Clark Crew BBQ

[barrettd]

I do agree with a lot of the thoughts here that brisket would be difficult to do all day long and keep the quality. The brisket I had when I went was terrific. May have been a tad on the dry side, and the texture was a little more firm than I'd have liked, but the flavor of the bark was outstanding. I think it was also the first week, so I think I hoped they'd only get better from there.

I would not hesitate to order brisket again at Clark Crew, but I can see how what's important to me in a slice of brisket may not meet others' expectations, and that's OK. Brisket aside, I think there are plenty of other really good things on the menu, having tried a few and heard from others.

This was never going to be a place I went all the time, so I'm good with my visit for a while. I certainly will try to take out-of-towners when I get the chance, but I'll also keep smoking and grilling meat in my backyard to satisfy my BBQ needs.

[BBatesokc]

Went today with a friend. Got there about 11:40am to try and beat any rush. Already a 30 minute wait. We opted for the tall community tables near the bar.

Buildout is excellent. Really good looking place. Staff was equally impressive. Very friendly and knowledgable of the menu items.

Started with some cheese curds.

We both ordered the 3-meat plate. He did the ribs, bologna and brisket with creamed corn and fries. I did ribs, brisket and burnt ends with creamed corn and baked beans. Both also came with corn bread.

Topped it all off with peach crisp and vanilla ice cream for dessert.

First off, the portions were HUGE. Definitely enough to share with someone else (making the $24 price very affordable when split in two).

The "Really Good":
1.) The burnt ends: Just like meat candy. Very good.
2.) Corn Bread: Almost like eating dessert (and a lot better than the dessert we were served)

The "Just Okay":
1.) Brisket: The fatty isn't fatty enough for my liking, firm and kinda dry. Room temperature. Not 'bad' but nothing memorable. Most off-putting was how salty it tasted.
2.) Creamed Corn: Was a little too sweet and a little too liquidy.
3.) Cheese Curds: The taste was okay. What really disappointed me was that I'm used to the cheese curds form The Mule. The cheese center is often too hot to eat when it first hits the table. Not so here. The cheese wasn't even stretchy. It was cool to the touch and was just a breaded lump of disappointment.

The "Not So Good":
1.) Bologna: I can honestly say I've never had bologna at a BBQ joint that I didn't think was good until today. It was room temperature, salty, dry (zero moisture) and a bit tough.
2.) Ribs: I know a lot of people claim ribs are not supposed to fall off the bone. I don't care, because that's exactly how I like them. These were never gonna fall off the bone. You literally had to gnaw the meat off the bone. It was chewy - way too chewy for my liking. And, once again, room temperature at best.
3.) Peach Crisp: We literally knew when it hit the table we were not gonna like it. The top was a pile of what looked to be quick oats that were not fully cooked and the center was just a mush. Nothing indulgent about it at all. Almost like someone's mother found a 'healthy peach crisp recipe' on Pinterest and tried to pass it off as a real dessert.

All-in-all we were disappointed. We both ate less than half of our entree and only a single bite of the dessert. IMO there are much better BBQ joints in the city. This place is new, so I'll probably check it out again in a few months.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Went today with a friend. Got there about 11:40am to try and beat any rush. Already a 30 minute wait. We opted for the tall community tables near the bar.

Buildout is excellent. Really good looking place. Staff was equally impressive. Very friendly and knowledgable of the menu items.

Started with some cheese curds.

We both ordered the 3-meat plate. He did the ribs, bologna and brisket with creamed corn and fries. I did ribs, brisket and burnt ends with creamed corn and baked beans. Both also came with corn bread.

Topped it all off with peach crisp and vanilla ice cream for dessert.

First off, the portions were HUGE. Definitely enough to share with someone else (making the $24 price very affordable when split in two).

The "Really Good":
1.) The burnt ends: Just like meat candy. Very good.
2.) Corn Bread: Almost like eating dessert (and a lot better than the dessert we were served)

The "Just Okay":
1.) Brisket: The fatty isn't fatty enough for my liking, firm and kinda dry. Room temperature. Not 'bad' but nothing memorable. Most off-putting was how salty it tasted.
2.) Creamed Corn: Was a little too sweet and a little too liquidy.
3.) Cheese Curds: The taste was okay. What really disappointed me was that I'm used to the cheese curds form The Mule. The cheese center is often too hot to eat when it first hits the table. Not so here. The cheese wasn't even stretchy. It was cool to the touch and was just a breaded lump of disappointment.

The "Not So Good":
1.) Bologna: I can honestly say I've never had bologna at a BBQ joint that I didn't think was good until today. It was room temperature, salty, dry (zero moisture) and a bit tough.
2.) Ribs: I know a lot of people claim ribs are not supposed to fall off the bone. I don't care, because that's exactly how I like them. These were never gonna fall off the bone. You literally had to gnaw the meat off the bone. It was chewy - way too chewy for my liking. And, once again, room temperature at best.
3.) Peach Crisp: We literally knew when it hit the table we were not gonna like it. The top was a pile of what looked to be quick oats that were not fully cooked and the center was just a mush. Nothing indulgent about it at all. Almost like someone's mother found a 'healthy peach crisp recipe' on Pinterest and tried to pass it off as a real dessert.

All-in-all we were disappointed. We both ate less than half of our entree and only a single bite of the dessert. IMO there are much better BBQ joints in the city. This place is new, so I'll probably check it out again in a few months.

Ya I really like fatty brisket. I am just not a huge fan on eat cuts from the flat. That is all they have I guess? Very interesting.

[Pete]

Holy cow, lines out the door at 11:40AM??

Considering the size of the place, I think it's fair to say this is the biggest restaurant sensation in OKC in quite a while.

[BBatesokc]

Holy cow, lines out the door at 11:40AM??

Considering the size of the place, I think it's fair to say this is the biggest restaurant sensation in OKC in quite a while.

Never said the line was out the door. Sorry if I gave that impression. There was never a line that went beyond a few small groups sitting inside in the wait area (I've seen longer lines at IHOP). It's just that all the tables/booths were taken, the tables don't turn very quickly, and it's safe to say the place had to have filled up in the 30 minutes prior to us getting there. Meaning, it would be a bit before people started leaving. There was plenty of open spots in the community table areas (easily enough room for a dozen or more people). Even when we left (well into the lunch hour) there wasn't more than a couple of people waiting to be seated. That said, it's still obviously very popular. But, it's Oklahoma, anything new is popular and this place has been hyped to death and is in a very visible location.

Two ladies sitting next to us had the open face Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. It looked really really good and was huge. They must have liked it because it would feed 2-3 people easily and they each pretty much cleaned their plate. I'll probably try that next.

What I really couldn't get over was how salty their meats were. Reminded me why we stopped eating burgers at the Garage in Edmond (the buffalo burgers we kept getting were almost too salty to eat).

As of now, I still prefer Bedlam, Maples, Deckle and Leo's (on a good day - which is sadly, not every day).

[Jersey Boss]

^ I'm surprised that you would include Maples in your prefered list. In your last review of Maples you claimed you would not be going back there as it served a niche market that you were not part of.

[BBatesokc]

^ I'm surprised that you would include Maples in your prefered list. In your last review of Maples you claimed you would not be going back there as it served a niche market that you were not part of.

There are definitely things about Maples I didn't like. I also wouldn't suggest it on my own accord if say the wife and I were heading out for dinner. That said, we often have a fairly large lunch group and I don't balk at the idea of going to Maples. There are items on the menu I enjoy. Overall it's just not in my personal rotation. But, I've had some really really good meat there in the past. But, it's consistency IMO is on par with Leo's - it's a crap shoot (and a fairly pricey crap shoot at lunch). I was pretty open when I had a few visits in a row at Big Truck that were subpar. But, I still checked in every now and then. And while it's not my personal goto place for Mexican-is food, I bet we get it at the office at least twice a month and I usually enjoy it just fine.

[barrettd]

It's funny how two people (me and Brian) can have similar meals and such widely varying reviews of the food. Obviously, I wish you had a better experience, if only to validate my own opinions about the restaurant. Hopefully, if you ever do go back, you'll have a better meal!

I agree about the look of the place, they did a great job with the restaurant. BBQ, I've also found, is extremely subjective, so I guess it's not a huge surprise to have varying opinions of the same food. I also like Bedlam, and have yet to try the others on your list. I need to get over to Maples just to see how it rates, for me.

As I've said before, I don't tend to seek out BBQ joints because I do so much at home I don't really need to. I appreciate your opinion about Clark, though. I'll be interested to see if it gets better, for you, over time.

[BBatesokc]

It's funny how two people (me and Brian) can have similar meals and such widely varying reviews of the food. Obviously, I wish you had a better experience, if only to validate my own opinions about the restaurant. Hopefully, if you ever do go back, you'll have a better meal!

I agree about the look of the place, they did a great job with the restaurant. BBQ, I've also found, is extremely subjective, so I guess it's not a huge surprise to have varying opinions of the same food. I also like Bedlam, and have yet to try the others on your list. I need to get over to Maples just to see how it rates, for me.

As I've said before, I don't tend to seek out BBQ joints because I do so much at home I don't really need to. I appreciate your opinion about Clark, though. I'll be interested to see if it gets better, for you, over time.

BBQ joints are the one type of restaurant I can say that I don't tend to judge them (permanently) off single visits. While most other types of food are pretty consistent IMO: You either like a place's take on Mexican food, steaks, Italian, burgers and pizza - or - you don't. I find BBQ can vary slightly or greatly with each visit. I love Leo's when it's spot on. But I've also been there and the ribs were really bad. Actually, the last time I went to Bedlam we all commented that the ribs were sub par on that visit - but are usually very good. The only place I've had BBQ that was always excellent IMO was when we'd go to The Butcher Stand. But, admittedly, we don't go there as frequently (maybe 3-4x a year). Maples has been the most random for me. When it's good, it's really good. When it's bad, it's pretty bad. And, in my experience it's about a 50/50 chance of it being either or (not good odds IMO for the price). Rudy's is an oddity to me. I don't like the OKC or Norman locations. That said, I can't get enough of the one we go to in Austin - it's amazing every time. I'll definitely go back to Clark Crew. The wife wants to try it. I'll probably try a sandwich though and let her do the meats.

[barrettd]

BBQ joints are the one type of restaurant I can say that I don't tend to judge them (permanently) off single visits. While most other types of food are pretty consistent IMO: You either like a place's take on Mexican food, steaks, Italian, burgers and pizza - or - you don't. I find BBQ can vary slightly or greatly with each visit. I love Leo's when it's spot on. But I've also been there and the ribs were really bad. Actually, the last time I went to Bedlam we all commented that the ribs were sub par on that visit - but are usually very good. The only place I've had BBQ that was always excellent IMO was when we'd go to The Butcher Stand. But, admittedly, we don't go there as frequently (maybe 3-4x a year). Maples has been the most random for me. When it's good, it's really good. When it's bad, it's pretty bad. And, in my experience it's about a 50/50 chance of it being either or (not good odds IMO for the price). Rudy's is an oddity to me. I don't like the OKC or Norman locations. That said, I can't get enough of the one we go to in Austin - it's amazing every time. I'll definitely go back to Clark Crew. The wife wants to try it. I'll probably try a sandwich though and let her do the meats.

It's funny you say that about Rudy's. My father-in-law moved back to Tulsa recently after 20 or so years in Austin. He was so excited when he saw we have a Rudy's in OKC. I think Rudy's, on its best day, is mediocres, so I was kind of surprised to hear him rave about it. I'd be curious to see what he thinks of the OKC location, but I plan on taking him to Clark since we always go to the same 3-4 places when they're in town.

[TheTravellers]

... Rudy's is an oddity to me. I don't like the OKC or Norman locations. That said, I can't get enough of the one we go to in Austin - it's amazing every time. ...

Others have said the same thing about Rudy's, and I agree about the OKC location (haven't been to Norman's or Austin's), have also heard that it's the wood that the Austin Rudy's uses that makes it good, no idea if that's true or not, just what I heard.

[BBQisgoodfood]

Guess bbqsnob didn’t think Clark’s Crew was good on his first

https://mobile.twitter.com/BBQsnob/s...76563601219584

[tuck]

Others have said the same thing about Rudy's, and I agree about the OKC location (haven't been to Norman's or Austin's), have also heard that it's the wood that the Austin Rudy's uses that makes it good, no idea if that's true or not, just what I heard.

The Rudy's locations in the Austin/Round Rock area are great, every single time and do huge volumes. They are run by an outstanding franchisee group, K&N Management. The others, including OKC, Amarillo, etc...are average at best.

[Thomas Vu]

Guess bbqsnob didn’t think Clark’s Crew was good on his first

https://mobile.twitter.com/BBQsnob/s...76563601219584

First time looking at the content, and am not entirely familiar with the format. Having said that it was only the comments that didn't think it was good. Nobody liked the brisket, and that looked better than the brisket I got.

[Roger S]

First time looking at the content, and am not entirely familiar with the format. Having said that it was only the comments that didn't think it was good. Nobody liked the brisket, and that looked better than the brisket I got.

If Vaughn didn't have anything good to say... He was just trying to be nice by not making any negative comments.

He didn't care for what he was served or he would have said so..... With that said... He's a Texas BBQ snob and Travis Clark isn't serving Texas style BBQ.

[BBQisgoodfood]

First time looking at the content, and am not entirely familiar with the format. Having said that it was only the comments that didn't think it was good. Nobody liked the brisket, and that looked better than the brisket I got.

I might be reading it wrong but I believe he responded to comment saying that if his first visit to a place is good he’ll then write about it. Tweeting it’s unfair to write a review early in the restaurant existence is basically saying it wasn’t positive, without saying it. Assuming it was really good then he would have tweeted out that. Just my thoughts on it.

[RedDollar]

If Vaughn didn't have anything good to say... He was just trying to be nice by not making any negative comments.

He didn't care for what he was served or he would have said so..... With that said... He's a Texas BBQ snob and Travis Clark isn't serving Texas style BBQ.

Exactly. Any brisket that does not come off a smoker located in the state of Texas is not good.

He was generous with Maples, however, but his caveat was Maples was " the best brisket I've had in OKC " . It was highly qualified.

[Roger S]

Exactly. Any brisket that does not come off a smoker located in the state of Texas is not good.

He was generous with Maples, however, but his caveat was Maples was " the best brisket I've had in OKC " . It was highly qualified.

And Maple's is cooked, and served, like Texas style brisket.

[RedDollar]

And Maple's is cooked, and served, like Texas style brisket.

Which actually, is the way I smoke brisket in the backyard. I like that style. Salt and pepper and on my offset stick burner. But that's not the only way to smoke brisket.

I read an interview a couple years ago with Joe Davidson. The Joe of Oklahoma Joe's . They asked him about central Texas style brisket. He said it was good but that he thought brisket could be so much more.

[Roger S]

I read an interview a couple years ago with Joe Davidson. The Joe of Oklahoma Joe's . They asked him about central Texas style brisket. He said it was good but that he thought brisket could be so much more.

If I had to eat one food for the rest of my life it would be brisket from Snow's BBQ in Lexington Texas.... Nothing more would be needed.

[BBatesokc]

If I had to eat one food for the rest of my life it would be brisket from Snow's BBQ in Lexington Texas.... Nothing more would be needed.

You're in luck.... Brisket is Healthy for you, Says Researchers at Texas A&M

[RedDollar]

Sort've on topic, here's some Oklahoma barbecue history. An interview with Joe Davidson by Daniel Vaughn, Texas Monthly, May , 2014

https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/int...oes-bar-b-cue/

[BoulderSooner]

Sort've on topic, here's some Oklahoma barbecue history. An interview with Joe Davidson by Daniel Vaughn, Texas Monthly, May , 2014

https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/int...oes-bar-b-cue/

that was a good read thanks for the link



the best quote that tulsa folks wont care for

"JD: I’ll never do it in Tulsa, so I’m gonna have to go to a major market and beat him on that. But, hell yeah there’s competition."

[RedDollar]

The Real Competition Between Kansas City and Houston? Barbecue

[RedDollar]

Clarks Crew separates their brisket ..............IG post of flats on the smoker . Interesting.

clarkcrewbbq
@waverider0406 we separate all of our briskets so we have burnt ends....they go fast

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7q7UEFB..._web_copy_link