Rejino Barbecue - Olton, Texas - 3rd Small Town Texas BBQ Review

Traveling for stuff isn't always my favorite thing to do.  Dress buying in a faraway city: not my favorite.  Driving 4 hours to go look at a car for the cheapest price?  Nah. Not that either.  Traveling 3 to 5 hours to pick up a long lost relative that we haven't seen in awhile? Maybe. There is one thing that I can honestly say I can drive just about all day for and that is a good plate of BBQ.  Out here in West Central Texas, there isn't a lot of stuff that they call BBQ that doesn't need a good liberal dousing of some kind of liquid concoction otherwise know as Bar-B-Que Sauce.  Now I'm not a hater of the stuff but I think if you're worth your weight in Brisket you'd better be able to smoke one without having to drench it in sauce to give it flavor or moisture.  So when I see or hear about a joint that is doing things right and is fulfilling their calling in the BBQ Family I justifiably have to take a 3 or 4-hour trip which sometimes ends up being a 12-hour long day by the time I get back home. Folks that live in Houston, or Austin, or even DFW don't really have to worry about stuff like that but some of us have to travel to get the good stuff.  If there ever was a place that had the good stuff it is Rejino Barbecue in Olton, Texas.

Olton is a small quiet town and I was surprised by just how quiet everything was until I rolled around the corner on 8th Street and saw cars and pickups up and down the block.  There was a small line outside the small food trailer and what looked to be a 500 gallon tank smoker further back in the lot.  

 As I walked up I heard the familiar sounds of some John Mayer guitar playing and I was thinking: "This place is really LAID back."  

As we were waiting in line one of the first things I noticed was that the young lady taking orders in the window had the biggest smile on her face.  This is always a welcome sign of someone who truly loves serving others and seeing them enjoy the goodies you push out the window. By the time we got to the window, we could see that they were already out of a few things and it was between 12:20 and 12:30 pm.  The good stuff goes fast here so I should have known better and gotten there as early as possible but who am I kidding? It's ALL GOOD!  We noticed they were out of regular spareribs and the young lady suggested trying the Peach Whiskey Ribs and they truly didn't disappoint.  A slightly sweet and savory balance with a very clean bite-through with very tender, juicy meat this was a heavenly rib.  It was properly smoked and was very pleasing to the eye as it set next to the fatty brisket (yeah I like my brisket Moto-Moto style if ya get my drift) some beef sausage, green chile creamed corn, some coleslaw and a few slices of soft white bread.

 After I got a good taste of the rib I dove into the brisket which was extra moist. None of these meats needed any sauce but as most places do they did put a little sauce on the tray so I felt it would be in good form to try a little with some bread and brisket and it was definitely the frosting on the cake so to speak. 

Aside from the brisket and ribs, the star of the show here was the wonderfully put-together Green Chile Creamed Corn.  Many restaurants make sides with some sort of peppers in them that often overwhelm the flavors of those sides.  This was not one of those times and I was truly grateful for that.  The sweetness was perfectly balanced by the slightly warm flavor of the chilies and to look at the corn it reminded me of a colorful fiesta with its spices and peppers all in the mix.  This was one of the best creamed corn dishes I've had at any BBQ restaurant in Texas and is truly one of the must-have items along with the brisket and ribs at Rejino Barbecue.  

As my wife and I were wrapping up our lunch and putting some leftovers in the box (which I'm still enjoying as of today) Aaron Rejino the owner (with his wife) and pitmaster was out speaking with his customers and making sure everything was to their liking. 

I had a few moments to speak with him and let him know what a great job he was doing with the BBQ and everything else. This is a young man who has a great future in BBQ and the way things are going it should be no time before he's even more well-known throughout the BBQ world.

He did let me in on some good news as well in regard to them getting another larger smoker for the future that will double their capacity for smoking meats.  From the looks of things and the steady stream of customers, they are definitely going to need that extra 500 gallons to smoke more of some of the best meats in North West Texas and the Lubbock area.


  I can highly recommend this place because not only do they make great food they are friendly and completely hospitable.  Driving almost 4 hours didn't seem so long after such a warm reception and the excellent food. The only thing I missed out on was a cap.  Consolation prize: I got a sticker!  Go out and support them when you can!