A White Oak and Mabank, Texas BBQ Joint Made a Texas Monthly Top 25 List
Barbecue is a special food for Texans. Doesn't matter if it's brisket, ribs, pulled pork, sausage, barbecue chicken, whatever, if it's pit smoked, we will eat it. East Texas has several great places to get barbecue like Bodacious Bar-B-Q, Spring Creek Barbecue, Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q, Brisket Love and many, many, many others. A new list came out recently from Texas Monthly that named the 25 Best New and Improved BBQ Joints in Texas. Pit masters from White Oak and Mabank, Texas made this list.
Texas Monthly
Every five years, Texas Monthly will release their Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas list. It is a huge honor to make this list. The last list was published in 2021 with Stanley's Famous Pit Bar B-Q in Tyler and Mimsy's Craft Barbecue in Crockett making the list. Texas Monthly decided to try some new barbecue joints that opened since that 2021 report or those that have made some big changes to their menu. In that list, Texas Monthly made a stop in Mabank and in Longview (White Oak actually) to try out some barbecue that was impressive enough to make their 25 Best New and Improved BBQ Joints in Texas.
B4 Barbecue & Boba, Mabank
B4 Barbecue & Boba in Mabank started as a simple food truck. Apparently, their barbecue was so good they needed a retail space to keep up with their popularity. They found that in Mabank Feed Store. They were offered some space inside the store to set up their smokers and other equipment to serve their great barbecue to the folks of Mabank and beyond. I personally have never tried their barbecue but from the sounds of it, it would be worth a drive to Mabank to try it out.
Sunbird Barbecue, White Oak
Sunbird Barbecue has quickly become one the best barbecue joints in East Texas. What makes it even more impressive is they do it all from their trailer. They find somewhere in the Longview area to park and serve up their great barbecue. I have tried Sunbird Barbecue and I suggest getting the brisket quesadilla. Dude, that will make your belly extremely happy.
All in all, it's pretty awesome when our East Texas small businesses can be get a big feature like this. Congratulations to both of them and stop by to grab some of their Q for lunch or dinner.