06/06 ON ROUTE 66

Near Sapupla Oklahoma But Appeared Closed

364 days prior to June 6th, 2015 found Judge #2 and I on our Seminole to Sallisaw run. The Seminole to Sallisaw run was the first tme I'd made a run with other local BBQ fanatics and we had a great time.

Judge #2 is also a big fan of Route 66 and we had discussed making this Route 66 run on the trip a year earlier.

Originally Judges #1 and #3 had planned on coming along and we were going to start at The Boundary near Luther, Oklahoma. But they were unable to make it and Judge #2 and I had already been there. So we looked at the long list of places we had on our list and decided to start in Wellston at The Butcher BBQ Stand.

We arrived at 10:30 and a line was already beginning to form and they were serving Q before their posted opening time of 11:00 AM..... Hey, if it's ready to be served. Serve it I say!

First customers of the day at Butcher BBQ Stand

My plan for the day was to go with mostly meats and limit myself on the sides. We had 7 places on the list that we planned to hit. Time and stomach space provided.

Brisket - Hotlink - Smoked Sausage

After I placed my order for 1/4 lb of brisket, hotlink, and smoked sausage. They caught me off guard as they leaned out the window and asked me if I wanted my brisket from the flat or from the deckle..... No one in Oklahoma asks that question..... Were they trying to test me on my brisket knowledge? .....After my brain registered what it had just heard. I smiled happily and said "From the deckle!". Because that's the best part of the brisket in my opinion.

The slice of brisket I was served was moist, flavorful, and the fat was rendered perfectly and I had to fight the urge to go back and order some more..... This is definitely not the dehydrated, flavorless, Okie brisket I'm used to being served in Oklahoma.

I don't think they always ask where you want your brisket sliced from but I recommend you request they slice it from the deckle. Trust me on this one.... Unless you are a total fataphobic. You will love this.

The sausages are custom made and both have great flavor and texture with the perfect lean to fat ratio. It's hard to find good sausages in Oklahoma and these are really good.

The Elusive Sasquatch

Judge #2 couldn't resist trying the Sasquatch sandwich. This was the only picture I was able to take of the elusive Sasquatch. So if you want to know what it looks like up close and personal. You're going to have to drive to Wellston to find one for yourself.

The Butcher BBQ Stand is a great new addition to Route 66 and they are selling out most days. So if you decide to go try it. Go hungry and go early. Or you might miss out on some tasty Q.

Stop number two was Dan's Bar-B-Que Pit in Davenport Oklahoma. Dan's has been a staple in Davenport since 1967 and they also offer.... shudder... a buffet.

Ok buffets in general make me cringe but buffet BBQ really makes me nervous. Fortunately you can order from a menu also and they offered a sampler that came with your choice of 6 meats. So why not go with that I think to myself.

Six Meat Dinner

I chose bologna, ribs, hotlink, ham, polish, and beef chunks.... Because even though I didn't know what a beef chunk was going to be. The name beef chunk just screamed "ORDER ME!". So I did.

I'm still not 100% certain what the beef chunk was. It could have been brisket or it could have been roast. It was covered in sauce and that's all I could taste. The texture wasn't bad though.

The ribs were a little on the dry side. The rest of the meats were just standard food service processed sausages and ham. They were good but nothing spectacular. Maybe worth stopping for if you are in Davenport but not worth making a special trip out there... Unless you just want buffet quantity food.

I am a sucker for old school diners and Dan's definitely fits that to a T. It's almost like walking back into the 1960's on the inside. I loved the interior of the place.

Other than the interior. The toast at Dan's was the bright point for me. It was buttery and toasted on both sides. I appreciate a good piece of two sided toast. So I didn't let these go to waste.

Meat's BBQ in Bristow Oklahoma

Stop number three wasn't actually on the list but I had spotted a sign along side the road for a Q-raunt in Bristow Oklahoma. So we hunted it down...... Ok, it was actually pretty easy to find because it sits in a former Kentucky Fried Chicken right on Route 66.

I think they have only been open for about a year but they've done a pretty good job of converting the building but there's just enough left behind to know what it used to be.

Two Meat Dinner

I decided to stick with ribs and brisket at Meat's and since the dinner came with two sides I chose smoked corn and potato salad.

The brisket at meats was sliced really thin but it had good moisture, texture, and color.... Usually thin sliced brisket makes me nervous because it's sliced that way to cover up being tough but this was surprisingly good brisket.

I don't like fall off the bone ribs and these weren't going to fall off the bone. They actually had a little more tug than I like and could have used a little more time in the smoker to make them more tender. The color on the ribs didn't jump out at me either. Kind of plain looking.

They did serve their sauces warm and the hot sauce had a nice sweet and heat to it. The smoked corn really didn't have any smoke flavor but the potato salad appeared to be house made and was good.

One-Sided Toast

If you put both slices together you could get two-sided toast.... I didn't feel that ambitious so I saved room for more meat later and skipped the toast.

I think Meat's has some potential to make some good Q but there was one thing I saw on that sign that concerned me..... You can't see it in the pic but written in chalk were the words "BUFFET COMING SOON"....... Sigh..... A buffet.

Hickory House BBQ and Grill in Sapulpa Oklahoma

Stop number four is Hickory House BBQ and Grill in Sapulpa Oklahoma and we are starting to feel the beginning of the meat sweats coming on but we suck it up and head inside to find....

.....a buffet??? ..... UGHH

Fortunately you can also order from the menu at Hickory House so I went with the 3 meat dinner.

Ribs - Brisket - Bologna

Since I had been going with ribs and brisket at the previous stops. I continued the trend but since they offered bologna. I couldn't pass that up. I also went with corn and mac and cheese for my sides. I didn't make a note on the toast. So I think it must have been one-sided.

The bologna was good and had a slight crust and hint of smoke flavor on it. I've always said no one should be able to screw up bologna and Hickory House proved me right with theirs.

The ribs could have used a little more seasonng but they had a nice exterior and were cooked just the way I like them. Bite clean with just a slight tug and moist with just the right amount of smoke on them.

The brisket was moist and had good flavor but could be just a little less chopped, folded, spindled, and mutilated for my liking.

The mac and cheese was runny and bland and the corn was well.... corn... Which is good because if it had been carrots I would have been disappointed.

A Guitar Playing Pig

I'd stop at the Hickory House again for the ribs and just to check out the cool mural painted on the outside wall. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the whole mural but there were to many cars in the way.

Judge #2 had done some recon on one of our next stops and Big Anthony's was closed due to a family emergency. So we headed for Watt's BBQ.

Who Stole Watt's BBQ???

After our last road trip through Southwest Oklahoma we had learned to check Google Street View to make sure the places we were hunting actually exist.... I had looked at street view and Watt's was a walk up shack when the picture was taken...... So imagine our surprise when we drove up and Siri told me "You have arrived at your destination." and all we could find was this graded lot..... Looks like Watt's has served their last Q.... Unless they moved the shack somewhere else and didn't tell us about it.

The plan at this point was to go on to Claremore Oklahoma and then to Miami Oklahoma but we weren't 100% certain the Q-raunt in Miami was still there due to a lack of Facebook activity and we were already starting to exhibit symptoms of full on meat coma. So we strayed off Route 66 and decided to head to Smokie's in Broken Arrow.

Want To Work In A Q-Raunt

I had heard good things about Smokie's and that played a big part in our decision to risk going into full on meat coma to give them a try.

Made In Oklahoma Sauces

One of the first things we spotted at Smokie's is that they don't make their own sauce but they offer sauces Made in Oklahoma. I grew up eating Head Country and like it. I sampled all the others and they were tasty sauces also. I thought it was a great idea to do this.

Ribs- Brisket - Bologna

Since I was starting to fade and had lost my decision making faculties due to the onset of the meat coma. I went with yet another 3 meat dinner with okra and Atomic Slaw.

The ribs were served St Louis style and the texture, color, and flavor was to my liking.

The brisket was moist and had good color and chopped without being overly chopped, folded, spindled, and mutilated beyond recognition.

The bologna was tasty also but at this point I was just to full to enjoy it. I did try a couple of bites of the Atomic Slaw and I have to say I really liked it a lot. I don't think I have ever had a spicy slaw before and I could definitely eat this again. The okra just appeared to be food service type but was served hot and crispy.

Yes! Two-Sided Toast For Dessert!

I finished off the day by having some of Smokie's tasty two-sided toast for dessert. Don't ask me how I did it but I did.

All in all we found some pretty tasty Q along the eastern part of Route 66 in Oklahoma. And more importantly we made it through the day without suffering any meat related casualties.