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“Hill Country”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Barbecue	Flatiron	Moderate	Great

in wait, staying moist and delicious until they are chosen and eaten.

Speaking of eating, you’ll want to take part in the beef ribs ($9/lb), which are long, sexy, and meaty, and arrive with a caramelized crust that caps tender, chewy and intensely smoky meat. The moist brisket ($17.50/lb.), or deckle as it is also known, was indeed moist, ribbed with glistening fat and seared with the right amount of seasoned char on the edges. The smoked sausages are imported from Kreuz Market ($5.25 each) and come in two flavors—a feverishly spicy jalapeno cheese and a “regular” sausage that is about as far from regular as we are from the moon. The interesting thing about these sausages is that they are kind of loose, and they sort of come undone when you slice into them, falling away from their casing and begging to be crumbled on a sandwich or over pasta or just eaten with a fork like we did. They’re a little difficult to eat, but worth the mess.

But pork chops were one of the most surprising meats of the evening, especially when you consider that Texas is really cattle country. But these chops are magnificent. They are sliced double thick and served on the bone, and their flesh is pale and creamy in color and when you slice into the meat, you can count on getting squirted, they’re that juicy. Pork ribs were also excellent, slightly chewier and spicier than the beef. I was also quite impressed with the beer-can market hen, a plump little bird, with a taut crisp salt and pepper skin and wildly juicy meat. It’s the perfect chicken.

Now, I’ll admit that I am no barbecue expert—I know my way around a brisket and a rib, sure, but I am not anywhere near the authority that my friend Josh Ozersky (aka Mr. Cutlets) is. He happened to be at Hill Country the night we were. I ran into him when he was coming off the line, clutching his butcher-paper swaddled package of meat to his chest like a protective father. “Josh, you’re holding onto that meat like it’s a baby,” I said, observing the care he was taking with his bundle of beef. “Well, yeah. Because this is as close as I’m gonna come to having to an infant!” he said. Then he smiled and walked over to his table to dig in. Later, he joined our party, picking over the leftovers on our table for ten. He sprinkled a bit of fleur de sel on a few lone slices of moist brisket and ate it with his hands, as t ... [more, click below]

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Posted: July 2, 2007

Other restaurants in Flatiron :
+ Suenos   + Amuse-- Closed   + Dos Caminos   + Lucy-- Closed   + Gramercy Taver   + Veritas   + Fleur De Sel   + Bolo -- CLosed   + City Bakery   + Shake Shack   + Kalustyan's Cafe   + Devi   + BLT Fish   + Sugarcane   + BLT Prime   + Barca 18-- CLOSED   + Beppe   + Barbounia   + Boqueria   + Eleven Madison   + Lonesome Dove-- CLOSED   + Hill Country   + Olana   + Wildwood   + Primehouse   + Allegretti   + Bar Breton   + Aldea   + SD26 by Bao Ong   + ABC Kitchen   + Ciano   + The NoMad   

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