's Restaurant (Roswell, NM)

Whole Hog Cafe' (Little Rock, AR)

Let's start of by saying if you have world champion on your store front, don't let me down.

This place is located in a shopping center directly across from an Ozark forest. The inside is plastered with trophies and awards from around the state. 

I ordered the Whole Hog Platter with pulled pork, beef brisket, and baby back ribs. It also was accompanied with beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. 

The pulled pork was very tender and had a nice smokey flavor, the best I've had to date.

The brisket was different, it had a nice smoke line, but didn't really have that bbq flavor you would it expect. It was very moist and tasty though. 

The ribs were outstanding, they were a wet rib. Nice smoky finish, and the ribs were just so tender.

The potato salad was the best I've ever had, it was mayo based but man it was good.

They carry 7 different sauces on the table:

Sauce No. 1

Classic barbecue sauce; sweet & mild

Sauce No. 2

Tangy tomato; smooth, sweet, and slightly spicy

Sauce No. 3

Same as #2, but spicier

Sauce No. 4

Traditional Southern vinegar & spice

Sauce No. 5

Sweet, dark, & bold molasses flavor

Sauce No. 6

Rich mustard & vinegar; an Old South favorite

Volcano 

SO HOT

If you find yourself in Little Rock, do stop in, 8/10 Rating  

 

 

 

 

Cooper's (North Fort Worth)

 It's in a very large building across from Billy Bobs in the Stock Yards. You walk into the pit room (not where the meats are actually cooked, just for holding and show,) order your meats, take them to the next guy who cuts the meat for you with an electric slicer, you pick your sides and drinks, then pay. They do offer free beans but I passed. So I ordered spare ribs, sliced beef, and regular sausage (they offer jalapeno cheddar as well.) The brisket was moist, showing a decent ring, a very nice smoke flavor, and a very developed crust. The only complaint I have is it lacked seasonings, mainly salt. The ribs were the best I have had in the area yet, very tender and smoked perfect. This is an example of where keeping it simple with salt and pepper wins. The sausage was not anything special, just bought from a dealer and reheated, the casing was a little too crunchy for me.

 

I would recommend if you were in the area

6/10 (the sausage really hurt them here)

Shady Oaks BBQ (Fort Worth)

It's your typical take at trying to be a country style restaurant. The decor is pretty cliche and with your deer head and other things as such. It is a sit down, full service style restaurant serving other fare. I ordered the 3 meat with sliced beef, pork ribs, and chicken accompanied with corn, fried okra, and mashed potatoes. The brisket was bad, it had no proof of being smoked with wood, no ring, no flavor, no crust. It came sauced and sliced way too thin (to cover up the dry texture.) It was so dry I declare it not edible. The ribs had potential, baring a nice sweet crust. They were simply overcooked, but as I said the flavor was there. The chicken also had a nice flavor, but was dry. The sides were actually really good, all made from scratch I assume. 

I don't recommend stopping here. 

3/10 Rating