For a business trip to Houston, I printed out my Houston.eats archive and hit it with a highligher. It appeared there were (at least) two great BBQ places in Houston, with some contention as to which was the best: County Line and Goode & Co. With the best of airline luck, I could just beat the closing of County Line on Sunday night, then catch Goode & Co. on Monday. The incoming airline luck held (don't even ASK about the return trip!) and I found County Line (not exactly on the main route). Pleasant place, made to look like a ranch (no suprise in Texas, eh)? Good service, too. And a very hospitable manager. Goode & Co. has two locations, one on Kirby nearer downtown and one in the infinite jumble of strip malls and whatever that passes for Houston commerce along I-10, the Katy Freeway access road. It, too, is made to look like a ranch house, but the facade seems more like New Orleans. It's decorative artifacts are more authentic than County Line, what with silver saddles and a stuffed bison. Service at Goode & Co. is cafeteria line and help yourself to iced tea refills. I had the same meal at both places, as near as possible, and here's the bite-by-bite comparison: Pork ribs: Both places had excellent ribs, pink to the bone from smoking. Tender. Goode & Co. had not (apparently) stripped that outer shiny (before cooking) skin off the ribs. I give a slight edge here to County Line as I like their sauce, which is a bit sweeter than Goode & Co. Brisket: The brisket at County Line didn't impress me. It was tender, but sliced out of what I might cook at home (not BBQ at home). At Goode & Co. the brisket was a dream! Falling apart, very much like pulled pork I imagine. Very tender and very tasty. Score one for Goode and Co. Sides: I had potato salad, cole slaw, and baked beans. Neither place served beans to my liking. Seemed to be boiled and rather flavorless. Maybe that's Texas? The cole slaw and potato salad at County Line were better than at Goode & Co. Not a thing wrong with Goode & Co.'s sides, it's just that they were creamier and tastier at County Line. Bread: The wheat bread at County Line is, perhaps, the BEST bread I've had anywhere! Great stuff. I think it's extra at $1 per loaf. I'd have taken it home, but it was fresh-baked and warm and by Tuesday night it would have been adobe. Goode & Co. serves their two-meat platter with a piece of jalapeno bread stuck on top with a toothpick. It's good bread, but I'm not used to jalapenos in my bread! And they talked to me all night long ... Bottom line: I'd go back to County Line for their bread and pork ribs, throwing some of their chicken on with it. They also have smoked prime rib, but that's pushing my low-fat diet a little TOO far! I'd go back to Goode & Co. for the brisket. Maybe try their chicken, too. Both places offer smoked sausage, but that is too far off limits for me. Good 'Q, Houston! Cheers, Rob Lake Environmental Modeling Inc. [email removed]
Barbecue
BBQ Face-off, Goode & Co. vs. County Line in Houston, TX
Goode & Co. Try the smoked & bbq'ed duck next time. Michael B
Someone wrote: >For a business trip to Houston, I printed out my Houston.eats archive >and hit it with a highligher. It appeared there were (at least) two >great BBQ places in Houston, with some contention as to which was the >best: County Line and Goode & Co. With the best of airline luck, I >could just beat the closing of County Line on Sunday night, then catch >Goode & Co. on Monday. > >The incoming airline luck held (don't even ASK about the return trip!) and >I found County Line (not exactly on the main route). Pleasant place, >made to look like a ranch (no suprise in Texas, eh)? Good service, too. >And a very hospitable manager. > >Goode & Co. has two locations, one on Kirby nearer downtown and one >in the infinite jumble of strip malls and whatever that passes for Houston >commerce along I-10, the Katy Freeway access road. It, too, is made to >look like a ranch house, but the facade seems more like New Orleans. It's >decorative artifacts are more authentic than County Line, what with silver >saddles and a stuffed bison. > >Service at Goode & Co. is cafeteria line and help yourself to iced tea >refills. > >I had the same meal at both places, as near as possible, and here's the >bite-by-bite comparison: > >Pork ribs: Both places had excellent ribs, pink to the bone from smoking. >Tender. Goode & Co. had not (apparently) stripped that outer shiny >(before cooking) skin off the ribs. I give a slight edge here to County >Line as I like their sauce, which is a bit sweeter than Goode & Co. > >Brisket: The brisket at County Line didn't impress me. It was tender, >but sliced out of what I might cook at home (not BBQ at home). At Goode >& Co. the brisket was a dream! Falling apart, very much like pulled pork >I imagine. Very tender and very tasty. Score one for Goode and Co. > >Sides: I had potato salad, cole slaw, and baked beans. Neither place >served beans to my liking. Seemed to be boiled and rather flavorless. >Maybe that's Texas? > >The cole slaw and potato salad at County Line were better than at Goode & Co. >Not a thing wrong with Goode & Co.'s sides, it's just that they were creamier >and tastier at County Line. > >Bread: The wheat bread at County Line is, perhaps, the BEST bread I've >had anywhere! Great stuff. I think it's extra at $1 per loaf. I'd have >taken it home, but it was fresh-baked and warm and by Tuesday night it >would have been adobe. Goode & Co. serves their two-meat platter with >a piece of jalapeno bread stuck on top with a toothpick. It's good bread, >but I'm not used to jalapenos in my bread! And they talked to me all >night long ... > >Bottom line: > >I'd go back to County Line for their bread and pork ribs, throwing some of >their chicken on with it. They also have smoked prime rib, but that's pushing >my low-fat diet a little TOO far! I'd go back to Goode & Co. for the brisket. >Maybe try their chicken, too. Both places offer smoked sausage, but that is >too far off limits for me. > >Good 'Q, Houston! > >Cheers, >Rob Lake >Environmental Modeling Inc. >[email removed] > Son - it is easy to tell you were just visiting. In Houston County Line is not considered a BBQ. It is a chain restaurant run by who knows who. Jim Goode and his family have been here forever and make true Texas Q. You obiviously don't know beans about beans and coleslaw [one word here] ain't supposed to be creamy. Sheesh. And if you don't like jalapenos you ain't agonna make it with any of the Texas Beautys. Still, come on down again. We like Yankee money.
I have to concur with Madee. Goode Co. is the absolute best in Houston. I am a native Houstonian. County line is glitz, glamour and ok BBQ. IMHO, that is not what good BBQ is about. I had the same run in, with some yank on rec.food.resturants, some time ago. This yank said he knew some native Houstonian that swore by county line. He went into his friends lineage, the fact that he could drink till the cows come home etc. He even started comparing to the *finer* esturants in NYC. Here is some excerpts from his reply: "Then in the cafeteria style line you have to watch unsanitary, underpaid staff handle your food with their bare hands. Luckily I got to be friends with Mitchell Baumgartner -- Texan par excellence. Mitchell had been kicked out of St. John's, the Houston "elite" prep school. His family went back generations . . . all Texan. Mitchell could drink a dozen 23oz Spaten Oktoberfests at the Gingerman in one evening and still drive home. Mitchell graduated from University of Texas. He loved the Longhorns more than anything in the world. Mitchell had been in the Army Rangers. Mitchell would have beat the crap out of anyone who said Goode Company was better than County Line. Mitchell would have said only a dumb ass Aggie could possibly say Goode Company was better. (That would have been Mitchell talking . . . I don't go in for stereotypes, and Aggies are okay in my book). But then I'm a transplant, so what I say doesn't count. Mitchell was the one who took me to County Line. I knew instantly I had arrived at what Texas barbeque was supposed to be. The brisket at County Line is absolutely incomparable. The ribs are superb. The potato salad is the best I've ever had. Now maybe I don't know much about Texas, but I do know about glitz and glamour. I've eaten at every four star restaurant in Manhattan, and I've eaten at Lutece 18 times in the last year and a half. I can assure you that County Line is *NOT* about glitz and glamour, dude. But if County Line did open a Texas barbeque in New York, I'd celebrate for a week. The restaurant would make a FORTUNE!" ROFL!! Kurt madee wrote in article ... > Someone wrote: > > >For a business trip to Houston, I printed out my Houston.eats archive > >and hit it with a highligher. It appeared there were (at least) two > >great BBQ places in Houston, with some contention as to which was the > >best: County Line and Goode & Co. With the best of airline luck, I > >could just beat the closing of County Line on Sunday night, then catch > >Goode & Co. on Monday. > > > >The incoming airline luck held (don't even ASK about the return trip!) and > >I found County Line (not exactly on the main route). Pleasant place, > >made to look like a ranch (no suprise in Texas, eh)? Good service, too. > >And a very hospitable manager. > > > >Goode & Co. has two locations, one on Kirby nearer downtown and one > >in the infinite jumble of strip malls and whatever that passes for Houston > >commerce along I-10, the Katy Freeway access road. It, too, is made to > >look like a ranch house, but the facade seems more like New Orleans. It's > >decorative artifacts are more authentic than County Line, what with silver > >saddles and a stuffed bison. > > > >Service at Goode & Co. is cafeteria line and help yourself to iced tea > >refills. > > > >I had the same meal at both places, as near as possible, and here's the > >bite-by-bite comparison: > > > >Pork ribs: Both places had excellent ribs, pink to the bone from smoking. > >Tender. Goode & Co. had not (apparently) stripped that outer shiny > >(before cooking) skin off the ribs. I give a slight edge here to County > >Line as I like their sauce, which is a bit sweeter than Goode & Co. > > > >Brisket: The brisket at County Line didn't impress me. It was tender, > >but sliced out of what I might cook at home (not BBQ at home). At Goode > >& Co. the brisket was a dream! Falling apart, very much like pulled pork > >I imagine. Very tender and very tasty. Score one for Goode and Co. > > > >Sides: I had potato salad, cole slaw, and baked beans. Neither place > >served beans to my liking. Seemed to be boiled and rather flavorless. > >Maybe that's Texas? > > > >The cole slaw and potato salad at County Line were better than at Goode & Co. > >Not a thing wrong with Goode & Co.'s sides, it's just that they were creamier > >and tastier at County Line. > > > >Bread: The wheat bread at County Line is, perhaps, the BEST bread I've > >had anywhere! Great stuff. I think it's extra at $1 per loaf. I'd have > >taken it home, but it was fresh-baked and warm and by Tuesday night it > >would have been adobe. Goode & Co. serves their two-meat platter with > >a piece of jalapeno bread stuck on top with a toothpick. It's good bread, > >but I'm not used to jalapenos in my bread! And they talked to me all > >night long ... > > > >Bottom line: > > > >I'd go back to County Line for their bread and pork ribs, throwing some of > >their chicken on with it. They also have smoked prime rib, but that's pushing > >my low-fat diet a little TOO far! I'd go back to Goode & Co. for the brisket. > >Maybe try their chicken, too. Both places offer smoked sausage, but that is > >too far off limits for me. > > > >Good 'Q, Houston! > > > >Cheers, > >Rob Lake > >Environmental Modeling Inc. > >[email removed] > > > Son - it is easy to tell you were just visiting. In Houston County > Line is not considered a BBQ. It is a chain restaurant run by > who knows who. Jim Goode and his family have been here forever and > make true Texas Q. You obiviously don't know beans about beans and > coleslaw [one word here] ain't supposed to be creamy. Sheesh. > > And if you don't like jalapenos you ain't agonna make it with any of > the Texas Beautys. > > Still, come on down again. We like Yankee money. >