Home of Da Smoke

13433 US Highway 87S, Adkins, TX - (210) 649-2498

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Posted By Michael Stern on 7/4/2010 8:52:00 PM

Thanks once again to Cheryl Speakman of San Antonio's Flying Pig Baking Company for directing us to Home of Da Smoke. A few years ago, Cheryl tipped us off to the Brietzke Station in Seguin; this bunker-like barbecue on Highway 87 east of San Antonio is another gem.

It smells like good barbecue the moment you step from your car. Unlike the more Spartan parlors to the northeast, Da Smoke offers an actual printed menu and a choice of dishes beyond barbecue, including fried catfish and fried chicken, as well as such ultra-soulful side dishes as greens, braised cabbage, mac 'n' cheese and okra.

The brisket is tender with a blackened, salty crust around the smoke ring. It might be too dry without its complementary coat of tangy sauce, which is thin and just hot enough to make any meat glow. Sausages are heart-of-Texas excellent. Ribs are almost too tender, if such a thing is possible, the meat sliding off the bone at the slightest provocation.

It's a folksy place. Miscellaneous tables, topped with red-checked oilcloth, are arrayed with rolls of paper towels in lieu of napkins; decor is a multi-cultural rainbow of pictures and bric-a-brac representing cowboys and Indians, the old West and the new, John Wayne and Bill Pickett (the latter was rodeo's first African-American star); prices are solidly in the under $10 range.

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

Brisket & Sausage (2 meats)	Rib & Chicken (2 meats)
Cabbage	Cherry Cobbler
Greens

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"A Texas plate of brisket and sausage, dressed with Da Smoke barbecue sauce. Two meats and two vegetables, with cornbread, are all of $7.99."
Michael Stern

"''Cabbage'' sounds so boring, but Da Smoke's is anything but that: spicy, rich and full flavored, it is a vegetable that transcends its reputation."
Michael Stern

"I cannot remember ribs that were more tender than these. Likewise, chicken detaches from its bones with ease. Those beans are no slouch, either."
Michael Stern

"Greens come as big leaves, laced with lots of pork from the boil pot. "
Michael Stern

"Desserts, billed on the menu as ''Oice Mae Desserts -- Made Fresh Daily,'' actually are made by chef Norman, although named for his mother. This is cherry cobbler."
Michael Stern

"Da Smoke is a colorful place by the side of the highway guaranteed to set Roadfood radar beeping."
Michael Stern

"Decor at Da Smoke is a hodge podge of country, cowboy, African-American, and native American images as well as symbols of religion and the state of Texas."
Michael Stern

"A well-equipped table, including a roll of paper towels, hand sanitizer, toothpicks and a squeeze bottle of barbecue sauce."
Michael Stern