HORACE MCQUEEN: Barbecue – A Texas Thing!
Barbecue —a Texas Thing!
When it comes to down-home barbecue, Texas leads the pack. We have lots of great choices — large and small. Like most red meat lovers, each of us have preferences as to which restaurant offers the best “cue”. In the last few days, our area has lost one of the best! Stacy’s in Jacksonville has closed after 41 years of providing top notch brisket and sausage. By the plate or in sandwiches, Stacy’s was a contender many times for best of the best in barbecue. Originally opened by Stacy Davis, a journeyman butcher, folks from far and wide sang the praises of their offerings. In recent years son Ron ran the business and planned to pass it on to the third generation. But the untimely death of his son — and problems in hiring help that really cared about the customer — led to the closing. Ron has kept many of the furnishings and the inside wall boards that bore the names of hundreds of customers. On his farm near Gallatin, Ron is building a “Stacy’s Museum” for those who want a glimpse into the past of this storied eating place.
We will continue to have many restaurants turning out barbecue that customers will travel many miles to enjoy. After 36 years in the Farm and Ranch TV news business, my longtime friend and cameraman Bobby Perdue and I have put our feet under the tables of hundreds of eating places. And when it comes to real Texas barbecue, several continue to stand out. In Tyler, Stanley’s is a winner and has been since 1959. In Longview, the original Bodacious opened in 1968 and is still going strong. Shep’s in Palestine and Bob’s in Henderson have been favorites for decades. Wherever you live, or travel, in Texas, there are plenty of places where mouth-watering barbecue is available.
Now this takes the cake! An elementary school in Richmond, Virginia is undergoing a name change. The ‘Politically Correct’ school board changed the name of J.E.B. Stuart Elementary to Barack Obama Elementary. Stuart was a Confederate leader in the War of Northern Aggression — what some call the Civil War. Our history is being rewritten by agitators who are using the news media to get their way. Maybe it’s time for Texans to draw a line in the sand–as did William Barrett Travis at the Alamo – and give the defenders of liberty a voice in the battle!
