Coop’s West Texas BBQ
Ever since FH and I tried Coop’s BBQ during the BBQ Crawl, FH has been hounding me non-stop to go back. FH usually isn’t so passionate about wanting to eat somewhere, so we went back this past weekend to satisfy his cravings.
Because Coop’s closes early on the weekends, we decided to order food to go. They were so busy that it took us a while to get through on the phone. They were taking the phone off the hook temporarily for short periods of time when the restaurant was overwhelmed with orders. We finally got through after about three tries and I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t want to think what would happen if FH didn’t get his bbq.
We had loved the ribs and the brisket last time we went. We had four people eating so we decided to get two slabs of ribs. One slab or ribs is plenty of meat, and completely packs a take out container. Rip tips are included in the slabs, giving you extra meat.
Like our first visit, the meat was served without the sauce, though we also were given sides of their bbq sauce. I like to taste the meat without the sauce first to enjoy the smoky flavor and then sometimes dip just a little bit of sauce.
One slab of ribs comes with two large sides. For the first slab, I stuck with the collard greens and baked beans we had enjoyed last time.
The collard greens seem to be cooked with just a little bit of salt, which is how I like them. Nice and simple. The baked beans are sweet and cooked with pieces of pineapple, adding a nice tropical flavor.
For the second slab of ribs, we chose the red beans and rice and corn bread.
The corn bread was your standard fair. Moist cornbread, but nothing extraordinary. But the red beans and rice. Oh the red beans and rice. If you look at the picture, you’ll see it’s not just red beans and rice, but it’s red beans and rice and brisket! Yes the red beans and rice is cooked with bits of brisket, allowing the smoky flavor to seep into the rice and beans. I absolutely adored this side dish.
We both loved the brisket last time. FH wanted to ensure that there was plenty of brisket this time around, so he ordered THREE POUNDS… I thought it was a little excessive, but at least we had a good amount of leftovers to enjoy.
The brisket is cut into thick slices, which is how I like mine. And you can see the pretty pink smoke rings on the meat.
Finally, I ordered a slice of the buttermilk pie, thanks to the recommendation by Three Dog Kitchen. We got a generous serving of pie. The custard-like filling has a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. I really enjoyed it and since my family doesn’t like pie, I got the slice all to myself.
Once again, we really enjoyed the bbq here. We had a few days worth of leftovers, and it was amazing that no matter how much we ate, we didn’t seem to get sick of it. In fact, FH wants to go again this weekend.
During our first trip, we had a few minutes to chat with the owner. He talked about Phil’s BBQ being his inspiration to start his own place. He had tasted Phil’s and couldn’t believe all the people willing to line up for a bbq completely different from what he was used to and he wanted to introduce real Texas bbq to San Diego. Given how busy they have become, the hundred plus positive reviews on yelp and multiple positive reviews from food bloggers, I think his dream of owning the best bbq joint in San Diego isn’t far from reality.
For some more reviews on Coop’s BBQ, you can check out posts by Three Dog Kitchen, CAB Cooks, Foodies: A Southern California Food Blog, and Pink Candles at Ridgemont High.
Coop’s West Texas BBQ
2625 Lemon Grove Ave
Lemon Grove, CA 91945
(619) 589-0478
coopsbbq.com
3 pounds of brisket, awesome! I probably would do that too so I can have leftovers. I need to go back soon. And I’m going to try the pie!
The pie was good. The red beans and rice you should definitely try too! Yeah at first I thought three pounds was too much, but the next day at work all I could think about were the leftovers!
Oh, the red beans & rice looks amazing! Now I want to go AGAIN. My problem is that I can’t NOT order the ribs or brisket, but I kind of want to try the chicken and other stuff (we got the pulled pork and it was good, but I actually prefer Bekkers’) Then again, do I really want chicken more than ribs?
Coop’s is easily the best bbq I’ve had in San Diego. T still enjoys his Broham sandwich at Phil’s, but only without sauce.
Lol, that is my problem too! I’ve been curious about the other items but I have to order the ribs and brisket and after that, it’s hard to order too much else. Oh I really need to tried the pulled pork at Bekker’s.
hi kirbie – wow you guys went again! we wanted to do that last weekend, but we had a lot of food in our fridge and i didn’t want it to go to waste! my husband is itching to go here! i think we will try those red beans and rice – i like how they put brisket in it! oooh, yeah!
btw, turns out my coops post is my readers’ favorite post of all time (and still running). it surpassed my tokidoki cake post!
Yup we went again, and FH is already bugging to go again. I wouldnt mind either. The red beans and rice was delicious. Oh wow, that’s so cool that it’s your readers’ favorite post of all time, especially since it hasn’t been that long since you posted!
yum