I have gone to quite a few (though not all) of the BBQ joints that are within a short distance of my home. Save for one location – called the Roadhouse – that is nearly 2 hours away, I try not to make a big deal outta it. My son and I generally just go to a place when we are thinking ‘q’ for lunch or dinner and don’t have any in the house.

Here are a couple of spots in the immediate area:

• Pecos BBQ Pit: open for lunch Mon-Fri with decently good pulled pork, hot links and brisket. But the only wood used is alder and I kinda think that can be a bit sour. Also the meat is over sauced.
• Texas Style BBQ: open Mon-Sat for lunch and dinner. You smell smoke when you walk in the door and it’s good smoke. The pulled pork and brisket are good, chicken very good – and I order them without sauce cause I like to taste the meat to determine what I’m really eating. Good smoke ring and nice folks, husband & wife, who run the place.
• Casper’s: Mostly fried gator, catfish, shrimp and it’s darn good. Nobody up here knows how to fry food like you find near the gulf coast. The pulled pork is OUTSTANDING. It’s been too long since I enjoyed authentic tasty red beans & rice, so my tasty-buds may be off a bit – but there’s is some Really good stuff. And the guy who runs the place is all that you can ask for in a bbq shack. visits, tells stories, jokes with the pretty girls and grandpa style with the kids.
• 3 Pigs BBQ: I was one of their first customers when they opened the doors in 1987. Good pulled pork and brisket. The brothers who run the place have pretty much turned over the kitchen to hired help and the gals behind the counter have the personality of a napkin — so don’t expect to be treated exceptionally well with a smile and hospitality. But the food is good – if not just a little less than it was more than 20 years ago when they started and were winning contests. Like too many places, in my opinion at least, they may as well cook the meat in an oven instead of smoke – cause they over sauce.
• Ro-Ro BBQ: Can’t smell smoke at all – even when they are smoking. Meat is OK but not outstanding. Cornbread is good. And the beans are decent. But the meat – it’s always about the meat – is just OK.

more to come…..