barbecue Archives - Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com

Trip 1, Day 3 – Snow’s BBQ, App State at Texas A&M // Texas 2022

Isaac Church — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 16:00:52 +0000

Today was a great day, but a long one. It started with one of the best meals we’ve ever eaten, and finished with another Alltime Upset.

Snow's BBQ

Before we get into the food, let me preface this section with a bit of history. In the small town of Lexington, TX, there’s an unassuming barbecue joint, open only on Saturdays, called Snow’s BBQ. Snow’s received national acclaim after Texas Monthly magazine (the Long Star State’s self-proclaimed barbecue authority) named it the best barbecue in the state of Texas in 2008. Since then, Snow’s has received celebrity-like status, largely due to their no-nonsense approach, and their pitmaster, an 86-year-old lady named Tootsie Tomanetz. She’s the custodian at the local high school, and after the Friday night football games, begins cooking at 02:00. Formerly, she was the owner of and pitmaster at a meat market in Giddings, TX.

The list of acclamation goes on and on. Netflix’s series Chef’s Table: BBQ featured Tootsie in the debut episode of their 2020 series. Texas Monthly continued to publish articles: the original in 2008, one in 2010, another in 2013, and eventually a permanent page on their website. Other publications followed suit, and the crowds flooded to Lexington to see what everyone was raving about.

Unfortunately, the raging popularity means getting some of the famous barbecue requires waking up extremely early and waiting in line for hours. I knew this trip would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit Snow’s, so we decided to go for it. We borrowed some lawn chairs from our Airbnb host on Friday night, and headed to bed as early as possible.

I rolled out of bed around 04:45, and Dad and Trevor finally got up right around 05:00. We threw on some clothes, and made it over to Snow’s around 05:20, where we joined the line. As early as we arrived, we were still #44-46 in line. It was a bit of a tailgating-like event. People played cornhole and a variety of other games while they waited. Periodically, patrons would wander over to the pits to see what was going on.

Early morning - Lexington, TX

Pits at Snow's BBQ

Kerry, the owner, walked around just before 07:00 to raffle off some prizes. You could win a coupon, free hats and shirts, or best of all, the opportunity for your group to jump forward 50 spots in the line. We weren’t fortunate enough to win anything, but we did get a nice surprise – they decided to open up early, around 07:30.

Snow's BBQ

We ditched the chairs and had Trevor take them back to the car, and proceeded to meander through the line, until we finally made it inside around 08:30. Naturally, we ordered everything on the menu, save a jalapeño sausage, since they gave us a free sample as we passed through the line. Their post oak-smoked menu features brisket, pork steak (pork shoulder cooked directly over coals), turkey, sausage, ribs, and chicken bathed in a mop sauce.

Snow's BBQ

I really have no words to describe how good the food was. It was so good, we decided we wouldn’t eat barbecue for the rest of the trip, because it would just be disappointing. Everything was amazingly tender and flavorful, and made even our excellent meal from Pinkerton’s (Day 1) seem like an amateur attempt at the art of barbecue. We finished up around 09:20, drove a mile and a half back to our rental house, dropped off our leftovers, and prepared for the rest of the day.

Snow's BBQ

Lexington, TX

Snow’s lived up to, or maybe even exceeded our expectations. Not only is it the best barbecue we’ve ever had, it’s also one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had at a restaurant. It’s hard to access, but an amazing place!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

College STation

We changed into our gameday clothes and hit the road for College Station, about an hour east of us. Traffic wasn’t congested at all on the way in, and we made it to our reserved parking spot just before 11:00. After lathering up with sunscreen, we decided to wander around as much as my ankle would allow. By this time, I was surviving on just one crutch, since it allowed me to walk a little faster.

Memorial Student Union

Eventually, we settled down in the Memorial Student Union, since it was nicely air conditioned. I grabbed a frosted lemonade from the cafeteria Chick-fil-A, and we waited out the heat until closer to 13:00. Outside the student union, we watched some of the cadets marching by, and then went inside to find our seats.

Cadets

Football

App State vs Texas A&M kicked off at 14:30. As you probably know by now, it was a great game, and the Mountaineers pulled off the upset against the #6/6-ranked Aggies. Kyle Field had a great atmosphere, and all the fans were very respectful and nice, both before and after the game. After time expired, we stayed in and around the stadium for about another hour, celebrating and catching up with friends.

Kyle Field

The App crowd made a great showing, and we could often be heard over the roar of the home crowd. It was hot for most of the game (over 90°F), but we pushed through, downing about 2L of water/ea throughout the game. Kyle field seats 102,733, and it was just over 90% full for this game.

Texas A&M does not have cheerleaders, just “yell leaders”, who lead the crowds in chants and cheers. As they cheer and sway, it seems as if the whole stadium is moving. We managed to silence them frequently, since App played at or above their level most of the game.

Kyle Field

Knight Family

Finally, with some encouragement from the stadium staff, we headed back to the car and headed off to find some food.

Kyle Field

Whataburger

We ended up stopping at Whataburger in Bryan, TX, the town adjacent to College Station. We got some burgers, milkshakes, fries, and onion rings, which was more than enough to satisfy our hunger. The “Texas tradition” burger joint was very good.

Whataburger

After dinner, we drove back to Lexington, took some much-needed showers, and collapsed in bed.

Sunset

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’re headed to Houston for a baseball game and some other adventures TBD.

– Isaac & Co.

The post Trip 1, Day 3 – Snow’s BBQ, App State at Texas A&M // Texas 2022 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Trip 1, Day 1/2 – Austin, Houston, Hill Country // Texas 2022

Isaac Church — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 16:00:00 +0000

Greetings! This post combines the first two days of our trip to Texas. We ate some great food, and visited the hill country near Lake Travis.

Travel

Thursday morning, we picked up Trevor, drove to the CLT airport, and made our way through security. Just after arriving at our gate, we promptly got a notification our flight was delayed. So, we settled in with a bagel, and finally boarded our plane about 40 minutes later than scheduled. We managed to flag down a man with a golf cart to chauffeur us through most of the Houston airport, then we took a shuttle to the rental car garage.

Leaving CLT

Bagel at CLT

Riding a golf cart in IAH

Houston Interstate

Pinkerton's Barbecue

Butcher paper menu

Pinkerton's Barbecue

We immediately headed into Houston to get some Texas barbecue at Pinkerton’s Texas Pit Barbecue, a spot in Houston Heights. We split an outstanding meal consisting of prime brisket, smoked turkey, glazed pork ribs, beans, bacon mac & cheese, and smoked duck and sausage jambalaya. Most Texas barbecue is served with white bread, pickles, and onions, and this was no exception. All the food was excellent, particularly the brisket and turkey. We barely polished it off, and took some blueberry cobbler to-go to enjoy later.

Pinkerton's Barbecue

Brisket

Turkey and Pork Ribs

Mac & Cheese and Duck/Sausage Jambalaya

Pinkerton's Texas Pit Barbecue

Houston, TX

Our first barbecue stop was a quintessential Texas barbecue joint – flavorful food with a rustic atmosphere. Pinkerton’s has some unique items on the menu, and the traditional favorites are delicious.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Buc-ee's

Leaving Houston, we got on US-290 and headed NW to Lexington, our home for the next three nights. On the way, we spotted a Buc-ee’s on the side of the highway (it was impossible to miss), so we decided we’d stop and see what all the fuss is about.

I really don’t have adequate words to describe it. If you can imagine elements of a Tractor Supply, Bass Pro Shop, Hobby Lobby, the grocery store deli from a giant Ingles, and a convenience store all merged together, you’ve got a pretty good idea. It’s enormous, with hundreds of gas pumps, and endless snack options. We got some of their fresh roasted candied pecans and cashews, and hit the road again.

Buc-ee's

Candied nuts

We arrived in Lexington right at sunset and checked into our Airbnb, a small old ranch house that had been recently renovated. We settled in for the evening, watched a movie, and headed to bed.

Sunset

Breakfast

The next morning, we woke up around 07:30 and had some scones for breakfast. Our host had provided some from a local baker, and they were most excellent. After breakfast, we hopped in the car and headed towards Austin, which is about an hour drive from our Airbnb.

View from our Airbnb

Scones

Vaquero Taquero

Arriving in Austin around 11:30, we headed to Vaquero Taquero for an early lunch. It’s an interesting spot for a restaurant; you basically order at a side window on a convenience store, and then eat under tables next to the side of the building.

Vaquero Taquero

We got a variety of tacos to try (seven between the three of us), including trompo al pastor (flame-seared marinated pork with cilantro, onion, salsa verde, fresh avocado cream, and pineapple slices); tinga de pollo (chipotle marinated shredded chicken dressed with cilantro, purple limed-onions, and crema); bistec (brined strip loin steak with cilantro, onion, roasted salsa roja, and fresh avocado cream); nopales (sautéed cactus (salsa macha), onions, and corn); and bacon, egg, & cheese (crispy chopped bacon and Costra de Queso (melted & crispy cheese) scrambled with eggs). The food was stellar. We couldn’t quite finish everything – they were huge tacos. The tortillas, both corn and flour, were homemade and incredibly fresh and soft. I regret not trying their quesadillas, because they looked amazing – they browned the cheese on the flattop until it was crispy.

Tacos

Vaquero Taquero

Austin, TX

One wouldn’t normally expect great food out of the side of a convenience store, but maybe one should. The tacos here are excellent, and I’ll definitely be coming back for breakfast and/or lunch if I’m in the area.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Austin

After lunch, we drove a couple blocks south toward the University of Texas campus, and rode around to see the sights, namely the bell tower and Texas Memorial Stadium. We drove by the Texas State Capitol, and then headed to Trader Joe’s to purchase sunscreen in preparation for our inevitable baking the next day. We walked/hobbled down to part of the riverwalk the next block over, and then headed back to the car.

Texas Memorial Stadium

University of Texas campus

Texas State Capitol

Austin Riverwalk

Balcones Canyonlands

To kill some time and enjoy the scenery, we drove out to the hill country by Lake Travis, and visited Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. We drove around to a couple viewpoints, but quickly continued on our way since it was miserably hot.

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

Lake Travis

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

Cactus

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

J.J. Mansfield Hydroelectric Dam

Lake Travis

The Salt Lick

For dinner, we headed to the southwest of Austin to The Salt Lick in Driftwood, TX. It’s a huge venue, similar to Sim’s Country BBQ, if you’ve ever been there. The seating is all picnic tables, and you can bring your own cooler and chairs and hang out for the evening. They cook everything over an open pit in the entryway. We got a smoked sausage, one beef rib, two bison ribs, brisket, potato salad, beans, and slaw (they only have three sides). They have a unique style of barbecue, which is caramelized with a slightly spicy sauce. The ribs are tender, but nicely charred and sticky instead of ultra-tender. Everything was excellent, but the sausage and potato salad were especially good.

The Salt Lick

Winding down

On the way back to the house, we stopped at Amy’s Ice Creams to get a scoop or two. Their specialties are Mexican Vanilla (vanilla beans crossbred with orchids) and Dark Belgian Chocolate. We tried both of these, and both were very good, but we didn’t feel like it was a good value for the money. The portions were skimpy and prices were quite high, even if the portions hadn’t been skimpy. We returned to the house right at sunset, and watched a movie while I iced my ankle. For a late night snack, we ate the blueberry cobbler from Pinkerton’s, which was extraordinary. We wished we’d gotten a serving each instead of splitting one three ways.

Lexington, TX

Our Airbnb in Lexington, TX

Lexington, TX

Conclusion

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Another post coming soon…

– Isaac & Co.

The Salt Lick

The post Trip 1, Day 1/2 – Austin, Houston, Hill Country // Texas 2022 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Introduction // Texas 2022

Isaac Church — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 16:00:00 +0000

Greetings all! It’s good to be traveling again.

It’s fall, and that means football. App’s 2022 schedule allows us to see a handful of road games (yay!), starting with a trip to Kyle Field to see the Mountaineers face the #6-ranked Aggies of Texas A&M. In October, we’ll return to the Lone Star State to watch the App play the Texas State Bobcats.

Kyle Field

For the A&M game this weekend, Trevor, Dad, and I are flying into Houston (IAH), and then staying about halfway between College Station and Austin, strategically near one of the greatest barbecue spots in the world. After watching the football game and a game in Minute Maid Park, we’ll spend our final night back in Houston.

In October, Trevor, Cody, and I are flying into Austin for the Texas State game. We’ll drive south to watch the game in San Marcos, and then explore San Antonio and possibly parts of Austin. This is the same group that traveled to Atlanta last year for the Georgia State game.

In November, Dad and I will travel to Huntington, WV to watch the Mountaineers battle the Marshall Thundering Herd.

Thoughts

This is my first trip to Texas (excluding airports), but Dad has visited many times before. We’re especially excited to eat some good brisket and Tex-Mex, and to experience the Texas A&M game day atmosphere, which supposed to be one of, if not the best in college football. We had a bit of a scare when our VRBO was canceled by the host due to a death in the family, but I managed to secure alternate housing.

A last-minute “twist”: I managed to severely sprain my ankle on Sunday, so I’ll be hobbling around the whole trip, supported by crutches and medication. Turns out, I also have a loose piece of chipped-off bone from another previous injury floating around, so I’ll have to get that removed eventually. For those of you keeping track, yes, I was also injured the last time Trevor, Dad, and I went on a trip together. Makes you wonder…

Ankle bruising

Ankle x-ray

Conclusion

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Stay tuned for more posts coming soon. It’s great to be a Mountaineer!

– Isaac & Co.

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Day 10 – Glacier National Park, Missoula // Church Trip 2021

Isaac Church — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Today was our final day in Glacier National Park. We visited Polebridge Mercantile in the North Fork area of the park, did one last hike at Avalanche Creek, saw Sacred Dancing Cascade, and then drove south to Missoula. We ate some barbecue for dinner, got some ice cream, and then visited the campus of the University of Montana in the evening.

North Fork // Polebridge

In the morning, we traveled to yet another area of the park we hadn’t visited yet: the North Fork. This remote section of the park is rarely visited, especially compared to the others areas we’d been too. The landscape is unique, as the elevation is much lower than the rest of the park. The road follows the North Fork of the Flathead River, thus the name.

After packing up and saying goodbye to the Bearhat Cabin in Hungry Horse, we headed north towards the North Fork. I made the mistake of taking the route on our GPS that would supposedly save us five minutes (the North Fork Road), rather than going with the suggested route (the Inside North Fork Road). Huge mistake. The North Fork Road was probably the worst road I’ve ever been on, at least in America. It was 30+ miles of gravel (maybe even more), with lengthy sections where the road was a washboard. There were times we were going less than 5mph, and still could hardly stand it.

North Fork Road

At least the scenery was nice, when we could see it. Mostly, there was just a massive cloud of dust all around us. We did see a handful of deer, and had some great views of the river. Finally, we arrived at some smoother roads and a sign that welcomed us to our destination: the tiny town of Polebridge, MT.

North Fork Road

Deer on North Fork Road

North Fork

Polebridge, MT

Polebridge Lending Library

Polebridge has one mercantile, a saloon, a hostel, and a few small houses. It’s an extremely remote community, and honestly it’s quite amazing that anyone lives out there at all. That said, the existing amenities are actually quite charming, and we were glad we’d made the drive out there.

Polebridge Mercantile

Breakfast

We headed into the Polebridge Mercantile to get some breakfast. It’s a neat store, stocked with backcountry essentials, souvenirs, basic provisions, and best of all, fresh-baked pastries. The pastries are the main reason anyone bothers to comes out this far.

Polebridge Mercantile

Pastries

We were planning on this being our only meal until later this evening, so we weren’t shy when we ordered. We got three huckleberry bear claws, a spinach-cheese roll, a mixed berry pastry, a huckleberry crumble bar, four pineapple-coconut macaroons, four huckleberry macaroons, and some coffee and milk. The pastries were all amazing. We saved the macaroons for a car snack later, and reserved the crumble bar and mixed-berry pastry for tomorrow’s breakfast. Everything was so good that I went back and got another pastry that intrigued me, a “poppy roll”, which had poppyseeds, fudge, and chocolate chips. Great decision; it was probably the best thing I had, and definitely the most unique.

Pastries

Poppy Roll

Polebridge Mercantile

Poppy Roll

Polebridge Mercantile

Polebridge, MT

The combination of excellent food and a unique atmosphere make this a special place to visit! Plus, the drive out gives visitors a chance to see the beautiful North Fork area of Glacier National Park.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Inside North Fork // Apgar

I was hoping to have time to visit one of the many beautiful lakes in the region, specifically Bowman Lake or Kintla Lake. Unfortunately, since we were tired, we’d gotten a later start this morning. We decided to skip the lake(s) (plus, the roads were likely closed, as the park only allows a small number of visitors due to limited parking) and head back toward greater civilization and the west entrance of the park.

Inside North Fork Road

Concerned for the life of our rental car, we took the Inside North Fork Road back, stopping a few times to take some pictures of the incredible scenery. We saw a gigantic golden eagle in a tree just off the road, and were able to observe it up-close for a little while. It was a magnificent bird, and an incredible site to behold.

Golden eagle

Soon, we arrived back near the shores of Lake McDonald, where we stopped at the tiny lakeside village of Apgar. A couple days ago, we’d briefly stopped in the park’s Apgar Visitor Center, but hadn’t been in the village proper. There were several neat gift shops, equipment rental stores, and the longstanding Eddie’s Cafe. We stopped in the Montana House gift shop for a while and purchased a few small locally made crafts to take home.

Montana House gift shop

Village of Apgar, MT

Trail of the Cedars // Avalanche Creek

Sadly, it was almost time to leave Glacier, but we wanted to make a couple final stops. First, we wanted to do one last short hike at the Trail of the Cedars. This boardwalk loop trail goes through a Pacific Northwest rain forest, through giant moss-covered trees. It was noticeably drier than our trip to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park, but still reminiscent of that part of the country.

Trail of the Cedars

At the far end of the loop, the trail branches off and follows Avalanche Creek up to Avalanche Lake. We didn’t have time to go all the way to the lake, but we did hike upstream for a while along Avalanche Creek as it thundered and carved its way through a red rock canyon.

Avalanche Creek

Trail of the Cedars

Avalanche Creek

Mom and Dad regretted not buying a couple things back in Apgar, so while we hiked around, they went back and revisited the Montana House. After Faith and I finished up at Avalanche Creek, we crossed the road and walked alongside McDonald Creek (which is less roaring cascades and more of a broad river) until they returned.

McDonald Creek

Sacred Dancing Cascade

We’d saved Sacred Dancing Cascade, one of two main waterfalls along McDonald Creek, for last, because we knew Mom could access it. Even though we’d driven by many times by now, we hadn’t stopped yet. There’s an overlook near the top, and then a trail takes you down to a rocky beach area and a bridge that crosses the creek. It was beautiful, and I still can’t believe how clear the water was.

Sacred Dancing Cascade

Lake McDonald // Leaving Glacier

For one final time, we drove past Lake McDonald to exit the park. I don’t know that I’ve ever been more sad to leave a place I’ve visited. In my experience, I and most people hit a wall sometime around days 9-12 of a trip where everyone is ready to go home. At Glacier, I didn’t feel this way at all. I wish I could’ve stay the rest of the summer, or maybe forever.

Lake McDonald

Drive to Missoula

Back on major highways, we drove south towards Missoula, passing on the opposite side of Flathead Lake from our northbound journey. I slept almost all the way back to Missoula, so I don’t have much to share about the drive.

Missoula, MT

Dinner - The Notorious P.I.G.

In Missoula, we stopped at the Notorious P.I.G. for dinner, since it was closed for lunch when we attempted to visit on Independence Day. We ordered a handful of combo platters to try, plus a rack of ribs. Between all our plates, we had brisket, tri-tip, ribs, pork, turkey, slaw, beans, mac & cheese, BBQ pork rinds, and the aforementioned ribs. The ribs weren’t great, but the rest of the meat was very good. The BBQ pork rinds were especially good.

The Notorious P.I.G.

Big Dipper Ice Cream

After dinner, we drove to our hotel a couple exits up I-90. After unloading and resting a while, we headed back into town to Big Dipper Ice Cream, a local joint with homemade flavors. I got four half scoops (cardamom, maple walnut, huckleberry, and mocha chip), while Dad got a huckleberry milkshake, Mom got a scoop of huckleberry, and Faith got a scoop of El Salvador coffee. Everything was excellent; I’d highly recommend this place.

Big Dipper Ice Cream

Missoula, MT

A cool, old-school ice cream join with outstanding desserts. Stop by if you’re in Missoula!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

University of Montana

We finished up our dessert and drove over towards the University of Montana. There’s a road that loops through campus, so we drove through to see the sights. There was a large herd of deer grazing on the grounds. Dad and I walked in the open football stadium to take some pictures…we have bad memories of seeing this stadium on TV during a tough App loss back in the late 2000’s Armanti Edwards era. It’s a beautiful stadium and campus.

Washington-Grizzly Stadium - University of Montana

Back on the interstate, we headed back to the hotel, enjoying a nice sunset on our drive.

Sunset - Missoula, MT

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “either the golden eagle, or the waterfalls at Avalanche Creek”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the chocolate poppyseed turnover from Polebridge”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “Polebridge Mercantile”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the spinach artichoke pastry and huckleberry bear claw”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “either Sacred Dancing Cascade or the golden eagle”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the coconut-pineapple macaroon from Polebridge”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “one last look at the mountains in Glacier”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the huckleberry macaroon from Polebridge”.

Video

Conclusion

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Sadly, tomorrow will be our final full day out west. We’re going to take a boat tour on the Missouri River near Helena, and then will travel south to Bozeman to fly home early Saturday morning.

– Isaac, Faith, Jerry, and Amy

Sacred Dancing Cascade

The post Day 10 – Glacier National Park, Missoula // Church Trip 2021 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.