Bulls Eye BBQ - Caldwell

[GameFix]

I was traveling home from an interview in Bryan over the weekend and stopped in Caldwell, Tx. to get gas. Asked the lady running the gas station where the best place to get Q was in Caldwell and she directed me down the street to a place called 'Bulls Eye BBQ".

Place looks like what a bbq place should look like on the outside. Lots of old faded wood, tin roof, old gas station and market signs, crushed white rock parking lot, etc. The usual deal. Inside was the usual set-up as well with wooden benches and various condiments on all the tables. Place smelled like smoke which is usually a good sign. I didn't see any cookers in back or behind the counter, but I am assumig that they were there.

Ordered 1/2# brisket and 1/2# pork ribs. Sauce, pickles, bread and onions were serve your self which is fine.

The Brisket - I found it to be not exactly tough and chewy, but not tender either. The texture wasn't all that bad, but I did have to work my gums more than should be expected from a well cooked, tender brisket. The most notable thing about the brisket was it tasted as if it had no seasoning whatsoever. I mean, NO seasoning. I had to salt and pepper it myself. It was pretty bland.
On the upside though, the portion of meat the staff delivered me was well beyond my requested 8 oz., so I was thankful for the larger portion and every slice of brisket DID have a strip of fat on it. (In my book, brisket ain't brisket unless it is served with at least a LITTLE fat on it.) Alot of places it seems trim all the fat off they can I guess in order to make the customer feel they are getting a full portion of meat and not just excessive fat, which I can understand. But for me, fat holds the flavor baby! So it was good on that note.

The Ribs - They were spare ribs cut in half lengthwise. I usually expect a good long rib, but I realize every place has their own style, so no harm-no foul.....yet. The ribs, unlike the brisket, were seasoned with salt and pepper, but that was about it. They were a little smokier than the brisket, which is odd because of the cooking time difference, so the smoke did help. They were extremely tough. You could get the meat off the bone, but boy you had to work at it. I hate to say it, but it was almost like the ribs had been undercooked and hanging around for a few days also. They were very dry.

The Sauce - The sauce, which one can help themselves to, was actually pretty decent. It is the usual Texas-style tomato-based sauce. It had a consistency that suggested it was either canned or bottled due to it's smoothness, and had just been 'doctored up' a little at the restaurant. Even so, while it was a little on the sweet side, it wasn't a bad sauce.

The Service - Great. Couldn't be better and the folks couldn't of been friendlier. A big "Hello' when you walk in and a hearty "Thank you and come back and see us again.' They do take credit cards and the drinks are free refill which is alway a plus. (No alc.) The place was clean and not uncomfortable to be in.

The one thing that did strike me as peculiar however was the fact that I arrived at 12:00 straight up and stayed until 12:45 on a Saturday. Only 1 other person came through the front doors and ordered. VERY slow business for a bbq joint on the weekend. This leads me to believe that either the local Caldwell residents don't like bbq, or perhaps I was pointed in the wrong direction....