Disappointment

There are times when the only thing that will satisfy is barbecue and nothing more disappointing than being all stoked and finding the meal kind of substandard.  Down in Tucson I visited the Brush Fire Barbecue. Now I have been there before and found the food passable, though I couldn't recommend the salmon. The joint is nice, the folks friendly and helpful, and the sauce is good.  Brush Fire is a Tucson based company that slow smokes their meat and has their own rubs and sauces.  Their web site doesn't really give much on history or philopsiphy, though there is an interesting section on their offerings.

On this visit I chose the brisket sandwich.  I view brisket as the Everest of barbecue because it is
tough to get just right and use it as a benchmark for the bbq joints I try.  I always ask for the sauce on the side -- I want to taste the meat and don't want flavors, texture, and tenderness hidden under the sauce.  I found the meat very flavorful, good rub, and good smoke. They serve it chopped in little bits rather than sliced, which is fine, but the small fragments of brisket couldn't conceal the fact the meat was dry and was a chore to chew.

All that being said, I will probably go back as my grandkids love the place and I do want to try their ribs. I'll try to remember to update this post if and when I try the ribs.  Brush Fire is all right, not qa favorite, but then one man's dry and chewy is another man's best ever.