Bodacious Bar-B-Q (Longview- Mobberly)

I was headed to the 2016 Red Dirt BBQ & Music Festival. The plan was to make the most of it and hit a few spots in East Texas the day before event. The original Bodacious Bar-B-Q opened up in 1968. Additional chain restaurants opened up later, but each one is individually and operated. The original location temporary closed when owner Roland Lindsey got ill. Lindsey's son-in-law Jordan Jackson had a culinary background and worked at Stanley's Famous Pit Bar-B-Q in Tyler. The restaurant is now open again with Jackson manning the pits and with Roland's health better. This was the first stop of my day.

I wanted to get to Bodacious by opening but ended up arriving right before noon. I was all alone on this four stop BBQ trip so I had to pace myself. I ordered a little bit of brisket, baby back pork ribs, and some homemade sausage. The brisket was... how would you describe it... stupendous. I have not been introduced to a good brisket in a while so it was a nice surprise. I could not stop myself from eating the tender beef. I kept reminding myself I had three more stops. The briskets are smoked for 20-22 hours!? They start in a mesquite smoke bath and finish with post oak. The bark and the well-rendered fat made for some good eating. The baby backs were pretty tasty. The sweet, smoky, and juicy meat did not give up a fight as it came away from the bone. Once again, my multiple stops day was putting a damper on things. I could have eaten a half rack easily if not a full one. The homemade sausage was a good effort. The brisket and pork shoulder blend had a good amount of fat, and the casing could barely hold everything together. I would have prefer a beefier sausage. Not pictured is the beans they give away. Although I only ate two bites, I thought they were on the better end of beans I have eaten.

The original Bodacious Bar-B-Q will be on my schedule every time I go to Red Dirt. The smoked meats were superb. I did not get to try the pulled pork but will definitely next time. Jackson and crew are doing great things. The locals do not know how good they have it. Some of them got turned off from other Bodacious locations and do not know what they are missing out. Grade: B+

Until next time, happy smoking...

Address: 2227 Mobberly Ave, Longview, TX 75602
Phone: (903) 753-8409
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bodacious-Bar-B-Q/122487554438194
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thebodaciousbbq