Man, that's pretty good news. The chain BBQ in Houston is butt-nasty. Sometimes you need some quick Q, and Pappas BBQ just don't cut it for me anymore.
I've never had Demaris but I know Pappas is a huge turd. I loves me some Joel's BBQ in Flatonia. I eat there everytime we drive through and always buy some of their jerky.
I may lose my Texan-hood for this...but Salt Lick is good, but I think Lucille's is better. You gotta come try it at Green Valley Ranch next time you're in town. http://www.lucillesbbq.com/ Strangely enough, Lucille's is a West Coast chain and they definitely do BBQ right. Easily competes with the tops in Texas. BTW...my personal favorite is still Joe's BBQ in Alvin.
No doubt, had a Texas size sliced beef on the way up to the Hill Country last weekend. Never had their jerky, usually hit the Oakridge Smokehouse for that, I'll have to give it a try. Rudy's sauce is very good, their q is nothing special.
Dinosaur BBQ (in NY state: Rochester being the best, but hailing from TX) just might be the best I've ever had. Ridiculous meats. Ribs literally slide off the bone. Original Salt Lick (not the one on 360) is wonderful. Rudy's is my favorite as far as the quickie BBQ chains. I've never enjoyed Goode Co. very much and am in the camp that thinks it's overhyped. Pappas is good but nothing special (note - goes w/o saying that all statements are IMHO). Luthers is good pretty much only for the chopped bakers. Harlons is mediocore. Haven't tried Otto's or Demaris - thanks for the suggestions. I'm not counting any of the stuff along the way to Austin. Evan
Rudy's is OK, but on some of my visits I have tasted nothing but pepper. However, the turkey is outta sight!
I love driving out to Salt Lick w/friends and bringing 2 bottles of Norton Reserva Argentine wine. We order the all you can eat and stuff ourselves beyond human limitiations. I picked up that trick in Argentina. But my all time favorite BBQ is Ironworks. and it was just a 15min bus ride away from campus. Great during those 3hr breaks btw class.
They're building the 2nd Rudy's here in the Dallas area... I've never tried the one in Denton, but Rudy's gets mixed reviews. But then what BBQ joint doesn't? "OMG THAT'S LIKE BBQ FROM GOD!!" "That crap tastes like goat butt" lol. I bought some County Line sauce a couple of years ago because everybody said it was so good. What I tried was nasty. That and their customer service after shipping sucked (they sent me the wrong product and the other bottle they sent was half opened - I contacted them to send me another, but no one ever responded). I doubt I'll be going to yet another "greatest bbq on the planet" because of it. County Line... pfft... County Rip-off.
I've tried their bbq sauce... was a bit too "tomato-ey" for me. What I tasted was kinda like eating tomato paste or ketchup. Maybe it was a bad batch.
Luling City is amazing. It really is Angelo's is great, too I personally dislike Pappa's BBQ, but I love Goode Company since I grew up on it. If you don't like sweet sauce, GC might not be your cup of tea Luling has a more mustard based BBQ sauce...their sliced beef (not chopped...the chopped beef there is some sort of mixture of stuff that they scoop) and their sausage are amazing. Best sauce ever
i agree rudy's is very average, not bad but not much better then an average bbq joint. but saltlick that is a whole other pickle there. thats some good stuff. slightly expensive but ooooohhhh sooooooo goood yummy : )
I must say I'm skeptical about Rudy's, or any BBQ joint, for that matter, that doesn't cook their BBQ with pecan wood. The best sauce comes from Hickory Hollow (their bbq used to be good, but recently, it's been tough and cold). By far, the best bbq brisket I've ever put down my throat comes from a tiny "city market" shack in Schulenberg, Texas that only sells their food on Saturdays until noon. I've had many different kinds of bbq (Pappas, Goode Company, Otto's, Demeris, Hickory Hollow, County Line, Luling City Market in Houston, Luling City Market in Luling..... .... nothing even comes close.
