Good Read from Texas Monthly. It will make you want to go to Texas or maybe just appreciate the funky place nearby.
"three barbecue categories—folk, haute, and mass"
This article on Meshack’s Bar-Be-Que Shack in Garland, Texas reminds me of going to Doug's Texas BBQ in Emeryville on San Pablo at the Oakland border. It always had a unique mix of customers. It was a to-go place. The few chairs were used just while you waited for your order. You always gave up your chair if an older person was standing.
Nobody greeted you when you came in. You had just a few choices to make and you placed your order then waited for your number to be called.
There was a jukebox with 45s that never changed.
The people behind the counter were always working hard in front of the BBQ pit.
The rest of the staff were chopping and assembling the orders as fast as possible.
It was tough work, controlled chaos, and smelled great.
It was open late. When you got your food sometimes the ribs, chicken, or beef was a little dry, sometimes they were perfect, sometimes it was a mix. But that is why you got the sauce. You could dip that Doug's BBQ in the sauce and it tasted great.
It wasn't "foodie" or BBQ Competition cooking.
If you had sauce left over when you were done they included sliced white bread to finish up the sauce. Sometimes the bread was dried up from sitting out if you went there around midnight. No big deal.
Sometimes you had to wait a long time since they would often get huge to go orders for the dockworkers at the Port of Oakland.
It was always good to go to Doug's and get that sytrofoam to go container.
Haute bbq and mass bbq is fine but so is the kind of place that expects you to dip your bbq if it is a little dry, and they probably don't mind of you ask for extra bread.