#36 - BODACIOUS BBQ - Bring a Friend

A trip to Bodacious BBQ in Longview is like a visit with an old friend.  It's comfortable.  It's a little bit spicy.  And when you're done, it's oh so satisfying.

Bodacious BBQ on Mobberly is one of the most hallowed BBQ spots in East Texas.  The late Roland Lindsey, considered by many to be among the Godfathers of East Texas BBQ, opened the original Bodacious in 1968.  By the time his daughter married Jordan Jackson in 2012, the Mobberly location had closed temporarily, but Jackson knew food jitsu and he wasn't afraid to use it.  A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, he took over Bodacious on Mobberly and things immediately began to change.  

If you think the school of hard knocks is the best training for a BBQ joint, well, au contraire dear Bubba. It's clear that a PhD in French foodery can change what East Texans think of BBQ.  And when I say change, I mean Bodacious BBQ on Mobberly has quickly vaulted into the upper bark of Texas BBQ.  

I arrived at the original Bodacious in Longview on a Saturday morning, accompanied by a trio of BBQ aficionados.  The line was shorter than most BBQ joints...a quick 20 minute wait.  Not that the older members of our party cared, since they were swapping stories from their younger days as neighbors in Tyler.  They let me order the proteins and sides, and I went full throttle.  1 lb of moist brisket, a full link of sausage, 1 lb of turkey, a beef rib and some sides.  It didn't seem like enough, but when we brought the loaded tray to the table, it quickly proved to be a formidable foe.

We headed to the back of the restaurant, attracted by the cockeyed ambiance of an offkilter wooden table.  I set down the tray and we watched the beans slowly flow to the starboard side of its styrofoam boat.  The barbecue sauce joined in, executing a perfect pirouette.  

Our two older friends didn't notice...but as they talked, they quickly dove into the tray, swapping stories in between bites of the moist brisket.  Bite after bite, they melted deeper into conversation, sharing stories from their younger days.

One had invited the other to observe an appendectomy, laughing as his friend passed out after he cut into the patient.  The other laughed about his wife, who kicked him out of the top bunk after the gas from one too many beans escaped his backside at a campout.  Their wives pairing up to stroll their baby boys around the neighborhood.  With each passing bite of the Bodacious brisket, the two friends grew younger, gray hair turning brown, wrinkles fading away.  

During the old guy gab fest, the rest of us feasted.  The Bodacious brisket was so moist it could fall apart from a cutting glance.  The sausage was loosely packed and falling out of its casing.  The turkey was so soft, it put the thanks in Thanksgiving.  But the Barney Rubble beef rib -- giant, tender, flavorful perfection -- stole the show, a showcase for all that is good about beef ribs.

By the way, I'm confident that Bodacious makes the best sausage in East Texas...it is easily in the rarefied air of the chile relleno sausage made by Tomball's Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue, which is my favorite sausage in the state.

It was a bodacious day. I highly recommend Bodacious BBQ on Mobberly in Longview...there are other Bodacious locations, but this one is the original OG in East Texas.  Bring a friend, you won't regret it.