#33 TEJAS CHOCOLATE + BARBECUE - Where Barbecue Comes First

Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue makes no sense.  It just shouldn't work.  I was suspicious about the place before I arrived, purely because of the name...Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue. Who puts chocolate before brisket?  NOBODY puts BBQ in the corner!

TC+B is located in downtown Tomball, TX in a quaint little house that's been converted into one of the top 50 BBQ joints in Texas.  I have a bias against quaint little houses that look more like potpourri shacks than BBQ joints.  Everything about TC+B played into my bias.

Music while waiting in line?  Banjo version of Down Under by Men at Work.  Signage?  Hand-painted, complete with a fancy logo.  Menu?  Hand-drawn with multi-colored chalk and featuring..."rustic chocolate and urban barbecue." Oh, and the chocolate is made in a "craftory." A craftory?  Bah, more like pretentious-tory.

Once inside, I found the split personality of TC+B etched in colorful chalk.  Barbecue on the right, chocolate on the left.  TC+B got its start with hand-made chocolate.  Every guest has to walk past a display case loaded with chocolate to get to the main event.   

TC+B's chocolate game is strong.  I wanted to skip the chocolate and head straight to the brisket, but the pull of the case was overwhelming, and I was weak.  Look at it over there, all chocolate covered and decadent...Ancho Blooms, Raspberry Flutters and Cashew Butters. Goodness gracious, them's some great balls of chocolate!

Martha, Martha, Martha!

In spite of my misgivings, I ordered one...a Martha Washington.  It was basically a peanut ball covered in chocolate and sprinkled with toasted coconut.  Trust me when I say that Martha Washington is one hot ball of chocolate.  It tasted just like a Butterfinger.  Pete Schweddy would have been proud.

Visitors to Nakatomi Plaza would have been distracted by these chocolates.

Past the chocolate craftory counter, the menu looked a lot like any other BBQ joint.  I ordered moist brisket, chile relleno sausage, turkey and green beans and headed to my seat.

Friends, don't let your biases get in the way of excellent brisket.  I had labelled Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue as just another #fakeBBQ joint hiding their brisket behind their desserts.  I WAS WRONG!

One of the things I've found after eating brisket at 33 of the top BBQ joints in Texas is that you know from the first bite if it's the real deal.  Great brisket is soft and cuts easily, but doesn't fall apart.  It's smokey, but doesn't taste like a burning log.  The smoke ring should be black on the crust and gradually lighten toward the center of the meat.  And the rub is crucial...you have got to be able to taste it, even if it's simply salt and pepper.

TC+B brisket hit all the marks.  It was smokey, flavorful greatness, easily some of the best brisket I've ever had.  The brisket melted in my mouth, not in my hands.

The chile relleno sausage was a revelation.  I didn't know sausage could taste this perfect.  Seriously, it was beyond delicious... hand-made, juicy and loosely packed.  If pigs could fly, they'd be the pork in this heavenly sausage.

Like some of the world's most famous combinations...peanut butter and chocolate, pork rinds and hot sauce, peanuts and Coke...Tejas Chocolate+Barbecue delivers a one-two punch.  They serve up sophisticated, yet simple food and the quality is unbelievable.  And in my opinion, while they put as much care into their meat as they do their chocolate, their barbecue is among the best in the state.

Now about that name...