1701 Barbecue — Restaurant in Beaumont

I've been wanting to try 1701's BBQ for almost 2 years since we made the move to East Texas. It made Texas Monthly's top 50 and I wanted to compare it to other Texas legends like Louie Mueller's, Black's, Kreuz Market, Smitty's, Truth, and others. My 8 year old and I finally had a chance to make it on a Saturday and I thought it would be packed! We got there around 11:30am and was mildly surprised that there were a few cars, but not a crowd!! There were only two people in front of us so it didn't take long to get to place our order! My 8 year old wanted Brisket, not just any, he told the server he wanted fatty brisket!!! (That's my boy! 😁) I ordered a sliced brisket sandwich, and he stacked on the brisket!!! I then told him I wanted to order BBQ to go also, but we were going to eat inside. So I ordered 1lb. of fatty brisket, 1lb. of Pulled pork, 1lb. of Smoked Turkey, and one Beef Dinosaur Rib! They also had a special going on, 1/2 of a smoked chicken for $6! Yeah, go ahead and throw that in there with the Turkey!!! Next we moved down the line a little to get our sides. I knew what the 8 year old wanted, he had been eyeing the Mac and Cheese ever since they had laid two big slices of brisket on his tray! They also gave him one of their strawberry shortcakes! I moved over and ordered their Jalapeno Potato Salad and a side of the Mac and Cheese myself!!! We ordered Sweet Tea for our drinks. Then we had a seat at one of the inside tables. The young lady working the register helped us move our food to the table! I must say everyone here was very welcoming once you entered the door and very friendly and helpful!!! Once you pay there is a place in the corner across from the register to get forks, knives, and spoons. There is a small table right across that has condiments and napkins you can get for your table. There is a bottle of 1701 BBQ Sauce already at your table also! The inside has a very nice ambience and there are some shelves to the right as you walk in that has T-shirts, Sauces, and other items for sale! There are big blackboards behind the serving counter that list what they are serving and I think I heard the price shows per half pound on the prices. To the left of it behind the young lady serving sides is another Blackboard that lists the sides and desserts on it! My 8 year old didn't waste any time tearing into his sliced brisket! He loved the Mac and Cheese! It had a wonderful flavor and was made from a combination of two cheeses! My sliced brisket sandwich was piled high with plenty of meat and it was so delicious!!! I've been dying to try their Jalapeno Potato Salad ever since I heard that they made theirs that way!!! It was really delicious with just a hint of Jalapenos in it! It wasn't overbearing even for someone that might be skittish about it being too hot! It wasn't hot at all just really flavorful! I want to say if your curious and haven't tried it yet, they can hold their own against any of the central Texas outfits!!! The brisket had a really nice smoke ring and flavorful bark on it, it was really good!!! The brisket was moist and cooked to perfection! It wasn't dry and it pulled apart like it should, not overly so. Before we left, business had started picking up a little after 12:30. And it is good enough they are usually sold out by 2:00Pm! You won't go wrong making this a stop for some really great BBQ. We will...

“I pulled into 1701 hunting brisket, but what I found was a full-blown smoke show with a side of glory.”

TL;DR: Rolled up at 10:45 AM and parked myself first in line at 1701 Barbecue. By the time the doors opened, there were 20 folks stacked up behind me, hungry and jealous. I walked out with brisket, ribs, sausage, banana pudding for the road, and a half chicken for dinner. The bark was crusted brilliance. The rib was hearty and full of flavor. The sausage had snap, juice, and no nonsense. The place was spotless, the staff was welcoming, and the smoke lingered in all the right places. That bird? Reheated like a champ. Stamp 23 secured.

It was Saturday morning, and I had meat on my mind. The road took me to 1701 Barbecue, where the pitmasters don’t mess around and neither do the regulars. My internal alarm clock nudged me into action, and by 10:45 AM I was in the lot staring at the closed doors like a kid outside a candy store. A few clouds rolled by, the sun climbed a little higher, and before long a crowd had built up behind me like a tailgate line at kickoff.

When the doors finally swung open, I had one mission: Texas Trinity + banana pudding + peace offering poultry.

Here’s what hit the tray: • Brisket: Rich bark, tender middle, and seasoned with purpose. They don’t overdo it. They let the smoke speak. • Pork Rib: Thick, meaty, perfectly cooked. No tug-of-war, no chew-fest, just a clean bite and a flavor that hangs around. • Sausage: Juicy and bold with a casing that snapped clean like a green branch in deer season. • Banana Pudding: I tucked it in the to-go bag for the Side Dish Queen. She wasn’t with me this round, so it doubled as both a dessert and a peace treaty. • Half Chicken: I knew we’d need dinner. That bird got packed up and rode home like royalty.

The joint itself was clean, cool, and buzzing with good energy. Staff had that Texas hospitality gear running smooth and friendly. Inside was all charm and calm efficiency. Plenty of napkins, plenty of smiles.

When I got home that evening, I warmed up the half chicken, expecting some loss of luster. Nope. It was moist, smoky, and full of life. Even the Side Dish Queen nodded her approval.

Stamp count: 23 down. 27 to go. 1701 brought the smoke, and I’ll be talking about that tray for a while.

Dad Joke Sign-off: I asked the chicken how it stayed so good after the reheat. It just winked and said, “I...

Hands down, 100% THE best barbecue in Beaumont. They're only open 3 hours a day, 5 days a week and there's a line to get in, but it is worth the wait. The brisket is tender with a beautiful crust, perfect smoke ring, and all of the flavor you could ask for. The house-made sausage is a piece of art. Skin that snaps like a motown backup singer wrapped around brisket trimmings that still have a great toothsome texture is everything your want from a sausage. None of that over processed mealy stuff here. Each beef short rib is a meal unto itself. Sporting a similar peppery crust as the brisket, this Flintstone-esque treat could be marketed as a beef lollipop and it would be sellout with ease. The pork ribs refuse to be outshone(outshined?) with their succulent meat tempting you to pull it lightly off the bone with minimal effort. You absolutely CANNOT sleep on the turkey. I'm typically a beef and pork BBQ fan, but I might actually say that the turkey is my favorite meat here at 1701. It is so juicy that you could practically drink it. Note the zoomed in picture with the droplets surfacing on the meat. I almost forgot to talk about the sandwiches that are piled ridiculously high. They run the same price as the half pound of the meat and I'm pretty sure that's because it's that amount of meat stacked on a hearty brioche bun. Good luck finishing one in a single sitting. The only side I can personally comment on is the brisket beans which are essentially baked beans on steroids. Sweet and smoky with bits of delicious beef are the perfect complement to any of these meats. My wife tried the Cole slaw on our first visit and said it was creamy, cool and balanced well with her meal. Neither of us eat potato salad but I will say that visually it appeared to be chunky and...