www.viteksbbq.com
Recently on Twitter, a funny guy claimed there were at least four BBQ joints in Waco better than what was listed on the Texas Monthly Top 4 of their Top 50 list published in May. Makes me wonder if he is also related to the culprit who recently decided to steal $35 worth of ribs from a Waco H-E-B (Go Here). I can think of at least four BBQ joints in Dallas I'd rather steal ribs from. Poor choice sir but then again if not for bumbling criminals, we wouldn't be blessed with shows like "Cops" and "America's Dumbest Criminals."
I popped down to Vitek's and fortunately hit it before the lunch crowd. Before stepping into this establishment, I took a peek around the back to the smoke pits. What I saw sadden me. A natural gas assisted smoker by Southern Pride. I'm torn between gas assisted smokers or "cheating" as the purists would claim and being open-minded to other methods. Who am I kidding, wood and work all the way. I encourage you to read a recent blog on the difference by Jess Pryles on her website, www.burgermary.com. I wonder if this "cheating" is what Bill Frank had in mind when he begin smoking meat in 1972 after Vitek's successful history of being a meat market since 1915.
The Texas Trifecta was ordered with burnt ends as sides and the handmade Jalapeno sausage my wiener of choice. Considering their history of making sausages in house, having an Eckrich sausage as one choice out of four was quite baffling. I honestly wonder what customer would order a commercial sausage when handmade were offered and furthermore, why Vitek's would cheapen their line up this way. It's almost insulting to their heritage. Jalapeno sausage took home the blue ribbon on my visit. They did not hold back on the jalapenos and the heat collaborated with the pepper among the coarse ground meat very well. Ribs had a very good pork flavor but lacked seasoning and smoke as well. I found this to be true with the brisket. A good beef flavor with subtle smoke. Unfortunately I wish there had been more salt and pepper to elevate the bark. There were promising bites but nothing consistent. The burnt ends were good but with a bit more love, they could've been great.
From my experiences in Waco, there is nothing higher than middle of the road here. If there was one BBQ joint which delivered top notch product, this could cause others to follow suit and raise their bar. Unfortunately as long as college students continue to order the Gut Pak, Vitek's will continue to miss the mark with a few tweaks here and there to become the best BBQ in Waco. The ball is in their court but the Gut Pak seems to be their lead scorer.
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