Scholl Bros. Bar-B-Que (Paris, TX)

My darling wife persuaded me to add another day to my planned barbecue roadtrip, and who am I to turn that down? I think she intended me to spread out my existing itinerary, but instead I just added on more barbecue. So, before venturing into Oklahoma, I decided to first head West toward Paris, Texas to check out Scholl Bros. Bar-B-Que.

The parking lot was a veritable ghost town at 4:00pm. I wasn't even sure that Scholl Bros. was open for business, especially since their neon sign was off. But, needing a break from the road, I checked anyway. Good thing that I did. This joint screams "small town," from the rustic tin ceiling to the deer heads scattered about. More so than many places I've visited, I felt at home here.

Scholl's offers a four-meat/no sides sampler plate for just $18.00. You can get a version of this magnificent platter with three side dishes for a mere $2.00 more, but I was feeling carnivorous today. I took my meaty combo with brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and sausage. The guy generously threw in a free drink since I bought a solid pound of meat.

I received lean slices of brisket, but there was still a good line of fat to be had. There was also a perfect rosy smoke ring, matched by a mild smokiness. Their brisket is seasoned with just the right amount of salt and pepper, which allowed the natural beefiness to shine equally alongside the smoke.

Beautiful smoke-kissed bits and a well-seasoned layer of charred bark stood front and center in my pile of pork. It was tender and nicely smoked. In fact, the pork was noticeably smokier than the brisket. I wouldn't have dreamed of adding sauce, and it certainly didn't need any.

Scholl's sausage didn't strike me as being homemade, which is always a shame, especially from small town barbecue. The crisp casing had a great snap. I could only taste minimal smoke, but that's to be expected with sausage generally, especially the store-bought stuff.

The ribs came out lightly sauced. They also came with the membrane still intact, so I had to work a little bit to avoid that. I easily pulled the meat completely off with my fingers. Either the ribs were cooked too long or they sat under the warming lights too long, I'm not sure which. The sauce was too sweet for my liking, particularly for Texas barbecue.

A few other hungry folks showed up by the time I climbed back into my truck. Scholl Bros. Bar-B-Que probably does very well in Paris, but they need a little work to really hang with the big boys.

**********

Scholl Bros. Bar-B-Que
1528 Lamar Ave
Paris, TX 75460
(903) 739-8080
http://www.schollbrosbbq.net