Pork Mafia

Just about 1 minute before this whole pandemic thing started, I spent a week in Houston with my brother. Perhaps you read about it on this blog. That week included a lot of eating of really amazing barbeque concluding with Pinkerton's which was truly the best barbeque that I have ever had (you can search it on the web version of our blog. Be sure to include the apostrophe). I declared in that post that I was sure that brisket and ribs were ruined for me unless I returned. Sure enough in the year and more than a half since, although we have not eaten barbeque often, nothing has approached Pinkerton's....until now.

I stumbled across the Pork Mafia on Instagram. They do events and cater but you can find them set up on the farm on many weekends. The trick is of course to order in advance (which I eventually figured out) and wait patiently for your pick-up time to arrive.

This rack of ribs was $33 but started as 2 1/2 lbs. It was amazingly meaty and not at all like the ribs they serve you at your typical chain restaurants.

Yes, I'm going to show you a lot of pictures because these were outstanding and a bargain at the price. The bark was deep and rich while the smoke ring reached deeply into the meat.

They were stupid fall off the bone tender and delicious. They came with additional house-made sauce which was rich with molasses! We loved them!

We also ordered a combo of 1/2 lbs of brisket, 1/2 lbs of pulled pork, an Oyama beef sausage, as well as slaw and pit beans for $36. This is some of the best brisket that I have ever had! it was moist and super tender with the same impressive bark as the ribs while being deliciously beefy. The pulled pork and sausage were also pretty amazing, and the sides were impressive. Although we paid $69 altogether, this amazing barbeque lasted Mharie and me through 3 full meals and snacks in between.

So how did Pork Mafia and Pitmaster Jamie compare to Pinkerton's? How can I even answer a question like that? I have elevated Pinkerton's in my mind to legendary status and a lot of other people have also. Let's just say that this is the best barbeque that I have had north of the 49th parallel and probably as far as the Texas border. Beyond that would require a side-by-side tasting, something that I would gladly volunteer for!

Food                    5 out of 5

Comfort               Well, we weren't uncomfortable!

Service                 Right on time and friendly!

Value                    5 out of 5