Zachary S.
Yelp
Last summer, my parents dropped a huge bomb on me. For the first time in over 15 years, the two of them were moving out of Tyler to the Rio Medina area. By the time I graduated college, they were close to finishing the move. In my first week of living in the Rio Medina/San Antonio area, my dad took me out to lunch at a place he was excited to show me: Blu Lacy Smokehouse. At that point, I was impressed. After getting a job, moving out, and living in the big city of Hutto, I would always return to Blu Lacy every time I visited my family back in the Castroville area.
It was smacking every time. Their cuts of meat were quality. For being an all-day BBQ establishment, it always tasted fresh. Even better, my dad was always happy to go with me and have quality bonding time.
A few months ago, my dad sent me a message on Instagram. When he DMs me something, you never know what it could be. This time, he had some major developments to share: Blu Lacy was rebranding. Originally, Blu Lacy was a sister location to San Antonio's 2M BBQ, but the pitmaster of Blu Lacy and the pitmaster of 2M decided it would be best for the two to split and focus on their own establishments.
Blu Lacy was sonically similar to 2M but had its own understanding. What was the true reason for the rebrand? My best guess is that they were trying to make it fit in better with the crowd in Castroville. The unique sides might not have been cutting it the same way the Mexican-inspired sides at 2M work for San Antonio, so they pivoted.
Castroville Barbecue Company is really just a facelift. It knows it wants to be a modern version of a country-style BBQ establishment, and they do a great job at it.
Just like what I remember at Blu Lacy, the meats are always on point. My favorite thing is their pork ribs. The way they fall off the bone made my dad and me giggle like little kids. The jalapeño cheddar sausage is pretty great, and the brisket is in the upper half of brisket I've had. Probably the best brisket at a non-sellout BBQ establishment I've had. It tastes like sellout BBQ. I'm shocked you can get a plate by 7 PM.
The sides are nice. Their potato salad, creamed corn, and macaroni and cheese are all fantastic. Personally, I think removing the Tex-Mex flair from the sides is a bit of a bummer, but for a majority of Castroville residents, I can see it as an upgrade. People like my mother just wanted something that was no-frills.
I've been twice since the rebrand: once with my father, once with my girlfriend. As someone who didn't know the backstory of Castroville Barbecue Company, I asked her for her thoughts on the restaurant after lunch. She said, "I used to have an aversion to ribs, but the pork ribs healed something in me. Something deep down."
Here's to the future, here's to healthy change, and here's to my dad picking up the check when we go together. Father-son bonding.
