BBQ Knocks Heim BBQ Off The List

Heading up to Oklahoma early on Saturday, I realized my wife and I would have an opportunity to stop by the city of my birth, Fort Worth for some BBQ. I consulted the Top 50 list and ended up selecting Heim BBQ to sample. We reached the joint on a surprisingly cold day, waiting outside for about 20 minutes. When we got inside, I knew immediately I would grab a three meat plate and add some  Bacon Burnt Ends and Ribs to it.

I was a bit put off by the smaller portions of meat for the plate, with only two slices of turkey, a sampling of pulled pork, and a single slice of brisket. Granted the slice was pretty big, but next visit I will definitely either go with a sandwich or just order by the pound. Now to the meat-

The brisket had good smoke, excellent fat cap, and pretty good beefy flavor. A bit more salt with the rub could have produced a better slice. The turkey was cut thick, and a bit dry in areas, but the skin was really good, with a good peppery bite before the smoke. Overall it was certainly tasty. The pulled pork was super moist, with a simple rub giving way to the porky flavor. It’s not all that memorable, but a blast of the sweet, tangy sauce revealed a good meat for sandwiches.

The bacon burnt ends were quite fantastic. They were cooked a bit hard, but the rub was very peppery and sweet, a perfect balance to the decadent pork belly underneath. These pieces were huge, and each bite reminded me of how innovative BBQ had become in Texas. I wouldn’t say they were QUITE as good as All the King’s Men, but certainly worth the drive.

Now we move onto the highlight of the joint- the pork ribs. There’s an easy to identify glaze that formed from the rub and skin. Continuing the theme of the joint, the rub was sweet and peppery. I’ve been very lucky the last few joints I’ve visited in terms of their pork ribs. I’d certainly put this in the top 5 ribs (probably going to put out a list of that in the future). The meat held to the bone, but pulled off easily when bit into.

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The sides were pretty good too, and I snagged some banana pudding too! The twice-baked potato salad was excellent. This is very different than the classic approach, substituting sour cream and cheese for the traditional mayo and mustard. This really does taste like a baked potato. The mac and cheese had a great peppery bite, and was well salted. I was a big fan of the banana pudding, but my wife would have preferred the pudding be smoother. I actually like my pudding more like puree, so I was quite happy with the homemade texture.

MEAT SCORE- 8.3

TOTAL SCORE- 8.5

I’ll continue to make my way through the top 50 list, and keep you posted!