skip to main |
skip to sidebar
After our visit to the Houston Space Center, we had time to squeeze in one more BBQ joint before we had to head to George Bush International. We made our way North over to Gatlin's BBQ which was somewhat along the way to the airport (for food, everything is along the way... LOL...). Loved that we didn't actually run into any traffic this time! In actuality, we weren't really that hungry because we had a "snack" at the space center. Therefore, we only got a taste of what they offered.
The best way to do this was to go for their 3-Meat Combo with pork ribs, sausage and brisket. I gotta say that my Texas trip ended off strong. The brisket was fairly lean, but still exhibited a succulence. It was mildly smoky with a nice flavorful bark. The ribs were meaty and pretty lean as well. Yet once again, they weren't dry at all. Loved the smoky bark on the outside. With a snap, the sausage was meaty and juicy. This was a fair amount of meat for the price. As for the sides, we got Beans and Mac n' Cheese. As expected, the beans were sweet with a bit of smoke. Cheesy and creamy, the mac was pretty solid with firm noodles.
Lastly, we added a Pulled Pork Sandwich to get a 4th meat into the mix. Although the pork didn't look particularly moist, it wasn't dry at all. Seems to be a theme here... It was also nicely smoked that was balanced and not overwhelming. When doused with some of their BBQ sauce, its was tangy and smoky with a mild kick. As mentioned, this was a fitting end to our Texas food adventures, but it only whetted out appetite for more. I want to go back. Maybe I can get some people to join me... LOL...
The Good:
- Surprisingly moist despite being lean
- Balanced smokiness
- Good value
The Bad:
- I liked it lean, but I can see how some want it fattier
Rolling into Houston during rush hour was indeed a fatal mistake. Instead of a 3-hour drive, it suddenly became a 4+ hour exercise in frustration on the I-10 and then subsequently the I-45 on our way to the hotel. We had to take a detour into Walmart to wait out some of the traffic! Once settled in, we looked over our options for dinner. In my mind, I wanted to go to the nearby Killen's, but I wasn't sure if anyone was in the mood for anymore BBQ. My son was game (I love him...), but the 2 females were not. We ended up going anyways!
My daughter was not in the mood for BBQ at all, so she went for one of the daily features being the the Chicken Fried Chicken. It consisted of a whole-flattened chicken breast battered and fried. This dish was mint as the chicken was succulent and juicy while the batter was super crunchy and shattered on contact. The side of creamy gravy was just the right consistency and provided a subtle richness to the chicken. On the side, she had green beans (with bacon) and mashed potatoes. The beans were not overdone (despite the unappetizing hue) while the mash was chunky and not overly buttery.
For the table (but my son ate most of it), we had the 3-Meat Combo Plate with fatty brisket, pulled pork and pork ribs. Although different than the other BBQs we've had so far, the brisket at Killen's was good as well. It was meaty, tender while lightly smoked. The pulled pork was tender and moist while the ribs were fall-off-the-bone and well-crusted with rub. On the side, the mac n' cheese was super creamy and buttery. It was also cheesy and plenty tasty. We found the baked beans to be syrupy sweet, but tasty as well.
Our last plate consisted of a Beef Rib with a Turkey Sausage Link. The beef rib was also aggressively coated with rub and plenty smoky. It wasn't as fatty as the one at Heim, but that did not detract from the juiciness. Bouncy with a nice snap casing, the turkey sausage was sweet with hits from the jalapeno. On the side, there was creamed corn and coleslaw. The creamy corn was sweet and rich while the coleslaw was crunchy with plenty of tang. Although we still prefer Franklin BBQ over anything else we had tried so far, the stuff at Killen's was good in its own way. We also liked the reasonable-pricing as well.
The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Solid sides
- Solid BBQ
The Bad:
- Line can get long (but moves fast)
- To keep the line going, staff rush you a bit (they were nice though)
Posts
After our visit to the Houston Space Center, we had time to squeeze in one more BBQ joint before we had to head to George Bush International. We made our way North over to Gatlin's BBQ which was somewhat along the way to the airport (for food, everything is along the way... LOL...). Loved that we didn't actually run into any traffic this time! In actuality, we weren't really that hungry because we had a "snack" at the space center. Therefore, we only got a taste of what they offered.
The best way to do this was to go for their 3-Meat Combo with pork ribs, sausage and brisket. I gotta say that my Texas trip ended off strong. The brisket was fairly lean, but still exhibited a succulence. It was mildly smoky with a nice flavorful bark. The ribs were meaty and pretty lean as well. Yet once again, they weren't dry at all. Loved the smoky bark on the outside. With a snap, the sausage was meaty and juicy. This was a fair amount of meat for the price. As for the sides, we got Beans and Mac n' Cheese. As expected, the beans were sweet with a bit of smoke. Cheesy and creamy, the mac was pretty solid with firm noodles.
Lastly, we added a Pulled Pork Sandwich to get a 4th meat into the mix. Although the pork didn't look particularly moist, it wasn't dry at all. Seems to be a theme here... It was also nicely smoked that was balanced and not overwhelming. When doused with some of their BBQ sauce, its was tangy and smoky with a mild kick. As mentioned, this was a fitting end to our Texas food adventures, but it only whetted out appetite for more. I want to go back. Maybe I can get some people to join me... LOL...
