Straight to the (Blue) Moon (BBQ)!

Not to be confused with the Blue Moon Cafe in Ada, I traveled about 30 minutes away from my residence to Blue Moon BBQ, (technically) located in Hearne. I had read that the joint had made it on the Top 50 Texas Monthly BBQ list, so I knew I had to check it off MY list. I took my wife and we grabbed some meats!

I grabbed the Texas Trinity (ribs, sausage, brisket) with potato salad and pinto beans. The brisket had good smoke flavor, but a few slices were a bit dry. The moist stuff was better, but the bark/rub overall was phenomenal. Perfect salt and pepper balance, and capturing the smoke well, it really helped save otherwise disappointing brisket. The sausage was good, with a decent casing and well seasoned flavor. It had a bit finer grind than I prefer, but it’s still a good addition to the plate. Now the ribs are another story.

These were smaller than I was used to, but still- Blue Moon’s Ribs are among the best in Texas. Moist, perfectly smoked, with that amazing dry rub, these don’t need sauce. The rub has a great balance of salt and pepper, and the rib has a hint of sweetness. Each bite was pretty much perfect, I just wish there was more of it! The sauce was a bit on the sweet side, almost having a maple flavor, but it was unnecessary. The potato salad had a wonderful mustard flavor, while also maintaining its creamy texture. The beans are a tougher nut to crack-

Instead of traditional pinto beans, these tasted more like rich baked beans in a tomato sauce. They were very good, but not exactly what I expect out of pinto beans. Still, it was nice to see such close attention paid to the sides. My wife had brisket and pulled pork, and the pork was much more moist than the brisket. There was fat, lean meat, and skin mixed in, and each bite had that smokey pork flavor that I look for in my pork.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the banana pudding. There are fresh bananas, vanilla wafer cookies, and of course homemade pudding to tie it all in. It’s not quite as good as Southside Market, but it’s pretty darn good, and not too sweet.

Overall, I would give this joint a 7.7. Certainly worth a visit if you live close, or are traveling in the area!