The Barbecue Station Will Fix Your BBQ Craving

On a recent trip to Texas we found ourselves in San Antonio, hungry for some BBQ.  Having not been to San Antonio since I was 10 years old I had no idea where to find it.  Luckily, before we left home I did a little research and came up with a few candidates.  When we arrived in San Antonio I looked for the one that was the closest to our hotel and the Barbecue Station won,

The Barbecue Station is located in an old automobile service station, hence the name.  It is located at 1610 NE Loop 410
and the phone number is(210) 824-9191.  It is right on the frontage road next to I-410 in the Northeast part of town.

Hungry For BBQ

We arrived at about 5:30 PM o a Thursday.  There were a few cars in the lot when we got there.  Immediately I could smell the smoke from the pit, always a good sign.  We walked in and up to the counter to place our orders.  I ordered the combo plate of brisket and chicken while my wife had a hankering for sausage.  My combo plate was $6.59 and the sausage was $5.99. My sides were pinto beans and potato salad while my wife ordered some fries.  I picked a Lone Star out of the large cooler for my drink.

They pulled the brisket and chicken right out of the pit and cut the meat right in front of us.  Everything was served on butcher paper with a couple of pieces of white bread on the side.  As we sat down at the table I noticed that the entire interior had a light “smoke coating”.  Everything was a little worn, in a good way, and very basic. I went over to the large chili pot and got some pinto beans then got to work.

Time To Eat

I tried the brisket first.  I took my little plastic fork and very easily cut of a piece of the brisket.  It was extremely tender, one of the most tender I’ve had.  The fork was barely needed.  It had a good bark on it and from what I could tell, a very simple rub of salt and pepper was used, not much else.  It was fairly juicy and the meat basically fell apart in my mouth.  This was some tasty brisket.  I tried the chicken, which was a leg quarter, next.  It had a great smoke flavor to it and was fairly tender but not quite fall off the bone tender.  The skin was crispy and the meat was juicy.  I’ve had better chicken, but this was pretty good stuff.  As I was eating my meal I heard a “mmmm….” from across the table.  My wife was enjoying her sausage.  I tried a piece and agreed that it was indeed good.  It was juicy with a good smoke flavor and a little spice to it.

The Sauce And Sides

All of the meat was good enough by itself that it really didn’t need any sauce but I tried it anyway.  The sauce was primarily sweet but also had some tang to it from vinegar with a little bit of heat/spice to it coming from black pepper.  It complemented the brisket and chicken very well.  The sides were fairly good.  The potato salad had some carrots and pickles in it and was pretty good but the texture was more “mashed potato”.  Not bad, just different.  The pinto beans were only fair.  They were not too squishy but the flavor was pretty basic.  The fries on the other hand were very good.  They were hot and crispy without a lot of grease.  They had just the right amount of salt on them as well.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Barbecue Station is a good place to satisfy your BBQ desires.  The restaurant has the right feel, the staff is friendly, and most importantly, the food is good.  I think the brisket is their best meat.  The chicken and sausage were good but not as much so as the brisket.  We didn’t have any ribs but I asked a couple of guys who were having them how they liked them and I got two thumbs up.  The sides were fairly basic and the sauce was a good representation of “texas-style” sauce.  We enjoyed our meal and the price was definitely right.  If you live in San Antonio or are passing through town, definitely give the Barbecue Station a try.  I think you will like it.

Barbecue Cooking Guide Ratings (5 is the highest possible)

• Brisket- 4
• Chicken- 3
• Sausage- 3.5
• Sauce- 4
• Sides- 3.5