Two Bros. BBQ Market — Restaurant in San Antonio

Well Texas Barbecue made it down to Two Bro's BBQ Market this morning and let me tell you we had a good time and had some great Texas Barbecue. Pitmaster Laura Loomis wasn't available today but the extremely knowledgeable Chris Jerrick stepped in and handle all the questions and gave us a great tour. Laura, we're sorry we missed you and we'll catch you on our next trip.

First off the location is in an amazing setting. It's literally right off the road but it's more like a little village area of several different business all snuggled under 100 + year old towering Oak Trees. The restaurant itself has them providing shade all over the outdoor seating area. With the breeze blowing, the smell of the brisket cooking and the selection of oldies playing in the background it's a very relaxing and laid back environment. The only draw back was the airport is just down the road and every so often the sky is decorated with a blue, gold and red Southwest Airlines jet coming in for a landing. But I will tell you I found it more entertaining than an inconvenience. They were actually fun to watch.

As you step inside the building its like stepping back into an old German or Czech dance hall only with tables and chairs. You can conveniently place your order, have a seat and then in just a few minutes your order is ready. And let me tell, the brisket is all you have ever hoped for. It's got great bark, beautiful smoke ring and very moist. Today I had a pound of brisket, a cherry glazed baby back rib and the turkey. The baby back tore right off the bone and had a great flavor with the cherry glaze added to it and as for the turkey, I was shockingly unsurprised. It was so very tender and moist with a perfect flavor. I could have made a meal just out of the turkey if the Star of the show wasn't the brisket.

Chris Jerrick who has been working with the pits on site since 2011 said knowing your pit and controlling your fire is key to making great brisket consistently. "Consistently" being the key word here. Using only Oak, the crew is constantly watching over the fires of several pits making consistency no easy chore and maintaining a fire around 250 degrees always has them working. Chris said they will start the brisket out with seasoning, salt and pepper of course but they also have a special seasoning. Chris said it was put together by co-owner, Executive Chef Jason Dady and if you keep up with Iron Chef Gauntlet on the Food Network then you know you have a winner in the seasoning.

Chris said patience is also key to consistent barbecue because some of these briskets are truly 24 hour, slow and low heat, dreams come true. Two Bro's also did something a little different that I've only seen a few times before. They wrapped their brisket with butcher paper towards the end of the cook because foil keeps it too moist. And believe me folks, he knows what he's talking about because this Texas Barbecue was great.

Two Bro's BBQ Market, a must when traveling down the Texas Barbecue Trail.

Located at 12656 West Ave in San Antonio, Texas. They are open 7 days a week, Monday - Saturday 10:30 to 8:30 and on Sunday 11 - 7. Plenty of parking and kid-friendly with a playground...

First off, the smoked meats are terrific, at least all the ones I've tried. I loved the turkey, baby back ribs, and -- when in season -- the boiled crawfish. If that's all you need, this is the place for you.

Good BBQ doesn't need sauce. But, if you need sauce, this isn't the place. The sauces are all watery and did nothing but make your meet soggy. Go dry, or take the meat home and use your own sauce.

Now, a good BBQ restaurant also needs to have great sides. I haven't tried all of them, but a few definitely need improvement. The coleslaw is nothing more than grated cabbage, vinegar, and a few poppy seeds. It is way overpriced for what it is, and not anywhere near as good as what any good home cook could muster up. The beans are okay, if a bit strange. The beans themselves taste pretty good, but they are served with chunks of (apparently canned) peaches. While I love a good peach, especially the in-season Fredericksburg variety, they really have no place in a cup of beans. Beans can either be a little spicy hot, or sweet, or both, but not really tangy. Peaches take away from the sweetness that should be there, like from honey, or maybe even Dr. Pepper and add an unnecessary tartness.

Ambience wise, this place can be fun. On a previous visit I heard a nice guitar playing duo sing country and rock sounds pleasing to all ages. Today it was just some country from a radio station, and I definitely missed the live music. Most people sit outdoors, but this was not a great option today. There were flies everywhere. The garbage was overflowing, and the restrooms were buzzing with dozens of flies as well. Indoors was not a complete respite as a few flies still landed on our food and buzzed around our faces. I believe a good clean up as well as some air curtains could help with the flying insect problem plaguing this establishment.

Finally, this is definitely NOT a cheap night out. I know good BBQ can be pricey in these parts, but this place is insane. A rack of ribs, an iced tea, beer, and two pints of sides were nearly $100, and that's before any tips. A couple of months ago I was charged for a pound of crawfish when requesting only a half pound. Today I was encouraged to buy a full rack of ribs for two people, when only a half pound would have been more than adequate. The regular prices are high enough -- do not make my mistake, and watch what you order as the amounts may be way more than you can stomach (or want to pay for).

All in all, Two Brothers is a nice addition to the growing smoked meat scene in San Antonio. I hesitate to go back, however, until the place is cleaned up and side dishes live up to the standard set by the...

I should have taken pictures. I believe I did once before. Had a visitor from switzerland, who wanted to try some good barbecue. I hate to say I'm sorry I chose this place. I had such high hopes, only to be extremely let down. It was a party of five of us. And no one had any great positives. But I will only answer for what I had. I had the big bro sandwich. A little over the top for the size of it. It is a decent tasting sandwich but your sausage is extremely filled with sodium just the taste overwhelmed it completely. Sausage was very tough to bite through in a sandwich setting. Brisket was rather dry decent flavor bark was extremely tough and once again flavor of salt nothing but salt. The only halfway decent part of that sandwich was a pulled pork. Your style of barbecue sauce was absolutely horrid. Awful flavor not one that I can describe correctly. I ordered a side of macaroni $2.50 for a ketchup condiment cup. That's how small it is. Ridiculous for the price of pasta. The worst part was their blueberry cobbler! I will say this without any hesitation whatsoever. And I don't care if I hurt the feelings of whoever created this monstrosity. DO NOT CALL THIS COBBLER!!!!! Their idea of a blueberry cobbler is granola pieces and blueberries and syrup. Do not waste a $6.50 on this absolutely rotten tasting concoction somebody decided to call cobbler. I am so sorry and wish I had taken a picture of this mess. I shared it with two other people we both didn't finish it and I really wanted to ask for my money back that was the absolute worst dessert I've ever had in my entire life. It's horrible. Now I have taken pictures before like I mentioned at the beginning I had gone there probably when they first opened about 6 months after they opened. And they were halfway decent. After this visit, I will never recommend this place nor I go back. Their prices the size of their sides and that dessert. This visit was disgusting and it was very disappointing that the person we were trying to impress also recognize that it was not good. Sorry people but your food has gone extremely downhill I guess I should have caught that when I saw how empty...