BBQ Friday!

A few months back, I blogged one Friday about burgers. Well, this Friday, I want to tell you about a place to get some great BBQ- Smitty's Bar-BQ to be exact. There are lots of good BBQ eateries in East Texas, and as many different flavors as there is ways to spell 'BBQ', but in my opinion Smitty's is one of the best.

Smitty's Bar-BQ is located on South Fourth Street (or Hwy. 19 South inside the Loop, it's one and the same). The building is as well seasoned as the delicious BBQ and has tons of character.

Speaking of character, when we first moved to Crockett until a few years ago, it was be owned and managed by a delightful lady, Mrs. Iva Smith. Mrs. Smith was as consistent as her BBQ. Here is some interesting history about Smitty's Bar-BQ I learned from Patsy Barney: Mrs. Iva's husband James A."Smitty" Smith started it with her help. He was very personable, he would go around to the tables and asked how the food was and so forth. That was 1984. Jesse Stephens bought it from his mother before she died and she kept running it until her grandson Darrell took over. In spite of the few changes over the years, the food has stayed consistently good.

The sliced beef sandwich, one of my faves, is made with a mountain of sliced brisket. The meat is tender and cooked to perfection. Add your fixins (pickles, onions, peppers) and choose from hot or mild sauce. Add a side of cole slaw (my favorite) or potato salad (my wife's favorite), grab a glass of their sweet tea, and you have yourself the perfect lunch.

But that's just the tip of the BBQ iceberg. You can't go wrong with Smitty's ribs, their sausage is to die for, and the BBQ baked potato is so good, you'll want to take the rest of the day off. The only thing on the menu I haven't tried is the BBQ frito pie, and because everything else is so good, I just haven't tried it yet.

Stop in Smitty's Bar-BQ on South Fourth Street for some sure 'nuff good BBQ. It's another of the many reasons why I Love Crockett, Texas!