Hey Cue-tey
Double S Texas BBQ Company brings barbecue and beer on tap to Garland
- Double S owner Samuel Parks says his ribs are as good as anybody's.Photo courtesy of Double S Texas BBQ
- Double S does brisket in an Old Hickory smoker.Photo courtesy of Double S Texas BBQ
Garland barbecue restaurant Double S Texas BBQ Company specializes in two things: Texas barbecue and beer on tap. The beer part comes as no surprise, considering that owner Samuel Parks is a former bartender. Among the restaurant's dozen taps are a few dedicated to local brews such as Lakewood Brewing Company.
As for the food, it's "good Texas barbecue, smoked with pecan wood," according to Parks. "I got a good dry rub, and the brisket melts in your mouth."
Parks opened Double S last fall on Northwest Highway just east of LBJ Freeway, in a small shopping center a few doors down from Park Place, the sports bar he opened in 2004.
"Our ribs are excellent," says owner Samuel Parks. "I would put ours up against anybody's."
"I started barbecuing at home because I liked it," he says. "Then I stumbled into a catering job. I cooked a whole bunch and served it at the sports bar that weekend. People asked for more."
Taking over a neighboring space previously occupied by a hip-hop club, he spent a year remodeling the space and researching recipes.
"We have a big Old Hickory smoker; it's about the size of a minivan," he says. "We have that smoker going all the time."
He does brisket, pork, ham, turkey, hot links, chicken, sausage and smoked balogna.
"Our ribs are excellent. I would put ours up against anybody's," he says. "I don't put sauce on them. We do a St. Louis-style pork rib. We get our sausage from a supplier, but I would like to start making our own."
In addition to the usual coleslaw, potato salad, mac and cheese, baked beans, and pinto beans, Double S does deviled eggs with chopped brisket in the filling and mini corn muffins with chunks of onion and jalapeño. Parks just introduced a rotating side of the day, such as green beans or broccoli covered in cheese. Desserts are peach cobbler and a banana pudding made from scratch every day.
There's a full bar, a separate smoking room, and a wall of garage doors that open onto a patio. Atmosphere is "not real kitschy," with a subtle Texas theme and country music playing low in the background.
"It’s what most Texans want when they have BBQ," he says.