Finish of the Highway – Flickchart Highway Journey: Hope Floats

Welcome again for the ultimate time, of us. All good issues should come to an finish. Our journey by way of the Texas Month-to-month High 50 BBQ joints has reached its remaining cease at cease #44. No, we haven’t forgotten methods to do math. This trek adopted the 2017 addition of the listing and happened again in 2020. There was a bit of occasion happening again then often called the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazingly, we managed to go to 44 stops, even wrestling with closures and stay-at-home orders.

Sadly, whether or not because of the pandemic or in any other case, six of the joints on the listing completely closed earlier than we may go to. Whereas this will likely have meant the untimely finish of our travels, it was nonetheless fairly an enterprise that took us to each nook of the nice (and huge) state of Texas.

Fittingly, we finish our journey within the mecca of Texas BBQ, central Texas. Coming down from east Texas, we arrive in a tiny city exterior of Austin. In one other becoming prevalence, this author and Flickchart’s weblog editor bought to satisfy as much as commemorate the top of this text collection. Since our go to, the lead pit grasp has been featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Desk collection and just lately turned 90 years previous. Sure, there may be solely place we might be speaking about:

Cease #44: Lexington, Snow’s BBQ

They are saying you’ll be able to journey the entire world in Texas, from Dublin to Paris and extra. However you may also journey by way of the entire US, too, with lots of Texas’s cities and cities sharing names with different notable US places. In contrast to the Kentucky metropolis, this Lexington is small. About 40 miles west of Faculty Station-Bryan and 51 miles east of Austin, Lexington sits in the midst of, if not nowhere, not a lot. It sported a inhabitants of only one,217 as of the 2020 census.

The city was based again in 1837 by Texas Revolution conflict hero James Shaw. Shaw was granted the land as a reward for his navy service. In traditional Texas style, he got here to the world alone on horseback to begin a brand new life. Quickly he gathered in different settlers and opened a publish workplace by 1848. Shaw was the spine of the city and space, serving as a schoolteacher, surveyor, and legislator. The group modified its title to Lexington in 1850 and isn’t named after the Kentucky locale, however reasonably the city in Massachusetts.

With farming and ranching because the city’s main financial basis, the following a long time introduced sluggish however regular development, although not with out disruption. The Civil Warfare lowered the inhabitants as a consequence of each navy recruitment and emancipation. The twentieth century noticed a seesaw of inhabitants change. In 1927, Lexington sported a inhabitants of 1000 folks however fell to 600 within the Fifties. It might solely go over 1000 once more after the beginning of the twenty first century.

At present, agriculture stays the city’s main focus. Most of Lexington is comprised of native farmers and ranchers and supporting companies. Peanuts are a notable crop from the world, and there may be an aluminum plant that employs some folks.

The city, like many others in central Texas, had all the time had a powerful custom of Saturday BBQ. It’s a custom that lead pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz grew up in as a local to Lexington and a farmer’s daughter. Her first BBQ gig began in close by Giddings all the best way again in 1966, and he or she hasn’t stopped since, apart for a quick time when her husband had a stroke.

Snow’s proprietor, Kerry Bexley, knew that Lexington served top-tier BBQ and satisfied Tootsie to open Snow’s with them after a number of makes an attempt within the late 90s and early 00s. Snow’s opened its doorways on March 1, 2003 and has been placing out excellence ever since. It’s the #1 rated joint on this model of the listing!

But the star of the present was the distinctive merchandise, the pork steak. Representing a long time of mastery of her craft, Tootsie’s pork is among the many finest meat you might ever eat. Completely tender, the wealthy smoky taste brings out hidden tastes that you’d by no means anticipate from pork for Texas BBQ. Is it the most effective single meat to eat in Texas? Particular person tastes could range, however there’s little doubting that is amongst these bites.

To not go unmentioned, Snow’s additionally unexpectedly supplied the most effective sides in Texas. The potato salad right here was fine quality. The actual mayo-mustard mix was fairly distinctive and flavorful, even for somebody who doesn’t significantly like mustard-based potato salads. This isn’t a facet to be missed.

We additionally had the enjoyment of getting a photograph with Ms. Tootsie herself!

This was a beautiful technique to bid adieu to this tiring but extremely rewarding endeavor. I award the sausage 4 hyperlinks out of 5, the brisket 5 slices out of 5, and the pork steak 5 oinks out of 5! I award Snow’s BBQ an ideal 5 people who smoke out of 5!

The Movie: Hope Floats

Hope Floats doesn’t happen in Lexington. Certainly, it is perhaps a little bit of a shock that any movie could be set in that particular little city. However it does happen within the close by, barely bigger city of Smithville. The film even filmed some scenes in Smithville and different close by cities, so it’s a becoming alternative as consultant of the small cities to the east of Austin.

Sadly for Snow’s possibilities of being the general winner of this rating journey, the movie it’s being paired with will not be the best high quality. Although it stars the excessive profile abilities of Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr., and is directed by Forest Whitaker of all folks, Hope Floats falls aside within the writing realm.

The premise isn’t inherently dangerous. Birdee, a Chicago housewife, is publicly humiliated when her husband is revealed to be dishonest on her in a Jerry Springer-style TV present. She and her daughter flee to her small city and stay along with her precocious and demanding mom, performed by the superb Gena Rowlands. This might be the inspiration of a superb story of a lady getting again to her roots, remembering her Texas small-town values, repairing her relationships, and reflecting on how far she’s come.

Sadly, the script takes this and inflects it with the utmost melodrama. Connick Jr. is ready up as a former classmate romancing her, leading to cheese and corniness. Each performers are first rate sufficient, however their characters are written as these caricatures of individuals with altering motivations and persona traits that go wherever the foolish plot takes them.

Other than this syrupy romance, the plot layers on a coronary heart assault, Alzheimer’s, Birdee’s dad and mom getting divorced, Birdee’s daughter getting rejected by her father, and extra. Any of this stuff explored with some depth or nuance may make for a superb movie. However it’s explored abruptly and with the depth of a puddle. Consequentially, the entire thing is sort of soggy.

A redeeming high quality is the soundtrack. There’s a sturdy assortment of songs from Americana, rock, and people artists that punctuate scenes. Given the Texas setting, this soundtrack suits the flavour of the world properly. Would that it have been a part of a greater film.

Does anybody eat barbecue?

Sadly, no!

Now for one final replace of the charts earlier than awarding a winner:

Texas Movie Chart

1. The Final Image Present
2. No Nation for Outdated Males
3. Hell or Excessive Water
4. Rushmore
5. A Ghost Story
6. Hud
7. Workplace Area
8. Blood Easy
9. The Tree of Life
10. Boyhood
11. Paris, Texas
12. The Proper Stuff
13. Lone Star
14. Chef
15. Bernie
16. Big
17. North Dallas Forty
18. Smokey and the Bandit
19. Apollo 13
20. The Texas Chain Noticed Bloodbath
21. Leadbelly
22. Krisha
23. Tender Mercies
24. Dazed and Confused
25. Dallas Purchaser’s Membership
26. JFK
27. The Sugarland Categorical
28. Phrases of Endearment
29. City Cowboy
30. American Violet
31. The Finest Little Whorehouse in Texas
32. Planet Terror
33. Frank
34. Whip It
35. Pure Choice
36. That is The place We Reside
37. The Junction Boys
38. Pure Nation
39. The Alamo
40. Track to Track
41. Outlaw Blues
42. Selena
43. Hope Floats
44. Nadine

Texas BBQ Chart

1. Franklin’s Barbecue
2. Snow’s BBQ
3. Evie Mae’s Pit Barbecue
4. Pinkerton’s Barbecue
5. Bodacious Bar-B-Q
6. Killen’s Barbecue
7. Cattleack Barbeque
8. Terry Black’s Barbecue
9. Pecan Lodge
10. Stiles Change BBQ
11. BBQ on the Brazos
12. Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ
13. Hutchins Barbeque
14. Joseph’s Riverport Bar-B-Que
15. Pody’s BBQ
16. Tyler’s Barbeque
17. Blue Moon BBQ
18. Corkscrew BBQ
19. 2M Smokehouse
20. Vera’s Yard Bar-B-Que
21. La Barbecue
22. Hays Co. Bar-B-Que
23. Roegels Barbecue
24. Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue
25. Smolik’s Smokehouse
26. Louie Mueller Barbecue
27. Miller’s Smokehouse
28. Lockhart Smokehouse
29. Heim Barbecue
30. Fact Barbeque
31. Fargo’s Pit BBQ
32. Gatlin’s BBQ
33. Metropolis Market
34. Baker Boys BBQ
35. Kreuz Meat Market
36. Stanley’s Well-known Pit BBQ
37. Micklethwait Craft Meats
38. Payne’s Bar-B-Q Shak
39. The Pit Room
40. Cooper’s Outdated Time Pit Bar-B-Que
41. 4-T’s Bar-B-Q
42. The Smoking Oak
43. Heavy’s BBQ
44. Harris Bar-B-Que

The Ultimate Rating & The Finish?

We clocked 1000’s of miles and energy and plenty of hours of cinema alongside the best way of this BBQ odyssey. Whereas we sadly didn’t get to go to all 50 joints, this enterprise was past rewarding. Since this journey, a brand new version of the Texas Month-to-month High 50 debuted in 2021, and one other ought to be coming later this 12 months. We’ve no plans to go to all of these new joints in a single 12 months like with the unique trek. However that doesn’t imply we would not pop again on the street to cowl extra BBQ and one other Texas-set movie.

Inside the historical past of cinema, there are a large number of Texas-set movies we didn’t cowl. Evidently, Texas performs a giant half in American movie. Whether or not it’s the Mexican-influenced coastal flats of the south, the rolling hills of central Texas, or the expansive deserts of west Texas, filmmakers have explored all of those locales in making nice artwork. The Texan story is the American one in some ways. It’s a historical past of rebel and heroism, if marred by the imperfect implementation of the beliefs of freedom in relation to minorities. It’s a story advised throughout the breadth of those 44 movies, and plenty of extra.

We now arrive on the remaining rating. One of the best movie crown goes to The Final Image Present, whereas the most effective BBQ crown goes to Franklin’s, narrowly over Snow’s. However who’s the most effective total? What’s the finest city in Texas? Which has the most effective mixture of BBQ and movie? Let the stats story the story:

Ultimate Rankings:

1. Wolfforth: Evie Mae’s Pit Barbecue & Hell or Excessive Water (Rating: 3)
2. McKinney: Hutchins Barbeque & The Final Image Present (Rating: 7)
3. Austin: Franklin’s Barbecue & Chef (Rating: 7.5)
4. Houston: Pinkerton’s Barbecue & The Proper Stuff (Rating: 8)
5. Amarillo: Tyler’s Barbeque & Hud (Rating: 11)
6. Longview: Bodacious Bar-B-Q & Smokey and the Bandit (Rating: 11.5)
7. Dallas: Cattleack Barbeque & North Dallas Forty (Rating: 12)
8. Jefferson: Joseph’s Riverport Bar-B-Que & Bernie (Rating: 14.5)
9. Pecos: Pody’s BBQ & Big (Rating: 15.5)
10. San Marcos: Hays Co. Bar-B-Que & Boyhood (Rating: 16)
11. Brownsville: Vera’s Yard Bar-B-Que & Lone Star (Rating: 16.5)
12. Taylor: Louie Mueller Barbecue & Blood Easy (Rating: 17)
13. Fort Value: Heim Barbecue & A Ghost Story (Rating: 17)
14. Austin: Stiles Change BBQ & Dazed and Confused (Rating: 17)
15. Pearland: Killen’s Barbecue & City Cowboy (Rating: 17.5)
16. Dallas: Pecan Lodge & JFK (Rating: 17.5)
17. Houston: Gatlin’s BBQ & Rushmore (Rating: 18)
18. Belton: Miller’s Smokehouse & The Tree of Life (Rating: 18)
19. Spring: Corkscrew BBQ & Krisha (Rating: 20)
20. Tomball: Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue & Apollo 13 (Rating: 21.5)
21. Mercedes: The Smoking Oak & No Nation for Outdated Males (Rating: 22)
22. Lexington: Snow’s BBQ & Hope Floats (Rating: 22.5)
23. Hearne: Blue Moon BBQ & American Violet (Rating: 23.5)
24. Forney: 4-T’s Bar-B-Q & Workplace Area (Rating: 24)
25. Cresson: BBQ on the Brazos & Pure Nation (Rating: 24.5)
26. Houston: Roegels Barbecue & Phrases of Endearment (Rating: 25.5)
27. Austin: Terry Black’s Barbecue & Nadine (Rating: 26)
28. Austin: Valentina’s Tex-Mex BBQ & Outlaw Blues (Rating: 26.5)
29. Dallas: Lockhart Smokehouse & Dallas Purchaser’s Membership (Rating: 26.5)
30. Hondo: Heavy’s BBQ & Paris, Texas (Rating: 27)
31. Lockhart: Kreuz Meat Market & The Texas Chain Noticed Bloodbath (Rating: 27.5)
32. Tyler: Stanley’s Well-known Pit BBQ & Leadbelly (Rating: 28.5)
33. San Antonio: 2M Smokehouse & The Alamo (Rating: 29)
34. Austin: La Barbecue & Track to Track (Rating: 30.5)
35. Brenham: Fact Barbeque & The Finest Little Whorehouse in Texas (Rating: 30.5)
36. Luling: Metropolis Market & Planet Terror (Rating: 32.5)
37. Houston: The Pit Room & The Sugarland Categorical (Rating: 33)
38. Mathis: Smolik’s Smokehouse & Selena (Rating: 33.5)
39. Cedar Hill: Harris Bar-B-Que & Tender Mercies (Rating: 33.5)
40. Bryan: Fargo’s Pit BBQ & The Junction Boys (Rating: 34)
41. Gonzales: Baker Boys BBQ & Pure Choice (Rating: 34.5)
42. Austin: Micklethwait Craft Meats & Frank (Rating: 35)
43. Burnet: Payne’s Bar-B-Q Shak & Whip It (Rating: 36)
44. Llano: Cooper’s Outdated Time Pit Bar-B-Que & That is The place We Reside (Rating: 38)

In maybe a surprising end result, the general winner is Wolfforth/Lubbock. It had the most effective BBQ spots within the type of Evie Mae’s and was paired with a completely wonderful trendy masterpiece in Hell or Excessive Water. Whereas the excessive rating pairings of Franklin’s and Chef and Hutchins and The Final Image Present have been scorching on its heels, there was nonetheless a transparent separation! We additionally had a number of units of ties, which we utilized our private discretion in breaking.

Congrats to Evie Mae’s and Hell or Excessive Water on being the Texas Month-to-month BBQ Highway Journey grand champion! Thanks readers for following all these years, as we lastly pull into the driveway and settle in. Till then, we’ll being seeing ya!