Sweet Willie wrote: One of the items, the "local specialty" puffy taco is a Taco Bell like abomination, just terrible.
Had these at Ray's, the local institution for PT. I don't get it.
That said, I did get to 2M Smokehouse, a BBQ joint on the far southeast side of SA that has gotten a lot of love in its four or so months of existence, including several visits from Daniel Vaughn, the barbecue editor of Texas Monthly. There was a rumor for a minute that this place will unseat Franklin on the mag's 2017 list of Best BBQ in Texas, but I was informed by a more knowledgeable other while in line that you have to be open for at least a year to be in the Top 5; more likely is that 2M will be placed in the Top 10, with some sort of special notice/warning shot.
But that's beside the point. The point: yes. Brisket was stunning: luscious, heady, cooked perfectly from bark to deckle to muscle (wish I could say the same of La Barbecue on this trip). Best I've had in Texas.
The other meats are fine, though perfunctory: ribs have a great bark and a good chew; the sausage and turkey are, well, sausage and turkey; the barbacoa is a total meh (tastes like the Italian beef you buy in buckets at the grocery store). The pulled pork is a total and pleasant surprise: cooked like western Carolina pork shoulder BBQ but seasoned like brisket, it actually works as a sort of strange crossbreeding of two paradigms. I'll ask for more outside brown next time.
I appreciated the sides' Mexican twists: chicharrones in the mac 'n' cheese, nopales, vinegared vegetables, etc. And the people there couldn't be nicer.
Brisket sold out within an hour of opening; they were basically done for the day by 1PM. And this is
before the inevitable national press to come. If you're gonna go, go now.
2M Smokehouse
2731 S WW White Rd
San Antonio, TX 78222
(210) 885-9352