604 Joyee's Fave: Texas Smoke BBQ (Langley)

If you have been following me for a while, you probably have noticed a few things from my posts:

1. I eat a lot of Persian food (I like it so much that one of my followers ended up asking our mutual friend if I'm Persian)

2. I love Southern BBQ's

3. and I am extremely fond of Northern Chinese food

So when I saw their instagram post from Texas Smoke BBQ, I knew I had to go there and try it out.

Strategically, I planned my day around Langley area yesterday so I could visit their food truck.

Everything about this food truck just made me so happy - the smoke emitting from their smoker, the pitmaster dividing up the brisket, and the country music playing in the background. As I was waiting in line, I went up to the pitmaster, who I later learned his name was Nathan, and he threw me a tiny sample. I ate it as if Covid didn't exist, and it was super tender!

I told him that I drove all the way here to try out their BBQ and I've gone around different places trying out Southern BBQs in the lower mainland. As I was making conversations with Nathan, I learned that everything was pretty much sold out already. I wanted to cry. I wanted their pulled pork but it was sold out. I wanted cornbread and it was also all sold out. That really says a lot when you're in a remote area and everything's sold out so quickly. At least they still have some briskets! The cashier advised me to come early next time as they quickly sell out everything on a daily basis. I arrived at 4:30 and their closing hour is 5, and she recommended that I should come before 2 pm next time. As I was pulling out my credit card to pay, another worker there, which I later learned his name was Shane, threw in some BBQ sausages into my box and said, "here are some sausages for you to try".

"Why, that's so kind of you guys!"

There are also some picnic tables and benches in the area and being a food enthusiast, I just couldn't wait to try it out. As I was settling down, Shane walked over and put down another box onto my table and said, "Here's our secret stash for you. There's some pulled pork and some brisket burnt ends."

I wanted to cry in joy. "God bless you!"

Anyway, let's talk about food (the whole reason why I was there). Meat tastes best when you put in the time to cook it slowly under low heat. I don't know the science behind it, but from experience, this slow cooking process increases the flavour and makes it extra tender. Bottom line, patience is the key.

Now of course, the cut of meat is also important. If there's not enough fat on the meat, no matter how long you cook it for, it will still end up being dry. One of the reason why I love Southern BBQ is because it really challenges the culinary skills of a pitmaster, and the end product displays it so honestly. Even if you drench it with BBQ sauce in an attempt to "moisten" a piece of dry meat, you still can't get away from it. Now I don't know a whole lot about the art and science behind Southern BBQ, but it's something I want to eventually learn from my friend. For now, I'm just giving you my review as a picky eater. Here are my thoughts on their BBQ meats & salad:

• The Beef Brisket - (a.) It's tender and it's juicy mainly because it has the perfect amount of fat on it, but it doesn't leave your mouth greasy (b.) they have smoked it long enough and has this really smokey flavour to it. I can tell you that they didn't use liquid smoke! (c.) they've added enough salt to it to bring out the brisket flavour. (d.) it's seasoned well and I didn't even need to add BBQ sauce to it. It tastes so good as is!!!!! The meat itself has a rich meatiness flavour and combined with the smokiness and the perfect seasoning made this an amazing BBQ brisket.

• The Brisket Burnt Ends - this is my first time trying brisket burnt ends, and I was excited because I know most people favor the burnt ends since it's crispier and more flavourful from the char. However, I prefer the regular beef briskets because it's more tender. In terms of the crispiness, I can't tell the difference between the two, but regardless, it's still soft and delicious.

• Sausage - (a.) They're smokey and succulent (b.) when you bite through the crispy skin, it bursts out flavourful juice that doesn't leave you thirsty afterward. (c.) I also like that it's not too salty

• Pulled Pork - this is my favorite. (a.) I think they've used Pork butt for their pulled pork, which has a higher fat content that would result in a tender cut of meat with lots of juice melted from the fat through the slow cooking process (b.) I liked that it wasn't greasy either (c.) it's really tender and it just slides down your throat. It doesn't exactly melt in your mouth, but if it does melt in your mouth, it would mean it's super fatty, greasy, and leave you super filling afterward. So it's just perfect.

• Coleslaw - I don't have a lot to say about salads cause it's a salad. But my two cents is that (a.) it could be just a teeny bit tangier. (b.) I like that it's not drenched in salad dressing so it's healthier.

Now I've been to a few renowned Southern BBQ restaurants in the lower mainland including: Smokes and Bones from North Vancouver, Hog Shack from Richmond, Memphis Blue in Downtown, and Porkmafia from Delta (which is another BBQ food truck). My favorite is Smokes and Bones and then followed by Hog Shack.

Before I give you my conclusion, I just want to emphasize that this is NOT a sponsored post.

See my receipt for payment proof. But yah, I believe this is my new favorite now. I will go back to try their ribs and cornbread. For now, the best cornbread I've had was from Hog Shack, but I hope that Texas Smoke BBQ could win my heart. I also note that they don't offer smoked beans which is a bummer :(

So stay tuned for my second update, which will be very soon! I already planned on bringing some of my friends to try them out in the next week or two!

P.S - my hair smelled like smoke afterward and that should bother me, but I'm just so happy that they're using real barbeque techniques to cook their meats, which truly reflects what Nathan commented earlier in our conversation, "we don't cut corners."

And one thing they forgot to mention is that the pitmaster has cooked these with love. You can taste it. As I always say, the best ingredient is to cook with love. I can tell that Nathan is passionate about what he does. Did I mention that he quitted his job last year and built his BBQ food truck during COVID? So please, go out there and support these guys if you are out there. It's not easy running a business, especially during COVID season.

📍Location: 23823 72 Avenue, Langley Hours: Thursday to Sunday 12 - 5 PM

💵 Price: $16 - $20 per meal

🤤Taste: 4.9 / 5

🕯Atmosphere: 5 / 5

🪑Seating: 2.5 / 5

📈 Price Performance ratio: 5 / 5

Retention Rate: 200%

ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕤:

🍖 SMOKEY

🍖 Beef brisket: perfect fat to meat ratio = succulent and tender brisket

🍖 pulled pork is my fave - smokey, soft, tender, and flavourful

🍖 Sausage - crispy skin with overflowing juice (that doesn’t leave you thirsty afterward)

🍖 not a fan of country music BUT the country music playing in the background makes you feel like you’re in the countryside! Hence giving it 5/5 for atmosphere. And ofc watching the smoke emitting from the food truck also plays a role

ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕤:

🥗 coleslaw could be tangier but who cares about salads 🤷🏻‍♀️ but I do appreciate that it’s not drenched in salad dressing so it’s healthier

💆🏻‍♀️ my hair smells like smoke afterward BUT that’s when you know their stuff is 🅻🅴🅶🅸🆃

🍖 No smoked beans offered 🍖 Sells out quickly

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:

🍖𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩

🍖 I came here to try their pulled pork but it was sold out. So was their cornbread. Everything else was sold out other than the brisket which says a lot!

🍖 was nearly in tears but Nathan, the pitmaster, heard I drove all the way here and gave me some extra sausage. When I sat down, Shane walked over and gave me another box and said, “here is our secret stash of pulled pork and brisket end bits” HOW KIND IS THAT?! 😭

🍖 I went to several renowned BBQ restaurants all over the lower mainland and this has just booted smokes and bones from my favorite to 🥈. Now @texassmokebbqtruck is my fave