Brown's Bar-B-Que Trailer

On a recent warm winter's day, I stopped by the Brown's Bar-B-Que trailer at South Lamar and Mary for lunch. Parked in front of Corner Bar, they've got a picnic table which was filled with people basking in the sun, enjoying the lovely smells that a barbecue trailer brings. And I hear they give bar patrons free barbecue on Sundays!

Looking at the menu, I went with the three meat plate with brisket, pork ribs, and chicken and added a sausage link for extra cost; cole slaw and potato salad were my sides. I had heard particularly good things about their chicken from a couple of people, and was excited to try it. 

I talked briefly with the cutter, and he did say they use post oak to smoke their meats. I was not asked if I wanted lean or moist brisket, but decided to go with what they gave me. They wrapped everything up, handed me a small brown lunch bag and I toddled home. I think the three meat plate was $16, because my total with the extra sausage was $19+ change.

Arriving home just a few minutes later, I found the white butcher's paper fairly drenched in grease. The main culprit was the brisket, and what turned out to be an extremely fatty piece. If you look closely at the top part of the brisket, you can see the fat cap just beneath the crust. The crust that was on the bottom I liked, as it had a sweetness to it, and was not heavy on the black pepper; I have felt some other barbecue places often over-pepper the crust. The meat itself, was, for lack of a better term, very "beefy" tasting. Not really bursting with any particular flavor. We were not off to the best of starts.

The sausage was an extremely fine grind, and there was no snap to the casing when you cut into the link. It also seemed over-smoked, as the casing was pulling away from the interior meat. The flavor was decent, with a touch of black pepper. I don't know if it's "their" sausage or where it's from.

The pork rib was very tender, and had a sweet glaze on the exterior; good flavor and not too fatty. I'd eat these again, though they don't come close to my favorite, the departed Artz Ribhouse or current fave, Opie's in Spicewood.

And then the chicken thigh. While the skin was not crisp, the meat was extremely moist and juicy, and bursting with flavor and a nice smokiness, without being overpowering. This was definitely the winner of the four meats I tried! I would love a smoked chicken salad made from these, but really I'd be happy just eating another *plain* thigh.

The sides were average: the cole slaw was chunky, sweet, and vinegar-based, and the potato salad was more like mashed potato salad with a sweet twang. And I can't even remember how the sauce tasted.

While I linked to their Facebook page above, they don't really seem to keep up with it, as their last posting was from August. I think they're closed on Mondays, but not totally certain. But when you make your way over to Brown's be sure to get the chicken! I'll be back for more!