"What's the secret of smoking brisket?" I asked Cecil Sanchez, proprietor and pit boss at Mustang Creek B-B-Q, the source of my favorite barbecued brisket.
"Practice," he said as he carved me some fatty-end meat for a sandwich. "I've been doing this every day for 30 years."
I can't say that Mustang Creek has the best brisket in Texas since I have never eaten at Snow's BBQ in Lexington, the place that Texas Monthly anointed best barbecue joint in the state. And it is unlikely I am going to get up early enough to eat at Snow's anytime soon, since the cute little semi-professional operation only sells meat for a few hours on Saturday mornings.
Mustang Creek Bar-B-Que, on the other hand, is open for lunch most of the week. (The hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Monday). Look for the Exxon station on the southbound side of the Senator Lloyd Bensen Highway (Highway 59) in Louise, just past Hilje.
When I first heard about Mustang Creek B-B-Q, it was located in a corrugated metal shack with a dirt floor in Ganado, a few miles farther down the road. There is a photo of the old place on the wall. Seems odd to say it, but Cecil Sanchez's gas station barbecue joint is pretty fancy compared to the old place.
Stop by the next time you're out that way.