Rudy's Bar-B-Q

There is something about Rudy's Bar-B-Q that is really unsettling to many Texans. Sure, you'll find your ordinary average Rudy's full to the brim with Texas natives, but there's something else going on. Whenever I talk about how much I love Rudy's there is always a group of naysayers. "The thing about College Station is," they say, or, "The thing about Fort Worth is," or, "The thing about [City in Texas] is that we don't really need a Rudy's because we have so many other places to get great barbecue." Sometimes people even name the particular restaurants that they are referring to. Most times they don't. I investigate, and for some reason I keep coming back to Rudy's.

For me, this is like an X-File. It is something that someone from far away has to come into town and investigate. I take the role of Agent Fox Mulder, of course. I get the lay of the land. I come to understand the locals. I solve the crime. As you can imagine, this undertaking involves eating at every single Rudy's Bar-B-Q, even the ones in New Mexico and Colorado. It involves eating everything on the menu. It involves getting into the minds of those Texans who resent Rudy's. I've only been to about a quarter of all the Rudy's Bar-B-Qs in this great nation and I've only lived in Texas for two and a half years, so all of my findings will have to be considered provisional.

Rudy's is the home of the best meat I've ever tasted in Texas. Their brisket is slow-cooked and savory, needing nothing to garnish it. But their garnishes are some of the best I've ever tasted. Their Bar-B-Q "Sause" comes in two flavors, Original and Sissy. I recommend the Original --- it's just a little bit spicier. They also have their own special variation on cracked pepper, which I've found to really complement the meat. Food is sold by the pound or half-pound. (You can order sandwiches, but you get a whole lot more for your money ordering the meat.) With any order of meat, you are given as many slices of bread as you need. I got a whole loaf the other day from one particular rebel without a cause. A half pound of brisket makes for four sandwiches, which brings about two savory results: 1. I can eat one sandwich with the naked meat, one with barbecue sauce, one with barbecue sauce and pepper, and the final one with barbecue sauce, pepper and pickles, and 2. I will enter into a food coma as soon as I get home and sleep like a baby.

One in twenty of the so-called great barbecue joints in Texas end up truly tasting great whereas every Rudy's location I've ever been to is amazing. Why do Texans boast of everything but Rudy's? I could suggest a theory, but it's more likely that it would piss off all my Texas friends than actually explain anything. Why do Texans boast about anything? Do they learn it in school? From their parents? I don't know. Probably all of those things. What I do know is that Rudy's makes some great barbecue, and the following is a list of my favorite Rudy's locations:

Rudy's Bar-B-Q - College Station, TX

504 Harvey Road

College Station, TX 77840

Rudy's Bar-B-Q - Corpus Christi, TX

6101 South Padre Island Drive

Corpus Christi, TX 78412

Rudy's Bar-B-Q - Denton, TX

520 Interstate 35 Frontage Rd

Denton, TX 76205

Rudy's Bar-B-Q - Waco, TX

2510 Circle Rd

Waco, TX 76706

Jesus BBQ

When I first moved to Fort Worth from nearby Denton, Texas, my first complaint was that Fort Worth does not have a Rudy's Bar-B-Q. I don't want to tell you too much about Rudy's for fear of spoiling an upcoming blog post, but it's a really good regional chain of barbecue restaurants with some of the best meat I've ever tasted. The common response from Fort Worth natives is that Fort Worth has so many amazing barbecue restaurants that they don't need a Rudy's. I, of course, responded by asking where these amazing barbecue joints were. Most people were unable to come up with an answer, and those who did directed me to subpar and occasionally decent barbecue. It took me well over a year of looking for good barbecue in Fort Worth before I encountered Jesus BBQ.

Jesus BBQ is located South of downtown Fort Worth. It is on the South side, with the visuals that one would imagine while listening to the Moby song (possibly featuring Gwen Stefani) of the same name. The area is run down. You can imagine people with "weapons in hand as [they] go for a ride." Everything, including Jesus BBQ, looks abandoned in this part of town. It would be so easy to walk by Jesus BBQ and never once step inside, because the building looks like the places in movies where mobsters and drug dealers do their business. If I hadn't read up on Jesus BBQ I think I'd have steered clear for fear of two large men throwing me out in much the same way that Uncle Phil always threw out Jazzy Jeff on Fresh Prince.

The menu at Jesus BBQ has mostly Mexican dishes, but also specialty barbecue items (linke, ribs, beef) and the highly recommended Tex-Mex special Taco de Barbacoa. I have been hearing of the wonders of Barbacoa tacos for weeks now, quite often in reference to Jesus BBQ, so I felt heavily inclined to choose the Barbacoa tacos. I was not let down. The Barbacoa taco was basically a soft tortilla filled with some of the best chopped brisket I have ever tasted. When they were served to me dry, I found myself disappointed, because I imagined they would be served with a sweet barbecue sauce. Upon eating, however, I found that the mixture of peppers that the brisket was cooked and served with gave the meat an interesting spicy seasoning that made barbecue sauce unnecessary.

Don't be too afraid of the surroundings to check out Jesus BBQ. At the same time, don't be so confident in your safety that you don't lock your car while you dine. The Jesus BBQ Taco de Barbacoa is one of the great gems of Fort Worth, Texas. Don't miss it.

Jesus BBQ

810 S. Main St.

Fort Worth, TX 76104