Sonny Bryan's on Inwood Road in Dallas is having a ceremony celebrating 50 years on Wednesday, Feb 10th. The mayor will be there, and sandwiches are $2.50 all day. Dean Fearing will be the celebrity spokesperson

Smokey Bones opened a new shop up in Memphis a few years ago on Winchester Rd. in east Hickory Hill. I thought at the time that they (or their franchisee?) might be a bit too overconfident. Sure enough, they closed not long thereafter.

I likened it to opening a Red Lobster in PWM's Old Port, or a P F Chang in any given China Town.

Leatha's in Hattiesburg, MS.

Same thing happened in Austin, TX...yup..TEXAS. Smokey Bones openned 2 places in the area where there are probably 50 good, local BBQ joints of all shapes and sizes. What were they thinking? Needless to say they did not last long - about a year. One of the locations became a Trudy's in S.E. Austin which was a welcome addition to the area.

I found Smokey Bones surprisingly decent when I ate there twice in Scranton, PA. Of course not near as good as most local joints in BBQ country. I also enjoyed the 'bar' atmosphere and BBQ together which I've rarely experienced anywhere.

You get that at the Smokey Bones here. And speaking of that we are having a BBQ DO at the Smokey Bones here Sat eve 13Mar. if any one is around Clt or wants to burn some miles to join us There is a thread posted in the US forum if any one is interested.

Great BBQ and entertainment. Extremely casual (downhome & country)

I am going for major BBQ tour in Austin this weekend. Salt Lick, Rudy's, Smitty's, Snows even.

I will also bring a vacuum sealer to savor some when I get home. Full review next week.

Yummmmm!

I was very happy to discover that the Salt Lick outside of Austin was not overrated. I had a great experience there and even enjoy their outpost at AUS.

Also, Black's BBQ in Lockhart, TX is really good.

http://www.blacksbbq.com/about_black...o_gallery.aspx

Doesn't it just make you hungry?

I had a very nice dinner with some people in DC tonight and we started talking about BBQ and one of the people lives in Austin and he mentioned Blacks and Salt Lick. I really would like some brisket

Smokey Bones came and went quickly here in Central Texas, also. Aficionados and adicts simply didn't see it's version as BBQ.

A "caveat' re Rudy's, now with a number of roadside locations in Texas. The BBQ's not bad, but comes cloaked in a bit of commercialized gimmickry aimed at the "traveling trade" which sort of takes it off of the traditionalists' dining lists. In emergency, it fits in the "You know what you're getting" category. Certainly, Austin's (make that Dripping Springs) Salt Lick is highly commercialized, packaged in no small part for folks new to the Texas, but for large parties and tourists makes a better choice than some of the "Hole in the Wall" favorites chosen by those who were brung up weaned from the nipple to the brisket.

"Ma, give Junior one of them there chewed rib bones to help him cut his baby teeth!"

"Plates? We don' need no steenkin' plates!" (The cry of the butcher paper set)

I'm partial to Texas style BBQ (particularly brisket) myself and would say that Snow's BBQ (516 Main Street, Lexington, TX 78947, http://www.snowsbbq.com/) is the best I've ever had by a significant margin.

Just back fro Austin. Tried Snow's, Black's, Smitty's, the Salt Lick, and Rudy's.

Snow's was a cool experience, but the brisket I had was pretty dried out around the edges. I checked out the pits and I didn't see any mopping going on, although maybe I hadn't noticed. Great sauce. It was also fun to visit the nearby cattle market.

The Salt Lick was incredible with the open pit. Good smoke ring, great rub, and incredible sauce. I ate a bunch and took some home.

Smitty's and Black's in Lockhart both served really moist cuts that were a little on the fatty side for my taste. Smitty's had no sauce and even no forks!

My cut at Black's was probably a bit too fatty because I requested an end piece.

Finally, we went to one of the Rudy's and were pleasantly surprised. You could get a piece of brisket moist, lean, or "cutter's choice" in the middle. The sauce and rub were fantastic, and the service was great.

Conclusions:

All of the above places were visited by a mix of tourists AND locals. Rudy's seemed to be fantastic and very reliably good. The Salt Lick was my favorite of all.

Barbecue is an art form, and choosing the best one is like asking who is the greatest painter. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

If I lived in Austin, I would be regular out in Driftwood for dinner, but I would probably take my lunch breaks at Rudy's.

I was doing a bit of work in San Antonio last year, and had Rudy's for dinner most every night, until my customer turned me on to Texas Pride in Adkins, TX.

Rudy's is good, and I will push for Rudy's over most any other type of cuisine but Texas Pride was really a treat. Hard to find, but worth the search.

Gotta love responding to a six year old post!

I am in what seems to be the minority...my favorite is the Carolinas' style pulled pork with a vinegar based sauce (there are subcategories within this style...Eastern has no tomato involved, while Lexington does, at least in NC). I prefer Eastern. There are lots of places where I have had a very good sandwich, but no one single place stands out. (Then again, I'm from NC, so I admit a bit of bias might creep in!)

Beyond that, I will go with the Texas style...brisket, with a sauce that's not sweet.

I have also enjoyed BBQ at several of the places in KC.

My biggest pet peeve is cloyingly sweet sauces...my favorite non-NC sauce is from Dreamland, although I have only eaten at the one in Norcross, GA, not in Tuscaloosa.

Ribs are OK, but I have to be in the mood for them. I usually get them with a dry rub only - there's enough fat in them to make them finger lickin' without soaking them in sauce.