5 Stars for BBQ at a TRUCK STOP??? You betcha! My daughter and I were driving through Texas on our way back home in San Diego when we happened to stop at this place for gas. We went inside to check out the jerky to take home to my son and that's when things starting going wacky... In my experience you DO NOT eat at truck stops. Oh sure, I know people who swear by breakfast here and there, but a big greasy breakfast is not my thing so I politely nod and don't make any suden moves around people who claim that truck stop food could be anything less than gross.
So! Back to the Twilight Zone in Texas. We walk in and the jerky looks good, if you like that sort of thing. The nice boy behind the counter offered us some tastes, and before you know it I'm spending a small fortune on really good, though incredibly expensive dried meat to take home to my son, who raved over it. All the while, this smokey meaty smell is talking to me real sweet like. MmmmmmMMM! So, I says to my daughter, real cautious like, what do you think about eating here? She looks at me like I just sprouted wings and a pig snout! (I would do the same if it weren't for that smell!) So I checked it out here on Yelp. I read one review from Leslie W. who said, "Texas Barbecue at a truck stop? Absolutely!" and it was a done deal.
She got the beef with some sides, I don't know, maybe dried crickets for all I could tell because on my plate I had the amazing good smokey juiciness that is Texas Best's BBQ turkey. That's Mr. BBQ Turkey to you. If BBQ can get better I don't know how. That turkey was smokey without loosing any of the turkey flavor or a single drop of juice. The spicy (I don't mess with BBQ sauce that doesn't bite me back) BBQ sauce was perfect with a nice bite and not too sweet. And the turkey stood up to that spicy sauce without a problem. I could go on about the awesome BBQ turkey, but I can't forget the sides either. Being from California, I tend to snear at produce from the east. Now I know this is NOT the east, but being that we were on a cross-country trip that started in Northern Massachussetts where green is not a color you put in your mouth, I wasn't too hopeful for my broccoli salad, which I assumed would mostly taste like mayo, or even my tomato and cucumber salad... but I should have known! The broccoli salad was excellent. Not sweet at all, which is usually what stops me in my tracks with this salad. I really thought I would be throwing it away, but I ate every bit. The cucumber and tomato salad was good too. Not much to mess up here, but the tomatos were good and ripe and the cucumbers had taken up enough of the vinegary sauce to make them really tasty.
IF, I ever go back through here (BIG IF, but everything's bigger in Texas, so who knows?) I would definitely make a point of stopping in here again.
Did I mention the very clean bathrooms with the cool trough sink? Always a plus while traveling!
Texas Barbecue at a truck stop? Absolutely! I know it sounds strange, but this is not your average truck stop. Beyond the pristine bathrooms, bins of freshly dehydrated jerky (from teriyaki, to bison, to double habanero), and texas themed gifts (cowboy hat or belt buckle anyone?) this place has some of the best BBQ Â in East Texas!
We tumbled in for a late breakfast. And although my husband declared he would not have barbecue for breakfast, his resolve vanished as soon as he smelled the smokey, beefy, deliciousness wafting into the parking lot. One look at our meat smoking area in the back yard and you'd know that barbecue is his obsession. I indulged in the chopped beef, the child had sausage and bacon (yes, I'm going for parent of the year), and the spouse had the turkey.
The sauce gets a thumbs up. I tried the spicy and the sweet--both are pure Texas gold. My chopped beef and mac and cheese were just ok and the greens were a bit on the bitter side for me--I won't hold it against them 'cause no one makes greens like Aunt Ruby.
So, why five stars?
Every star goes to the turkey. Don't freak out. I know it is completely unorthodox. But, holy smokes (pun intended) I envied every bite that he put in his mouth. The velvety, juicy, meat with the perfect touch of smoke. It's everything you wish your Thanksgiving turkey could be. The sausage was delicious too.
If there's one thing I've learned from my culinary adventures with my husband, it's to go ahead and try the thing you think you would enjoy the least. In this case, it paid off.
Bonus? Sonic is only steps away and you know what that means? Sweet tea with sonic ice. This BBQ joint is a great excuse to fly into Dallas and take the 5 hour drive to the 'ol family homestead on the Bayou.
Stopped there with my son on my way back to Dallas. Â I would say that if you are on the road and want something to eat, this beats any fast food place, hands down. Â It is part of a gas station. Â I ordered the pulled pork. Â My son ordered the sausage plate. Â Both were good.
If you are looking to travel to experience bbq, this is not the place, but if you are on the road, I would skip exits to stop here.
Texas Best Smokehouse is part of a convenience store/truck stop that provides all manner of shopping and dining to the traffic passing on I20 and 271. The presentation is that of a tourist- or traveler-friendly storefront offering all manner of portable foodstuffs and goods.
This review is for the bbq. My man and I tried the brisket/sausage combo plate with two sides. While we found the beef fork tender, it fell apart dry and lacked any smokiness--this despite that I requested a fatty cut. The sausage seemed to be a little better variety than your standard store-bought vaccuum-packed pork sausage; the dark casing required a firm bite. A plethora of sides were available; we chose broccoli slaw (bland) and a paprika-dusted potato salad which balanced flavors between mustard and mayo. Still hardly worth writing home about.
FYI, the travel plaza displays a large deli case of jerky, presumably housemade. The selections are definitely more interesting than their bbq menu. Also, address on the website states Tyler, TX...the Winona address on Yelp may need revision.
average bbq experience here. ordered sliced brisket, i am pretty sure they smoke their own out back. it was nice and tender. side of potatoes was not all that, though they have a large selection of sides to choose from that looked decent. the entire place smelled of bbq, even the bathroom!
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