#24 - STILES SWITCH BBQ, Moist is the Word

Let's talk about the word "moist."  It's such a great word.

"Her eyes moistened with tears."

"The cake was moist."

"I stepped into the humid air of Houston and now, I am moist." 

People magazine once voted "moist" the most cringe-worthy word and recorded a video of their Sexiest Men Alive saying it.  The New Yorker once asked Twitter users to tell them which word they wanted to delete from the English language.  Thousands of entries came in...words like "phlegm," "fecund," "impacted" and "epic."  One word, however, ruled them all: moist.

Why all this hatred for moist?  There's no other word that accurately describe the brisket at Stiles Switch BBQ in Austin.

After visiting 23 of the top 50 BBQ joints in Texas, I can't recall a brisket that fell apart like the one I had at Stiles Switch.  It was so soft and perfect that a fork couldn't contain it. I couldn't poke it. It would break apart on the plate.  When I tried to pick it up, brisket shards fell between the tines. I should have eaten it with a spoon.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, so let's start at the front door.  If it wasn't for the welcoming signs outside Stiles Switch, you might think you were stepping into a private club.  Inside, you will be greeted by some of the friendliest people you'll ever meet in a BBQ joint.

When I arrived, the Japanese people in front of me were getting a lesson in how to order brisket.  If you didn't know, when you order your brisket, great BBQ joints like Stiles Switch will ask if you want it lean or moist. Lean tends to be dry because there's less fat in it.  When the brisket is cooked correctly, the fat renders and melts, which makes the meat moist and flavorful.  By the way, sometimes they'll ask if you want "fatty" brisket.  This is where words matter.  I always ask for it moist... unless they're offering you a sausage fatty or if you're Justin Timberlake.

I ordered moist brisket with jalapeno  sausage plus mac and cheese and corn casserole.

Let me tell you, Stiles Switch owns moist.  The brisket and turkey were moist. The sausage was magnificent.  The sides -- macaroni and cheese and corn casserole -- were ...mantastic!

Afterwards, I wiped off my hands with a moist towelette and moistened my lips with one last sip of Revolver Blood and Honey.
(By the way, what do you call a calf in the rain?  A moist cowlette. You're welcome.)

Stiles Switch is doing everything it can to change your mind about moist. Go visit and let them show you a few things.