Friday, January 08, 2010

Cousin's Barbecue

I did 14 miles of bicycle errands today, starting out at 16º F (my coldest temp on a bike) and a 15-20 mph headwind on the outbound leg (note the flags standing straight out from the poles):



I rode my Schwinn Cutter single speed. The balaclava worked fine. I had to expose my nose when it got too foggy and cover it up when I got cold again.



What did I wear? From the bottom up, two pairs of socks, leather shoes, bike tights under jeans, a t-shirt, turtleneck, sweatshirt and nylon windbreaker, wool gloves with mitten caps (pretty cool actually- they are gloves that have exposed fingertips, but also have mitten caps you can fold over the fingers to keep the wind off), balaclava and helmet. I could have used a hat on top of the balaclava for the upwind portion of the run. Errands included going to the doctor's office to get new prescription scripts (we have to do mail-order under our new insurance), a trip to the eye doctor, and lunch.

I had barbecue. Talking about eating barbecue in Texas is like talking about breathing. You just do it without thinking about it. In Fort Worth there are several options that people argue about as to which is best, including Railhead, Angelo's, Riscky's & the best from my side of town, Cousin's.

Today I had beef brisket lunch at Cousin's Barbeque. I went to the original location on McCart at Westcreek.



Like most barbecue joints in the area, you order off a big menu at the front of the line and the service is cafeteria style.



Sushi chefs have nothing on barbecue carvers. Stay outta the way of that knife!



I ordered the sliced beef brisket barbecue plate. At Cousin's it comes with two sides and Texas toast. The pickles are from the condiments bar.



What can you say about barbecue? From what this yankee has learned since moving to Texas, traditional barbecue came from a desire to feed a bunch of ranch hands with the cheapest cut of meat available. The brisket is generally a stringy muscle that can be tough if not cooked right. But if it's slowly smoked, it comes out mouth-wateringly good, and so tender it practically melts in your mouth. I like Cousin's because the meat is so tender. Also, the barbecue sauce is tasty without being too strong. They definitely do it right.

Every barbecue place in Fort Worth has its niche. Railhead is a "see & be seen" place; Angelo's is old school. Riscky's is where the tourists go (they are downtown). Spring Creek is the "McDonald's" of DFW barbecue with lots of locations around. To me, Cousin's is barbecue that's cooked for the locals, without pretense. It is excellent and I highly recommend it. If you need a second opinion, ask Mrs. Doohickie's dad. Last time he visited we took him to Cousin's; he couldn't get enough of the stuff and we had several meals there. Cousin's truly is one of the barbecue icons of Fort Worth.

After lunch I went over for a visit at City Cyclist, by favorite LBS (local bike shop) which is in the same shopping center as Cousin's. I got to see a happy customer buy a Biria Classic Dutch bike. Her exact words after she finished her test ride were, "I'm in love!"

Finally it was time to head for home. I was freezing when I started. The homeward portion of the ride included a tailwind and getting home was a breeze.

11 comments:

Big Oak said...

That barbecue is making me hungry!

Your knee must be close to 100% again, no mention of it.

Steve A said...

There's also a Risckys on Hwy 26. No tourists at that one. Texas BBQ is different than a lot of places. I think Dickeys is the McDonalds. Spring Creek is the IHOP.

Pondero said...

Way to go, Paul! Show those northern bloggers we (well, some of us) can ride out in chilly conditions.

Thanks for the BBQ tip.

twister said...

I like Cousin's too, a lot. If you ever feel like pigging out on some beef you might try North Main BBQ in Euless. They are opened limited hours so be sure to check those pretty closely. http://www.northmainbbq.com/

PennyCandy said...

When I ate meat my favorite place was Railhead.

Sweetheart you are crazy to ride in this weather, but if it makes you happy and you don't get hurt go right ahead.

Rat Trap Press said...

I'm a fan of Angelos. It's good and it's cheap. It is the type of bbq joint I grew up on. The only bad thing is that you smell like bbq when you leave.

Doohickie said...

Yep. Old School. I like Angelo's a lot too, but they're just on the wrong side of town for me. Until we move closer, going there is more of a pilgrimage.

Felicia said...

MMMM'mm! I LOVE Bar-B-Q! And I'm pretty picky about it...I guess because I'm a southern girl! lol! And here in Colorado, I haven't found a Bar-B-Q restaurant worth going too :( And, the one place that is near where I live that does serve Bar-B-Q, doesn't even offer fried okra as a side item, which I think is a tragedy!

Apertome said...

Kudos for riding despite the cold. Sounds like you dressed about right for it, which can be tricky. Good job.

I love barbecue! We only have one real option here in town, but fortunately, it's pretty good. And having lived in Texas for a few years, I like to think I have a frame of reference.

Avus said...

A barbecue at 16F sounds good, Doohickie. Liked the Dutch bike - no wonder she was in love.

Trinity Bicycles said...

Another great place to have Barbecue on a bike ride is Bailey's downtown. Not a huge variety or anything, but it's good, and to borrow your words, it is definitely served "without pretense"!