You just spent the last half-hour eating some of the best barbecue in Texas. You knew you came to the right place as soon as you walked in. A familiar, dusky smell filled the air as beef cooked in the smoker. Country tunes played. Cowboy references hung on the walls, and the menu looked like it came right out of Cookie's chuck wagon. Homemade smoked brisket, shredded pulled pork, and rib racks all done the right way, just dry-rubbed and smoked. The barbecue sauce on the tables was for city slickers. There were some fancy fixin's, too. Texas brisket BBQ beans. Brisket truffle bacon mac 'n' cheese. Fried okra WITHOUT the dipping sauce, because dipping it just wouldn't be right. Even homemade rustic apple pie and homemade ice cream for dessert. But after a full plate and full belly, it's time to hit the dusty trails. As you step out into the sun and look around for your trusty steed, you realize you don't own a horse. You drove. And you're at Chef's Kitchen and Smokehouse in West Palm Beach, not Texas. But it sure felt that way for a spell.
Readers' choice: Tom Jenkins' Bar-B-Q