My mom and I were one of those 600,000 today. We bundled up, stepped out into the dreary and rainy afternoon, and headed toward The Salt Lick for a lunch full of delicious and celebrated barbeque.
Like I
mentioned in my previous post about this barbeque joint, I’ve been to this location several
times, and every single time I’ve had a memorable and wonderful experience. The
service is always friendly, the food is great, the atmosphere is pleasurable
and the whole place screams happiness and fun.
As we pulled into the gravel driveway, the smells of smoking meat filled the car and enveloped us in a warm embrace. It’s such a specifically amazing smell that always commands your attention and beckons you to come, eat.
As we pulled into the gravel driveway, the smells of smoking meat filled the car and enveloped us in a warm embrace. It’s such a specifically amazing smell that always commands your attention and beckons you to come, eat.
When we entered the restaurant, a smiling hostess directed
us to the main dining area. It was bright and felt like a large outdoor porch,
but it was closed in and felt REALLY comfortable. The scenery is so beautiful,
even on this yucky, rainy day; the big windows gave us some nice views.
I scanned my menu but knew what I was after as soon as we walked past the always-amazing sight of the open pit where they have smoked their meats since 1967. I wanted to try all the meats… The Thurman’s Choice plate satisfied my desire for brisket, pork ribs and sausage. It comes served with potato salad, cole saw and beans. I subbed out the salad and beans for extra cole slaw. I can’t get enough of their magical slaw. I also requested lots of pickles on the side. Their pickles make me so happy.
Our (awesome) waitress asked how I liked my brisket, offering lean, moist and burnt ends. I clearly went for both moist and burnt ends. I dream of burnt ends at night… For those of you who don’t dream of burnt ends or know what they are for that matter, they are the single most flavorful pieces of meat cut from the ends of a smoked brisket. They’re crunchy and moist and succulent and beautiful and… I could go on. But I won’t. You should have some for yourself, and then you’ll understand.
My mom ordered the smoked turkey plate, her very best favorite, with three sides of slaw. It really is that good.
After a very short wait, our waitress presented us with our plates of awesome, and I barely could hold back. My first bite was from one of the burnt ends. HOLY CRAAPP…
It was so juicy, so crispy and crunchy. The smoke came through strong and the deep, dark flavors lingered and coated my whole mouth. I totally zoned off as I continued to annihilate my plate of BBQ, thinking about absolutely nothing except how totally amazing my mouth tasted.
This was the single best bite of smoked brisket that I ever had encountered, and I thank the pit masters from the bottom of my heart for doing what they do.
The sausage was moist, full of flavor and had a bit of a bite that left my mouth watering, requiring more. The pork rib also was very juicy, luscious and succulent. The meat came off the bone nice and clean with the first bite. It was so perfectly cooked.
My mom’s turkey left her smiling and happy, as usual. Their smoking process allows the turkey to retain its juices while enhancing the yummy flavors.
After we were all through, I ordered a pound of chopped brisket, to-go for a recipe I’ll be making later on from the beautiful Salt Lick Cookbook. Yummy, yummy can’t wait for brisket stuffed mushrooms in my tummy!
As I waited for my mom to take care of the check at the front, I took a few pictures of the awesome indoor smoking pit. I heard someone ask me if I’d like my picture with some ribs. Though I had no idea what that meant at first, I clearly said, “Why yes, I’d love to take some pictures with some ribs.” It didn’t go EXACTLY like that, but who am I to turn down an offer like that.
The cashier, Phoenix, and the manager, Colby both helped me get an awesome couple of pictures, and I appreciate their kindness and professionalism. The service at The Salt Lick has never been less than awesome, and today it stood above the rest. I felt really special and left with an amazing experience to reflect on, until the next time!
Want to get in on my Salt Lick BBQ Swag giveaway contest?? I upped the winnings. The cookbook has now been signed by the owner, Scott Roberts. I also decided to include some of their delicious signature sauce and dry rub seasoning. Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself!
I'm currently accepting entries and will announce a lucky winner on Monday, January
14th. Just email me at slowdownandsavor [at] gmail [dot] com with your name and if you'd like, let me know what your favorite barbeque spot
is, or what your favorite thing about The Salt Lick is! You don’t have to tell me
that part if you don’t feel comfortable. Just a thought!
I scanned my menu but knew what I was after as soon as we walked past the always-amazing sight of the open pit where they have smoked their meats since 1967. I wanted to try all the meats… The Thurman’s Choice plate satisfied my desire for brisket, pork ribs and sausage. It comes served with potato salad, cole saw and beans. I subbed out the salad and beans for extra cole slaw. I can’t get enough of their magical slaw. I also requested lots of pickles on the side. Their pickles make me so happy.
Our (awesome) waitress asked how I liked my brisket, offering lean, moist and burnt ends. I clearly went for both moist and burnt ends. I dream of burnt ends at night… For those of you who don’t dream of burnt ends or know what they are for that matter, they are the single most flavorful pieces of meat cut from the ends of a smoked brisket. They’re crunchy and moist and succulent and beautiful and… I could go on. But I won’t. You should have some for yourself, and then you’ll understand.
My mom ordered the smoked turkey plate, her very best favorite, with three sides of slaw. It really is that good.
After a very short wait, our waitress presented us with our plates of awesome, and I barely could hold back. My first bite was from one of the burnt ends. HOLY CRAAPP…
It was so juicy, so crispy and crunchy. The smoke came through strong and the deep, dark flavors lingered and coated my whole mouth. I totally zoned off as I continued to annihilate my plate of BBQ, thinking about absolutely nothing except how totally amazing my mouth tasted.
This was the single best bite of smoked brisket that I ever had encountered, and I thank the pit masters from the bottom of my heart for doing what they do.
The sausage was moist, full of flavor and had a bit of a bite that left my mouth watering, requiring more. The pork rib also was very juicy, luscious and succulent. The meat came off the bone nice and clean with the first bite. It was so perfectly cooked.
My mom’s turkey left her smiling and happy, as usual. Their smoking process allows the turkey to retain its juices while enhancing the yummy flavors.
After we were all through, I ordered a pound of chopped brisket, to-go for a recipe I’ll be making later on from the beautiful Salt Lick Cookbook. Yummy, yummy can’t wait for brisket stuffed mushrooms in my tummy!
As I waited for my mom to take care of the check at the front, I took a few pictures of the awesome indoor smoking pit. I heard someone ask me if I’d like my picture with some ribs. Though I had no idea what that meant at first, I clearly said, “Why yes, I’d love to take some pictures with some ribs.” It didn’t go EXACTLY like that, but who am I to turn down an offer like that.
The cashier, Phoenix, and the manager, Colby both helped me get an awesome couple of pictures, and I appreciate their kindness and professionalism. The service at The Salt Lick has never been less than awesome, and today it stood above the rest. I felt really special and left with an amazing experience to reflect on, until the next time!
Want to get in on my Salt Lick BBQ Swag giveaway contest?? I upped the winnings. The cookbook has now been signed by the owner, Scott Roberts. I also decided to include some of their delicious signature sauce and dry rub seasoning. Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself!
Want to go to the Driftwood location, and see where it all started?
18300 FM 1826
Driftwood, TX 78619
When can you go?
Driftwood Hours: Open every day 11am to 10pm
Don’t forget! The Salt Lick is cash only AND B.Y.O.B.
Omg that food looks fantastic!!!! I wish we had a real bbq joint like that here. Very lucky you are!
ReplyDeleteGreat job writing!
Thanks, Jason!
DeleteI LOVE The Salt Lick! A great review of the legendary restaurant, Katie! It's well worth the trip ;). Such gorgeous pictures too. I remember when I took my whole family there. My mom cut off all the burnt outer layer on our plates! Gasp! We were not happy campers. Hope you're doing well! Ready for the semester to begin again?
ReplyDeleteBurnt brisket ends are gifts from BBQ heaven: "meat candy" as I'm not the first to say.
ReplyDelete