On the way back from Dallas, The Foodette, her mom, and I made a stop at a BBQ restaurant just off of I-45 in Ennis. I was driving pretty fast to get away from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex because I'm allergic to pretentious, so I missed the exit and had to backtrack a little to get there. At least who we went to see was well worth braving the DFW bubble.
(With A Name Like That - How Could I Lose?)
The restaurant is set in a fairly old building that surrounds you with wood paneling and the smell of smoke as soon as you enter. Orders are placed cafeteria style and priced, as expected, very reasonably. Side dishes are self-service, so it was a real struggle for me not to release my inner fat person and pile up potato salad and coleslaw to the point that the structural integrity of my plate was questionable at best. Well, that and I had another few hours to drive and didn't want to risk any GIRCON 3/2 situations while on the highway.
(You Know You Want A Bite)As mentioned, I served my own potato salad and coleslaw and grabbed a stack of pickles to cut the sweetness of the barbecue sauce on the way to the table. The coleslaw was very sweet and the vegetables had a nice texture but a little splash of vinegar or more acidity from a lemon would have been nice to balance out the sugary base.
The potato salad was creamy and heavier on the mayonnaise than the mustard which I really like. I've mentioned before that I don't like it when people get crazy with their potato salad ingredients and this version didn't let me down. All in all, these were worthy sides.
The ribs had a deep smoke ring and were exceptionally tender; they had been in a warming oven before being served. The rib meat pulled away from the bone with practically no hesitation, likely from the steaming in the oven, and had a light peppery dry rub on the crust. The sauce, which was kept in a crock pot for anyone to get to in case they needed more, was sweeter than most and was store bought. By the way, I can't stand when barbecue places guard the sauce like it's flown in from the Guatemalan jungle or produced from the tears of new born babies. Take a cue from Bubba's and put it out where we can get to it!
The potato salad was creamy and heavier on the mayonnaise than the mustard which I really like. I've mentioned before that I don't like it when people get crazy with their potato salad ingredients and this version didn't let me down. All in all, these were worthy sides.
The ribs had a deep smoke ring and were exceptionally tender; they had been in a warming oven before being served. The rib meat pulled away from the bone with practically no hesitation, likely from the steaming in the oven, and had a light peppery dry rub on the crust. The sauce, which was kept in a crock pot for anyone to get to in case they needed more, was sweeter than most and was store bought. By the way, I can't stand when barbecue places guard the sauce like it's flown in from the Guatemalan jungle or produced from the tears of new born babies. Take a cue from Bubba's and put it out where we can get to it!
(This Must Be Where Some Restaurants Get Their Sauce)Pulled pork is one of my all-time favorite dishes and it had been awhile since I had it so out of everything on my plate, this excited me the most. It was served from a crock pot, which is fine by me, and settled into a corner of my segmented plate in a slurry of its own juices. You know, that amazing combination of spices and rendered pork fat that should be considered a condiment?
The flavor was more sweet than vinegary so I may have gone overboard with the addition of sauce. This was a minor tactical error; I didn't taste the pork before saucing it . But all was well, because it still tasted great and had a deep flavor from hours of low-heat cooking. Each shred of pork was infused with the sugary and savory juices that reminded me of why I enjoy this dish so much and the natural saltiness of the pork wasn't lost in the mix.
I fought off the urge for dessert because its not healthy (GIRCON) and we hit the road for Houston. Although opportunities will be few and far between, Bubba's will definitely go into my restaurant Rolodex for future consideration.
The flavor was more sweet than vinegary so I may have gone overboard with the addition of sauce. This was a minor tactical error; I didn't taste the pork before saucing it . But all was well, because it still tasted great and had a deep flavor from hours of low-heat cooking. Each shred of pork was infused with the sugary and savory juices that reminded me of why I enjoy this dish so much and the natural saltiness of the pork wasn't lost in the mix.
I fought off the urge for dessert because its not healthy (GIRCON) and we hit the road for Houston. Although opportunities will be few and far between, Bubba's will definitely go into my restaurant Rolodex for future consideration.
GIRCON 5
