J & M Bar-B-Q & Catering

I lived in Lubbock for a few years when Amber was in law school at Texas Tech. There were not a lot of choices for barbecue. Our favorite spots were Rudy's and Tom & Bingo's BBQ. Tom & Bingo's was included in the 2008 Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ list. They only smoke brisket, ham, and burgers though. DV featured them in a recent article on BBQ sandwiches. I only ate J & M Bar-B-Q & Catering once when we lived in Lubbock and thought it was good. We were in town visiting because Amber's family still lives in the LBK. I only had time for one BBQ joint on this trip so I had to make it count.

When you walk in, you think you would order from the counter, but you actually order from the menu at a table. You do not get to see the meat cut in front of you. I ordered the three-meat with moist brisket, pork ribs, and German sausage. The sides I got were coleslaw and macaroni and cheese. The Certified Angus Beef logo was displayed everywhere on the menu so I assumed that they were using a better brisket. They were better off using a lower grade of beef. I ordered fatty and got lean. The waitress charged me for a quarter pound of moist to get my order "right." It was like eating dry pot roast with smoke for both types of brisket. There was no bark and the fat was rendered away and/or trimmed away. The moist fell apart when I picked up a slice. As you can see below, I ate everything but both cuts of brisket. The pork ribs were solid. The dry rub combined with the smoke made them tasty. The ribs were very tender. The commercial sausage was just okay. You could probably find something similar at the grocery store. Nothing special to note about the sides, but I did eat it all because I was hungry.

I had no idea what to expect in this visit so I came in with an open mind. I am pretty sure I would not be going back to J & M Bar-B-Q & Catering even if I lived in Lubbock. I probably should have gotten the pulled pork instead of the brisket, but that is not how I do things around here. They trim away the fat off of the brisket before it is served. Why? Look elsewhere if you are ever in Lubbock, Texas and want some 'cue. Grade: Other

Until next time, happy smoking...

Address: 3605 34th St, Lubbock, TX 79410
Phone: (806) 796-1164
Website: http://jandmbarbq.com/