Barbecue and Boba Come Together in Mabank, Texas | Eater Dallas
"Tucked inside the Mabank Feed & Southern Glitz Boutique with no sign, I discovered a family-run barbecue speakeasy where Nolan Belcher’s tongue-in-cheek slogan—“edible at best”—belies a perfectionist, no-bullshit approach to smoke and flavor. Every day he and a small team prep using local suppliers like Cameron Farms and 44 Farms, a proprietary 16-ingredient spice blend, and 24-hour fridge rests before loading 200 pounds of proteins into two 1,000-gallon Red Devil offset smokers fueled with a pecan, hickory, and oak blend; some proteins hit their sweet spot at five hours, while brisket and pork butt take about 12. The menu showcases succulent homemade sausage, meat candy (unctuous burnt ends), fat-woven brisket, smoked-kissed ribs, juicy pork belly, tender pork butt, and Texas Twinkies—a feisty Frankensteinian jalapeño hollowed out and recklessly stuffed with cream cheese before being stitched up with bacon—alongside sides like elotes, soul-food-style charro green beans, cilantro-infused rice, and brisket mac and cheese. Desserts are all homemade and crowd-pleasing, from banana pudding to churro sopapilla cheesecake bites and a Texan chocolate pecan tres leche cake. The quirky barbecue-and-boba pairing (an idea from his son Lincoln) offers boba sourced from Vietnam in flavors such as horchata, taro, lavender, jasmine, and Thai tea made with sweetened condensed milk to cut the richness of the meats. Since converting a back room into a brick-and-mortar in April 2022 after a busy food-truck run, Emily—his co-owner and the real boss—helps manage operations while their sons pitch in, and diners now travel from as far as Japan and Australia after spotting photos on Instagram and Facebook; the joint also runs weekly specials (including non-barbecue items like butter chicken and paidakia) as Belcher continues to refine his craft." - Tiffany Leigh
