Dallas BBQ "Aficionados" Hate on Gatlin's

One Dallas barbecue restaurant gets on TV and some guy from Dallas gets a book deal from Anthony Bourdain and all of a sudden Dallasites start to think they're a big enough deal in the barbecue world to crap on Houston's best barbecue joint. The self-proclaimed Texas BBQ Posse came to Houston recently and, based on one meal at Heights barbecue restaurant Gatlin's BBQ, concluded that Houstonians have to drive two hours to eat decent barbecue. They complained about long wait times (legit) but called the brisket "flavorless" and the ribs and chicken "just O.K."

However, there are three telling details that should allow any serious barbecue connoisseur to dismiss their opinions completely. First, no one who's serious about barbecue orders the chicken, ever. Second, as an aside, they praise the ribs at City Market in Luling for being "creamy." A complete list of acceptable words to describe ribs are: chew, bark, seasoned, smoke - note the complete absence of the word "creamy." Finally, they did not order any of Gatlin's completely awesome sides. BBQ Snob Daniel Vaughn, as part of his five star review, called Gatlin's dirty rice "the best I've had anywhere."

Nice try, Dallas. Next time, please send some real barbecue aficionados.

· If you want good BBQ in Houston, get in a car and drive 2 hours [Texas BBQ Posse]
· Gatlin's BBQ [Full Custom Gospel BBQ]

Gatlin's [houstonfoodie/flickr]