#34 HEAVY'S BBQ - Stop, in the Name of Brisket!

Texas highways are the best.  There are nearly 700,000 miles of road in the Lone Star State and you can legally hit speeds up to 85 MPH as you zip from Amarillo to Brownsville, El Paso to Texarkana.

If you're speeding through the countryside in Central Texas, you'll find Hondo, TX about 40 miles west of San Antonio.  Hondo, aka God's Country, is the home of Heavy's BBQ, one of the top 50 BBQ joints in Texas.

At the Hondo City Limits, the first thing you'll notice is the lower speed limits...65 mph to 50 to 30 mph.  That's because Hondo is a Slow-Down Town with a 4-lane highway slicing through the middle of it.  Outside of town, it's 75-MPH, pedal to the metal.  When you're in town?  You better slow down, baby.

Most Texans are familiar with Slow-Down Towns.  Maybe they got a ticket in one.  Or maybe they had moseyed off a main road on the way to Austin from Dallas, thinking it would be a fun way to see the state, only to have their romantic notions of pastoral bluebonnet pictures crushed by a tractor going 5 MPH for 10 miles on a two-lane road. Hondo takes its Slow-Down status seriously, so please don't drive through it like hell. 

I always brake for brisket, but Heavy's BBQ is hands down the best reason to slow down in Hondo.  It's one of those small-town BBQ joints that doubles as the heart of the community.  The decor consists of trophy skulls, pictures of the Hondo High School football team and cheerleaders, old restaurant reviews from the local paper and framed awards for outstanding BBQ. It also serves as a weekend destination for motorcyclists living their dreams of leather, open roads and full heads of hair.

During the week, Heavy's caters to the locals, and on the day I stopped in, there was a consistent lunch line and many full tables.  Heavy himself, Darryn Bernal, was behind the counter, slicing up the proteins for the hungry crowd.  The menu featured all the basics: brisket, sausage, turkey, chicken and pork ribs, served with your choice of beans, potato salad, pickles, onions and bread.

Heavy's also has two specials, a Frito pie and the Heavy D, which is beef and sliced sausage topped with beans and sauce.  While both dishes sounded appealing, they also gave me an idea of how heavy the food at Heavy's could be.

Choosing my future figure over my teenage food coma dreams, I ordered a two-meat plate of brisket and sausage with a side of green beans.  I received a plate heaping with a generous serving of everything and happily sat down to devour it.

The brisket was moist and tender, but the sausage was the star of the styrofoam.  It had a crisp bite, a pink smoke ring and outstanding flavor.  I almost raced to the counter for another one, but instead I slowed down and savored it.

After licking the plate clean, I headed out of God's Country to Tourist Country (aka San Antonio).  Heavy's and Hondo were well worth the drive.