Words and Images by Will Milne
Bet The House Barbecue opened on South Elm last Saturday. They had a line out the door after being open for nine minutes. BBQ news travels fast, y'all. Thankfully, we were already there, sampling the wares, snapping some pics, and getting the meat sweats. Read on for more...
Bet The House is owned and operated by Cody Smithers and Shawn Eagle who have been running a catering crew in town for several years now. Smithers' day job is as an analyst at the Dallas Morning News and Eagle is a special education teacher at Ryan High School. Both are honest, hard working dudes who were delightfully pleasant to hang out with for people who had just received under three hours of sleep (pitmaster is a tough job, y'all).
We've been clamoring for legit central Texas BBQ in Denton since we've lived here. And every time a new place opens up, we're met with disappointment. Thankfully, Bet The House lived up to our expectations. This is the thickly sliced, "I don't need no sauce" style smoked meat that we've been waiting for.
VSCO even makes iPhone shots of brisket look dramatically beautiful.
The brisket is moist, flavorful, and has a great amount of smokiness to it. The sausage is from Fischer's Meat Market in Muenster and is made specifically for Bet The House. The jalepeno-cheddar we tried was delightfully cheesy, had a great snap to it, and left us with an awesome peppery aftertaste.
The sides are pretty basic Texan BBQ joint - i.e. okra, coleslaw, potato salad, etc... (no hot messes yet) We're hoping we get to see a few more "made in house" non-bbq specialties in the future.
Bet The House is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am - 9pm, but watch out for them selling out, because it'll happen. Go get some brisket before the word gets out, y'all.
Prep for a chopped brisket sandwich.
The custom made smoker can hold a bunch of rib racks and briskets, y'all.
Shawn Eagle slicing brisket.
Bet The House is located at 508 S. Elm St. in Denton, TX.