Crane's Craft BBQ at the old Wagon Wheel Dancehall in Tye, TX, is a feast for the family

 

Crane's Craft BBQ is a family run restaurant that is open Wednesday-Saturday from 11am until 4pm (or sell out) which is located off of I-20 between Abilene and Tye. It was once the location of the Wagon Wheel which was a squaredance emporium back in the day. I enjoyed the nod to the history of the place that you still see in the building. 

Chopped brisket with a side of chips and queso and green chili hominy

As my mom, my brother, and myself walked in at around 11:30am, we were greeted by the owner. He was super friendly and quick with a joke. You place your order at the counter.

My usual order at all barbeque joints is a chopped brisket sandwich ($14) which was made with half lean/half moist brisket in this case. The sandwiches come with a side of smoked queso and totopos (tortilla chips). I also ordered an extra side of green chili hominy ($3) and a glass bottle of Mexican Coke ($3).

My mom ordered a smoked baked potato stuffed with chopped brisket and all the usual loaded potato toppings, which I believe was about $14. The potato was cooked in the smoker instead of an oven and rubbed with beef tallow. It was huge.

Interior--Order at the counter

My brother who is doing keto right now had a half pound of moist sliced brisket ($15). All of us were pleased with the taste of our brisket and the prices are about average for our market. My mom and I both had leftovers that will make a second meal for us.

You also get onions, peppers, or pickles for your plate but they are not self-serve. The options for sauces were self-serve and included a sweet version and a tangy version. Both tasted sweet to me and had an ingredient in them which made the taste a bit wonky. None of us were fans of the sauces. The meat did not really need the sauce but a nice sauce and help take the barbeque up a notch.

Interior looking toward the stage

I found the smoked queso to be unique. The taste of the cheese put me in mind of the Kraft Old English Cheese spread you used to get in a small glass jar mixed with some Mexican spices and smoke. The totopos were on the thick side. They will not break when dipping them in the cheese. I would have liked it if I could have substituted the queso and chips for a different side but I ended up paying the extra to get another side to try the green chili hominy. The taste of the hominy was nice but it was a bit on the oily side for me. I think a bit of sour cream would have helped it. 

Meat choices other than brisket included pulled pork, pork ribs, four kinds of sausage (house, chedder jalapeno, cracked pepper, boudin) and turkey.  Their marketing indicates that their beef comes from Goodstock by Nolan Ryan. They offer a nice variety of sides but none of them were low carb, except for perhaps the cucumber salad. Some sides they have that are a bit different are pineapple cassarole, elote asado, and chedder jalapeno grits. There is also the usual loaded potato salad, beans, mac and cheese, and Texas twinkies (jalapeno poppers). You can also get two slices of white bread for a $1. 

Brisket stuffed potato--Saturday only

Dessert options were a chocolate flan or banana pudding. Drinks are all bottled. No fountain sodas. Beer is also served. 

Service was great! I also liked that there was handy access to take out boxes. Seating is family style with long tables and benches. 

The restaurant also offers live music. Check their social media on Facebook or Instagram for who is playing and any specials such as the smoked potatoes or beef ribs.

Give the place a try if you find yourself around Tye and have a craving for some BBQ for lunch.  

Crane's Craft BBQ

(325) 386-9934

1023 S Access Rd, Tye, TX 79563

https://cranescraftbbq.com/

Hours

Sunday-Tuesday--Closed

Wednesday--Saturday 11:00AM - 4:00PM (or sell out)

Jay's BBQ Shack--Abilene's favorite barbeque stand

 Jay's BBQ Shack in Abilene does indeed have excellent barbeque. In fact, the brisket sandwich I had today puts it in the top two places for brisket in town for me, with the other one being The Shed. Jay's has made it into Texas Monthly's review of BBQ joints with a very favorable mention, in fact it was dubbed Abilene's best brisket. No other brisket in Abilene compares to these two relative newcomers on the scene (read less than a decade old). I would say on taste alone, Jay's has a slight edge. 

Jay's BBQ Shack is only open for lunch and provides outdoor seating for customers. I got to the line shortly after they opened at 11am. They serve lunch until 2pm (or until they run out of  meat) Wednesday-Saturday. I wanted to be sure that they did not run out of brisket so I got there early. It was already quite long and it does not move very quickly. I stood in line to order for about 45 minutes and then had an additional 7 minutes to wait for my order to be ready. The line actually got shorter at around 11:40ish.

In all honesty, I am not a person that enjoys standing in line outside in hot weather to order food. My thought process was that is BETTER be as great brisket. Everyone in town has told me it was and therefore worth the effort. The effort involved is one reason it has taken me to try it. That, and I was secretly hoping I would be able to sample it at an event that they catered and skip the line. Since I was off work and the forecast was calling for it to only be 90, I went out there. Keep in mind that parking is on the street and the place is nestled in among businesses on S. 11th, west of Treadaway, so there is a fair amount of traffic.  

My order today was a chopped brisket sandwich with a side of Hatch green chili macaroni and cheese. A brisket sandwich is my standard order for BBQ places. Instead of sitting outside on the picnic tables, even though there was shade provided for the tables, the temperature outside was starting to climb so I got mine for takeout. The cost for the sandwich was $9.50, not a bad deal considering the price of brisket now, and the side of mac and cheese was $3.00. It came with their standard barbeque sauce, pickles and onions (which I asked to leave off). I also took home sample of their spicy sauce as well. There was a mustard-based sauce option too if that is your preference. 

The special for the day was brisket tacos and there were several other interesting items on the menu such as brisket Frito pie and pig candy (bacon burnt ends.) There were all the standard offerings of ribs, sausage, turkey, chicken and the usual side dishes as well as bags of chips. All the drinks are bottled or canned and beer is available. No ice or fountain drinks. 

My first impression of the sandwich was that they did not skimp on the meat. Yay! It had a nice bark on it but not too much which can make it chewy. The meat was not overly fatty which is how I like my brisket. The flavor was very good, not overwhelmed with mesquite smoke. Peppery but not over seasoned. The meat without sauce was juicy and enjoyable. The sauce was a little on the sweet side for me but still a good accompaniment to the brisket. The spicy sauce was also sweet but with a touch of heat. The bun was soft and fresh. Potato bread, I think. The pickles were thin-sliced and mouth-puckering dill, just how I like them. The mac and cheese had a kick of green chili and some breadcrumbs on top. The sauce was very creamy and the pasta was not too mushy. I was happy with it. A bag of chips is $2 but all the other sides are $3 each.

Was it worth almost an hour of my time? Yes. But you will not find me standing in line when the temperature gets above 90 degrees outside because I just do not do that. However, if you are tolerant of Texas weather or can go on a nice day, Jay's is well worth your time and your money. Check out their social media for daily features. 

Jay's BBQ Shack

602 S. 11th Street

Abilene, TX  79602

Wed-Sat

11 am - 2 pm or until sold out

https://jaysbbqshack.com/

   

Really Texas Monthly?

Texas Monthly has put out their list of the top 50 BBQ joints in Texas and not single Abilene place made the list or even the honorable mentions!  The closest one to Abilene is Big Boy's Bar-B-Que in Sweetwater.  I don't know what to say. I know Harold's has closed but I'm going to have to write some reviews for this area. My current favorite is JoJo's in Potosi but I haven't reviewed it yet because I didn't get a pic of my Jo-Ritto.

Click for the TM list.