Have you heard of Moonie’s Texas BBQ in Flowery Branch? Probably not. Though it pains me as a world-famous blogger to admit, until a few days ago, I too was in the dark on this one. A friend (who happens to be leaving today on a multi-day Texas BBQ eating trip from Houston to Dallas) told me about this Texas-style meat improvement facility, and as an appreciator of all those with the ability to convert raw flesh to smoky beef magic, I made the easy decision to ride thirty-five minutes up I-85 to see what’s shaking.
The menu has pork, ribs, beef sausage, and turkey, but when I asked what’s good (a stupid question, I realize), the fast answer was, “The brisket.”
You can order sandwiches, plates, or “Texas-style” where ones pays by weight. We sampled everything but the ribs, which are weekend only.
My plate (full spread below) – brisket, pork, Brunswick stew, cold macaroni, white bread, Lone Star Beer.
The proteins are all very good. I do think the brisket is the best, and belongs in the conversation when discussing well done beef BBQ in the Atlanta area. Good amount of fat and smoke. I like a touch more spice. BEEF flavor. The pork is no slouch though – tender and a really nice hit of smoke. The cold and (not overly) creamy macaroni was a welcome change of pace, and darn tasty. My favorite side of all I tried. The stew was a let down. Not much flavor, thin.
I also sampled a brisket sausage (the fellow at the counter warned us it was in testing and it was salty), and the turkey was as moist and flavorful as anyone eating turkey at a Texas BBQ restaurant could want. It had a strong taste of coriander to me, a flavor I like, but what do I know.
This will certainly be an option I will pursue further in my travels to South Carolina.
For more on this serious beef matter, check out the Georgia BBQ Hunt’s post on Moonie’s.
