Smoke Shack BBQ - San Antonio, TX

Smoke Shack BBQ
3714 Broadway
San Antonio, TX 78209

http://www.smokeshacksa.com/

The Smoke Shack is one of my favorite barbecue restaurants in San Antonio.  They smoke up a batch of very traditional meats and serve it up the way you like it...by the pound.

I have yet to find anything here that I wouldn't recommend.

Just look at that moist brisket. The glistening sausage and those smokey ribs.  This was a little slice of heaven.  The creamed corn is great and those pinto beans are straight out of Texas history.

It just doesn't get much better than the Smoke Shack.

Pride and Joy BBQ - Miami, FL

Pride and Joy BBQ
2800 N Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33127



This restaurant is more of a bar that serves food and carries that atmosphere.  At lunch is was more about being a neighborhood bar than a traditional barbecue restaurant.

That being said, the food was better than your average bar food.

We started with deviled eggs topped with pulled pork.  These beauties were quite good.  Nice southern taste and good pork addition.

 We then moved onto another item from the appetizer menu.  A beautiful bowl of burnt ends.  These were quite good and the Texas toast was great for getting every drop.

I then broke tradition and went with a beef sandwich.  The meat was pre-sauced (a no no in my book) and chunked.  However I don't regret the choice as it was meaty, moist and a great sandwich.

The sliced brisket had a large smoke ring.  It made me wonder if there was chemical involved in creating that smoke (you don't smell smoke when you walk up to the restaurant making me suspect). While not great, it was perfectly fine.  The mac and cheese was quite good.

So if you are ever in Miami and want a drink and some cue....take a look at Pride and Joy.  Definitely work the appetizer menu and go from there.

Jackson St. BBQ - Houston, TX

Jackson St. BBQ
209 Jackson St, Houston, TX 77002

http://jacksonstbbqhouston.com/

Landing in Houston is right on the edge of central Texas BBQ country. There are lots of old favorites in this town for most Texans. Jackson St. is a relatively new comer to the list.

Jackson St. serves up barbecue with a cafeteria line and lots of tasty options on the menu.  The Trinity (St. Louis style ribs, top choice brisket and German style sausage complete with one side) is a Texas tradition.

They also have these biscuits that are as big as a softball. 

The brisket was moist and smokey tender. The ribs were spot on for a Texas rib. Good smoke ring and easy to pull.  The sausage had a good grit to it.  Not too generic.

The collard greens were well done with a bit of pork.  The beans were a traditional Texas pinto and the biscuit...well the biscuit was large and heavy.  A little to dense for my taste.

Overall this was a solid Texas BBQ lunch.  If in downtown Houston, stop by and enjoy.

Durham BBQ - Elkton, MD

Durham BBQ

175 Fletchwood Rd
Elkton, MD 21921

A recent visit to Durham BBQ in Elkton, MD, right across the state line from Newark, Delaware provides consistent fare to the area.

You can tell by the picture that the ribs are smoked without a lot of spice.  True blue smoke.  While it's more cooked than smoked, these area still good ribs.  The sausage is good and tasty as well.

The beans are a very traditional barbecue bean and not as tasty as a pinto but the vegetable sides (broccoli salad and cucumber salad) are straight out of any southern family holiday dinner.

Enjoy.