Goode Company BBQ

Ahh, yes. Another BBQ post. Come on, I’m in Texas - I have to try as many places as I can, on my search for a place that compares to Phil’s BBQ. I have to admit it may never happen, simply due to the fact that Phil’s doesn’t serve beef brisket, and “true” Texas BBQ is apparently brisket. I am no judge of brisket, since I’ve had it so rarely, not having been a Texan for more than a couple of months. I don’t know what the criteria are, but I have been looking for a few qualities in brisket that I believe a good brisket should have:

1) smokiness

2) tenderness

3) fattiness (I say this instead of juicy because with brisket being cut so thin, you can’t really retain much juice)

One place that is heavily favored by the locals in my part of Houston is Goode Company. Goode Company is just down the street from my place, which is why I’ve hit it up a few times already with Jason. In a nutshell, the brisket here needs no sauce (and I think that’s how Texans judge BBQ - it has to be good without sauce), it’s the smokiest BBQ I’ve ever tasted, and even though it looks dry and lean, when you eat it you realize it’s tender and fatty.

Check out that smoke ring:

I haven’t seen people ordering the ribs - the chopped beef brisket sandwich appears to be the most popular choice here.

I wish we had taken pictures of the sides, because they were unique. The Austin baked beans were surprisingly sweet, and it was because it contained chunks of apples. They were also a bit spicy, but it may have been carry-over from the BBQ sauces I poured on the meats that were peppery and set my tongue on fire.

I’ve had Goode on 3 separate occasions that I can recall off the top of my head, and the brisket has always been good. Not as good as the BBQ at the Salt Lick, but for where I live in Houston, this may be as “goode” as it gets.

A couple of the guys from my program brought a huge box of Goode Co. brisket to the office with a tub of BBQ sauce, and we were just grabbing strips of meat in our hands, dunking it into the sauce and eating it straight.  I ate so much of it that I got a little sick from meat overload, but it was so tender that I couldn’t resist.  I would also like to recommend to people who try the brisket sandwich to get it on the jalapeno bread, which seems to be popular in Texas (I see it offered in several places).  It is doughy and spicy and delicious.