The Texas BBQ Company
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 8:00AM 309 Main St.
Northborough, MA 01532 
(508) 393-4742
It was a “bad day.” A client canceled a full day consulting gig (at 6:30AM) and at 6:35AM my BlackBerry got an unrecoverable error.
The client had a good reason…so not much discussion there. The good folks at AT&T had no good excuse…and sent me on a wild goose chase to Waltham to get a replacement BlackBerry. Unfortunately, no replacements are available for my phone since it is so new. Argh!
I had a serious need for comfort food. For me, comfort food is macaroni and cheese, with a crusty top (someone once described it as burnt…I prefer to describe as “crusty.”) Not having the time to prepare (real) mac and cheese, I headed out for the next best thing….ribs.
Having worked for years in Marlborough, I knew of a place we frequented for a “special” lunch…a finger licking lunch. The Texas BBQ Company, just about on the corner of Bartlett and Main in Northborough.
The Texas BBQ Company is in a small, non-descript building, were Stan’s Sub Shop used to be. My guess is at one point the building was a gas station….on bustling Rt 20.
There are two main areas in the 50 seat restaurant. The bar area, and the seating area where booths 
and small tables are the norm. On this busy Tuesday night, the entire building was filled with an adult clientele enjoying an adult beverage and a large variety of smoked meats. No children were visiting, although there is a decent children’s menu.
“Tina” quickly greeted me with an introduction and a sincere desire to address me by name. She kept calling me Steve, only adding to the enjoyment.
Settling in, the large menu offered me many options, with many “meats” smoked 12-18 hours.
Ribs are prepared differently around the country. In the Midwest, sauces are used to enhance the flavor..often producing a sugary taste from a glazing formed from the sauce.
In Texas, sauces are scoffed at in favor of rubs. The Texas BBQ Company, having roots in Texas, leans towards the rubs, although they do have a mild and hot sauce (for Midwesterners like me.)
The three meat sampler seemed to bill, with my chosen selection of:
- Baby Back Ribs – a lean pork rib smoked for six hours.
- Beef Ribs – Think the bone from a prime rib, smoked for six hours. Enormously filling. Truly delicious.
- St. Louis Pork Spare Ribs – these are the ribs I grew up on in Cleveland.
For sides, the onion strings are delicious….and the baked beans were great. All this comes with some corn bread or Texas Toast….and for my money there’s not much better than a Texas-Sized slice of toast swimming in butter.
The ambiance was a comfortable neighborhood place……with regulars waving to each other and a decent take out trade.
When asked who cooked my meal for hours, “Tina” said it was the owner David or his son Jonathon. The Commonwealth tells us David is David Brannon, who also has interests in Test Integration Services, Inc. David owns the place along with his wife Linda. They really are from (Austin) Texas, and David’s family owned a Texas BBQ in Texas and Arizona.
One of the regulars suggests letting David know on a Tuesday to prepare a 2 pound ribeye steak for consumption on a Friday. He raved about how good it was after smoking for days.
Everyone likes their ribs differently; one of the reasons why a fun event for a locale is a Rib Burn Off. Personally, I’d give The Texas BBQ Company ribs an eight out of ten….preferring a little more flavor and the meat temperature a little higher.
You see, I’m picky about my ribs.
That said, I left in a much better frame of mind, having met some nice people and enjoying some Southern Hospitality right in Northborough.
Hours
Tuesday - Wednesday 11:30am - 9:00pm
Thursday 11:30am - 11:30pm
Friday 11:30am - 10:00pm
Saturday 12:00pm - 10:00pm
Sunday 12:00pm - 8:00pm
Monday Closed
The Texas BBQ Company gets a GREEN LIGHT…go and enjoy.
About the RAG scale:
Green Light – Go and enjoy
Amber Light – Use caution
Red Light – Save your time and money