emissionjeunesse: Jackson Street BBQ

I went on a road trip by myself to Houston to attend the first Hou BBQ Throwdown. I got to Houston around 11 AM and wanted to eat some barbecue before the event started at 1 PM. Jackson Street BBQ is located downtown in the shadows of Minute Maid Park. It is a joint effort between Houston chef Bryan Caswell and Gatlin's BBQ pitmaster/owner Greg Gatlin that opened earlier this year. You cannot miss the bright red building when you are in the area.

The menu had your usual suspects (meat that is) and a bunch of sides. I ordered The Trinity (moist brisket, pork ribs, and sausage) and Burnt Ends on a Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuit. The brisket was solid but heavy on salt. It was smoky and tender, but I kept wanting more from it. The ribs had a good taste with a hint of sweetness that reminded me of the ones from Gatlin's. The end rib was chewy, but the meat from the middle rib pulled away from the bone with very little resistance. The German-style sausage was pretty standard. It had a garlic finish, and the casing was snappy. One bite into the burnt ends on a biscuit, and I was giddy. The crusty biscuit with the saucy, succulent meat was well-balanced. It was different but wonderful. Giving an option to add an egg to the sandwich could make it mind blowing. I went with dirty rice and potato salad as sides. I missed out on the rice when I went to Gatlin's so it was good that I got to sample it at Jackson St. It had a nice depth of flavor. The potato salad was fresh and better than what you would find out there.

I left a lot of space in my stomach for the Throwdown so there were a lot of leftovers for later. I did not want to put down the burnt ends on a brisket though. My wife got to enjoy the rest of it the next morning. After my visit, I found out that they failed a health inspection the prior week. It was nothing major, and I felt fine after my meal. There is a ton of space inside the restaurant. There is even a stage for musical acts. It would be a pretty cool place to hang out after a 'Stros game. Being downtown also makes Jackson Street BBQ a great choice to stop in for lunch or to grab something after work. Grade: B