BBQ PDQ

I had lunch at my favorite BBQ spot today: David's BBQ. David's has been in business for over 75 years! It's a family thing. To be honest, and much to the chagrin of my fellow Texans, I was never much of a BBQ fan. I can sum up the reason why in one word: gristle. Ack! I have this major issue with food and texture, thus my swearing off of my mom's chili, chicken nuggets from anywhere but Chick-Fil-A and BBQ in general. A strategically-placed piece of gristle or weirdo meat by-product can ruin the rest of my meal. And before you get all sassy and say "This from a guy who just endorsed a SPAM-based recipe?" That's different. SPAM and potted meat have succeeded in making their products consistent in their textures. It's all about texture, baby. Nothing can make me kack like a cat with a hairball, faster than hitting a piece of sqagooshie (not a real word, yet descriptive) piece of gristle.

My point is, I initially wasn't a big BBQ fan, until I started eating at David's. I love their chopped beef sandwich, turkey sandwich (to DIE for, seriously) and/or the occasional sausage sandwich. Besides having generous portions, so generous, in fact, that you can make TWO sandwiches from the serving of one sandwich (that's why, as a rule, I always order an extra bun), David's consistently has good quality meat, plus their BBQ sauce is outta this world. Nothing else like it. Of course, nothing's perfect, so I do have my own little neurotic ritual I practice when ordering the chopped beef sandwich: When separating the meat from one sandwich to make another (thus the extra bun), I make an effort to be a good Gristle Scout. Sure, there's no patches or meetings, but we Gristle Scouts are still very dedicated to the annihilation of gristle. Once I've picked out the occasional crafty piece, my meal consumption is underway!

I like David's BBQ for lots of reasons, besides the food itself: [1] The fact that it's personally owned/ran. Not impersonal like so many chain restaurants today. No need to "go through the corporate office" if some school kid wants to post a flyer in the window promoting the local softball team. [2] The customers/atmosphere is very small townish and therefore very cocoonish and understated. Nothing fancy schmancy. Just the bare essentials. Too many cooks spoil the broth. KISS* (*Keep It Simple, Stupid), that's my motto. [3] All the TONS of framed pictures autographed by local and Hollywood celebrities who have eaten there. [4] I get full for $6.35 (ice tea, 2 sandwiches (from 1 portion), french fries (or onion rings/okra), all the pickle chips I can eat at the the "fixins" bar (onion slices, banana peppers, pickle chips, red beans, coleslaw, etc.) and the FREE self-serve ice cream cone machine! Swell!