Long line at Killen's BBQ in Pearland last Saturday. (Photo by Bryan Norton/bbqtreasurehunt.com) |
"Magic tingle."
That's how Bryan Norton, a blogger who rides a motorcycle to many of the barbecue joints he visits, describes the experience of tasting perfect brisket.
"It's that magic combination of pepper, salt, perfectly rendered fat, and of course brisket that literally travels through your body," he explained recently on the Posse's Facebook page.
"I've seen it make people giggle, laugh, roll their eyes back in their head, high-five and sometimes all of those at once," Norton wrote.
The Posse can't argue. That may be the most accurate description we've ever seen. This Norton dude knows barbecue.
So, we took special notice this weekend when Norton wrote about Killen's Pop-Up BBQ in Pearland, the weekend smoked meat test lab for steakhouse king Ronnie Killen while his barbecue restaurant is being completed. The joint has been getting rave reviews and attracting crowds.
But, it seems in the greater Houston area they don't know yet know how to form barbecue lines. Norton had to show them.
"We arrived at 10:15 am and were about 24th in line. Well I would say 'in line' but apparently folks in Houston are so new to this hip BBQ trend that they weren't standing in line. They were sitting under the shade of a giant oak tree at picnic tables. Both my wife and I looked at each other perplexed and watched as people showed up and sat down randomly. Finally at 10:30 the traffic began to pick up and I ordered everyone to form a line. I could only imagine the pandemonium if we were to wait much longer before queuing up; I envisioned pushing, shoving, and yelling. Luckily the cutlery for customers was only made of plastic!"
So, barbecue lines have finally come to Bayou City. And Norton loved Killen's brisket. Houston, we may no longer have a barbecue problem.
Killen's Pop-Up BBQ, 3613 E. Broadway, Pearland, 281-485-0844. Open Sat-Sun 11am-2pm.
Brisket at Killen's BBQ in Pearland. (Photo by Bryan Norton/bbqtreasurehunt.com) |