ROAD TRIP TO ROY'S BAR-B-Q

Sometimes I get to wrapped up in my quest to find great BBQ. Sometimes I let myself get a little more critical than I ever set out to be.

I watch shows like BBQ Pitmasters where every piece of meat is injected with all kinds of liquids, spices, and chemicals and cooked in the latest high tech smoker to transform it into that one bite of perfect BBQ.

Is it still BBQ after all that? Well.... Yes and no in my opinion.

At it's most basic. I define BBQ as meat smoked using hardwood. Sometimes it's places like Roy's BAR-B-Q that snap me back to that reality.

Oddly enough it was almost a year ago today that I blogged about Big Smokey Bar-B-Q. A Q-raunt that has a lot in common with Roy's Bar-B-Q and that reminded me that BBQ doesn't always have to be about that one perfect bite.

Roy's keeps the menu simple. You can order a sandwich, dinner, or old style.

If you order it old style you get a platter of meat. It's everything a carnivore could ever ask for in a menu option.

 

My wife chose a sliced beef sandwich which really isn't so much a sandwich as it is a plate with sliced brisket and two pieces of white bread that you can make into a sandwich if you want to. The brisket still has a little bit of fat on it which helps with the flavor and moisture. 

I stole a piece from her plate and it passed the pull test. The texture was nice and it was still moist. If it has any rub on it. It is a very light one and the flavor of the meat came through with just a light hint of smoke.

 Since my wife had the sliced beef I went with the dinner option which is a two meat dinner with two sides. I chose pork spareribs and they had a sign on the napkin holder encouraging me to try their new hotlinks. So I did as the sign suggested.

The ribs, like the brisket, had no rub or only a very light one. The flavor of the ribs was ok but they were a little overcooked.

The hotlink had a coarser texture than most I have had and a really nice flavor. Unfortunately, like my ribs, it was overcooked. Had it not been for that I would have said it was one of the better tasting hot links I have had in Oklahoma. Wish I knew where they are getting them.

The sauce at Roy's is served warmed in a little pitcher. It's a thinner, vinegar and tomato based sauce, than most sauces you will find in Oklahoma Q-raunts. It's similar to what was served at the now closed Tom's BBQ in Oklahoma City.

I had chosen cole slaw and beans for my sides and also ordered the waffle chips.

The waffle chips are hand made chips. Much like the meats at Roy's they are served very simple. If they had any seasoning on them it was very light. I dipped them in my little pitcher of BBQ sauce and enjoyed every bite.

The cole slaw is the typical creamy slaw and was really good. The beans tasted like chili without meat. I thought they were pretty tasty and I'm not a big fan of beans.

The bread is just sliced white bread in a basket. I put it to good use with the chopped beef in the picture below.

After tasting my wife's sliced beef I couldn't leave without trying the chopped beef. So I ordered a half-order old style. As you can see a half-order is quite a bit of meat.

The chopped beef was served lightly sauced and was moist and tender. It had a little bit of fat in it which I enjoyed. If you are one of those people with an odd aversion to tasty beef fat. You've been warned.

Roy's Bar-B-Q is simple Q. Served in a simple building. Ordered from a simple menu. It's also an institution in Chickasha.

I can't give it a 3 Hour Award or a 6 Hour Award but it is good simple Q. If you're in the Chickasha area stop and give Roy's a try. Because Q doesn't always have to be about that one perfect bite. Sometimes it just simply has to be good.