Text 10452, 103 rader
Skriven 2014-03-02 00:55:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: Texas 268
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A tale of two briskets.

One day last week I found myself in a van tootling through
the wilds of central Texas on a booze, beer, and bbq tour.
My friend Chris 1, formerly the manager of I think it was
the Thrifty (but possibly Budget or National) outlet in
Anchorage, had gotten a terrific deal on a rental in Austin,
so he enlisted his traveling companion Chris 2 to go off on
an adventure with him. I signed on eagerly, knowing both
Chrises to be connoisseurs of legal mood-altering ingested
substances, and let me tell you, good Q is as about as mood
elevating as you can get. Joining us was my own traveling
companion, another aficionado (rather, an aficionada, I
guess) of smoked meats and ardent spirits.

Anyhow, after joining 50 of our nearest and dearest for a
tour of Garrison Brothers out in Hye (I might write about
this one day), we broke off on our own exploration. I'd heard
good things about this joint called Ronnie's, so I prevailed
on my friends to allow a slight detour here. It didn't take
too much convincing. We were followed closely by a car
containing two other friends who trusted our judgment more
than that of the leaders of our herd.

Ronnie's Ice House, Johnson City

We walked into a plain rectangular room that looks and smells
pretty much like a dozen Q houses I've been in: on one side
the line for the meat, in back the beverages, the rest of the
space the dining area, which was sort of empty when we arrived,
but soon it was hopping. I went to the line and ordered a bunch
of meat to keep Lilli and me from starving before we returned
with our gang of 50 that evening for a private catered dinner
at Franklin Barbecue, which has become, thanks to the press
and the Food Network, the most famous of all Texas eateries.

We got just meat; the Chrises got a 4-meat sampler platter
with sides; Barb and Renard got a 3-meat same. We did better,
as the sides are pretty ordinary, so we got more meat for
about the same money.

Brisket - I asked for a half pound; the guy started by
deftly slicing off the coveted strip of fat and - before
Lilli or I could stop him - slinging it in the garbage to
a chorus of NOOOOO! Unperturbed, he sliced into the middle
and found us a few slices of the moistest, keeping the nice
fat cap on. This was texturally wonderful and pretty tasty,
but did I detect a whiff of gas? Yes, I did. Probably the
unspicy rub on the outside allowed this cheating to be
perceptible - a pity.

Pork loin looked nice and not overdone, so I got a quarter
pound; it was in fact overdone, but still moist owing to a
judicious brining. Pretty good. Chris 1 loved it; Chris 2
found it too salty and didn't like that.

Jalapeno sausage seemed pretty standard; I traded a slice
of it to Barb and Renard for one of regular sausage, which
was also pretty standard. No big problem there except for
the waste of stomach space.

We all left pretty satisfied, a somewhat better than standard
meal at a standard price.

The next event with our group was a tour of the Real Ale
Brewing Company out in Blanco, i.e., b.f. nowhere, but it
wasn't for some time yet - it takes a while to feed and water
50 people, especially unruly ones, which we tend to be.
It was a quick trip down the road to Blanco; we got there
in about 10 without breathing hard and found a place to
park and wait for the bus crowd to finish this leg of
their adventure. Our spot just happened to be right in
front of the Old 300 barbecue, which, despite what we'd
just been through and were going to enjoy later, didn't
smell bad at all. Chris 1 plugged his laptop into the car
and started doing some work, while Chris 2, twice the size
of Chris 1 (and approximately the same size as Lilli and me
combined) wandered in for another meal, as he is happiest
when with a Costco or a plate of food in front of him. The
rest of us just lounged around the patio greeting passersby.
I decided a beer would be in order, so I followed Chris 2 and
found a Cow Creek Tex Mex dark (supposedly like Negra Modelo
or a Viennese lager but in fact both heavier and hoppier
than these) and, what the hey, a few slices of moist brisket
to go with. I shared this around with Lilli and Barb and
Renard, as I'd just wanted a taste for curiosity's sake.

Decent smokiness to the meat, which though not notably fat
was flavorsome and juicy. Fat cap luscious, probably a bit
thick for most, but perfect for me. Texture the best of the
bunch, including Franklin. I was very pleasantly surprised.
If I hadn't been looking forward to dinner, I'd have hopped
right back in for another quarter or half pound.

The Website claims that the proprietors trace back to the
Old 300 (first whites in Texas) and the beef to Akaushi
stock (whoa there, said I). Turns out according to Wikitruth
"the largest purebred group of Wagyu outside Japan is a herd
of Akaushi cattle located in Harwood, Texas, owned by
HeartBrand Beef."
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