Sometime during 2018 a fire at The Meating Place Barbecue & Bakery in Pinehurst, Texas forced them to close down for a few months. Fortunately the owners are tenacious and dedicated to great barbecue. So in November, once repairs were completed they opened back up. And I am sure glad they did.

Once they reopened I was anxious to again try their brand of barbecue. So me and my barbecue buddy, Craig, headed north to give them another go. Lucky for us, we went on a Thursday, which is a special day at The Meating Place. They call it “three meat Thursday”, which sounded good to me. I was hopeful to indulge in the “Texas trinity” of brisket, sausage and pork ribs. But sadly their ribs were not quite ready yet. So instead of ribs I went with pulled pork.

I was very glad to learn that their meat was every bit as good as, or maybe even better than, before the fire. I asked for moist brisket, and they gave me some very nice and tasty slices, with a very dark and crusty-looking bark and a deep pink smoke ring – just how I like it. It had a great smoky, beefy flavor. The jalapeno sausage was every bit as good as I remembered it, with an excellent texture and a snappy casing. And though I didn’t get to try the pork ribs (will hope they have them ready next time), the pulled pork was outstanding, with plenty of barky bits mixed in. This time around I also got to try two sides. I chose the jalapeno creamed corn for the first. They don’t advertise it as creamed or with jalapenos – just as “corn”. But as soon as I learned that it was both creamed and that it had jalapenos, it was a no-brainer. Man, I love that stuff! And their version was great. For my second side I got the vinegar-based coleslaw. It was also outstanding, with a good chop and crunch for the cabbage with a nice vinegary tang.

I am so glad that The Meating Place BBQ & Bakery has opened back up after the fire. With them back open, and with the amazing Reveille BBQ going strong just up the road in Magnolia, that Pinehurst-to-Magnolia stretch of FM 1774 has a very solid showing for Texas barbecue.