April 04, 2006
Pok-e-Jo's - BBQ Galore
Upon recommendations from multiple folks, including my Austin friends, we took a short drive to Pok-e-Jo's last night for some good old fashioned BBQ. When Texas, do like the Texans.
The first thing you notice when you enter the eatery is the smell that makes your mouth salivate and your knees weak. The meats are plentiful. You can have your pick of beef, pork, chicken and sausage in various preparation methods; a choice of two sauces: regular or spicy; and a wholes slew of sides: cornbread, mac-n-cheese, cole slaw and other toppings.
Never to be scared into submission by large hunks of meat (man that was fun to write), I proceeded to order a two meat combination: a pork loin and a beef brisket. My friends went for sausage, chicken and a pork loin. I tore through my pile of meat as if it were my last dinner for a long while. The pork was flavorful, with a deep flavor of having been roasted a long time. The beef melted in my mouth, cooked through, juicy and tender. I had corn and cole slaw for sides - the corn could have been better - it felt like canned corn heated up. Not bad, but not great either. But the cole slaw was perfect - crisp cabbage, carrots, a little dressing. All in all, for less than $10, drink included - I wound up with a standard Texan fare, stuffed to the gills.
It was fantastic. New York, as good as it is with food, just doesn't offer the kind of BBQ you can get in Texas. It's just something about the open skies, the big spaces and more relaxed spirit that allows for the BBQ to be just right. It takes time to get the meat perfectly roasted, the time we often lack in the big city, as we feel rushed and behind schedule in our personal and professional lives. The best BBQ houses in New York weren't nearly as good as Pok-e-Jo's, which isn't even considered to be the top of the BBQ line.
Given that Pok-e-Jo's is a local chain, you can visit several locations while in Austin. And since I've got another five days in Austin, I can't wait to see what other local eateries we can explore.
I'm sorry, but is that SAUCE on the meat? What the hell is that about? I don't know what kind of Texas establishment that is. You shoulda gone to Lockhart.