Texas BBQ Posse member Guy Reynolds writes and shares photos from a recent trip to Casstevens Cash & Carry in Lillian. The joint has received four stars from Daniel Vaughn on his Full Custom Gospel BBQ blog and received a 4.5 rating from Texas Monthly. Here's Guy's dispatch from Lillian:
My mother and I have been waiting for Off The Bone to open its new location, walking distance from where she lives in Mansfield, but it's been months since the announcement and little progress has happened. So the last time I was over that way we decided to make the drive out into the country about 15 miles to visit Casstevens Cash & Carry in Lillian, not much more than a fork in a FM road in Johnson County. It's a place I only knew of because of my friend Bud Kennedy's writings about it for the Fort Worth paper. Mom knew of it too and wanted to give it a try so we picked a Friday since that's the day they have ribs.
We arrived around noon and had no trouble ordering or finding a seat in the little place. Business was steady the hour we there, mostly from what appeared to be regulars, the type who knew the help by name and vice versa.
I ordered up a slab of ribs that cost $18 and weighed in at 1.6 lbs. That's a bit of a bargain compared to the the $13 per pound standard rate. And we had a couple of slices of brisket too. I'm no cue connoisseur but I'd rate both selects as very good. The brisket had a great smoky flavor but was a tad on the dry side. I wasn't paying attention when it was sliced or I would've requested it from the fatty end since I prefer it good and moist. The sauce, served on the side, was very good but I didn't use much of it. The ribs were meaty and flavorful and required no sauce. I wouldn't say the meat just fell off the bone but it was tender and a little tug did the trick.
Of course I had to make a few pictures while I was there and it's so easy to do them with my phone and the Hipstamatic app that that's what I did. Next time I need to go in the morning to get that smoker working since all the meats were already finished.
Click here to see a slideshow of Guy's photos on Flicker.
Casstevens Cash & Carry, 11025 E. FM 917, Lillian, TX, 817-790-2545. Open Mon–Sat 5:30 am–8 pm, Sun 7 am–8 pm.
Photos by Guy Reynolds
