The Shed Market - Abilene, Texas - 2nd Small Town Texas BBQ Review

When I was a child I'd always heard about older family members like cousins or uncles being taken to the shed to catch a whuppin'.  There was a little woodshed in the back of Daddy's house but if he wanted to lay one on me he sure didn't take me out back so I was a little confused until I was told a few things by my cousin about the hickory stick. Now I have to be honest and tell you I have no idea if they are using hickory sticks out here at The Shed Market in Abilene but like an old cartoon character my kiddos used to watch on TV said, "If this is torture, CHAIN ME TO THE WALL!

We got there in just the nick of time as I could already see quite a few folks lining up for what smelled like sure-fire BBQ hit.  Sometimes smells can be deceiving but here I knew they wouldn't deceive me after I saw this at the door:

This Bible quote was something that Jesus was talking to Peter about and there was some obvious consternation on Peter's part because the Lord pretty much asked him if he loved him 3 times and  Jesus let Peter know that he was to take care of the flock.  I felt pretty taken care of after I walked into the door as did the 60 plus other patrons who were chowing down on BBQ and sides from what I believe to be a future Top 50 BBQ Joint for Texas Monthly and the best BBQ from this side of Lubbock all the way down to Round Rock and all the way to El Paso.  I've tasted BBQ all over the place and this is some of the best anywhere in Texas.  Cool factor #2 is the fact that this is so near to home right in Abilene.  There isn't a single place in West Texas that compares to The Shed Market as far as pure consistency, flavor, staff friendliness, cleanliness and generosity. Byron and Stacie and all of their staff greeted us with a smile and kind words which is greatly appreciated by all! You get more bees with honey is what I've always heard.  

Front of The Shed Market in Abilene, Texas

As far as the menu is concerned they had a lot of just what BBQ Conossiuers such as my wife and me (well we're at least BBQ Lovers) find irresistible. Well at least I tried not to resist anything, of course, that's why I take my wife to keep me on budget, as well as make sure I don't eat way too much. We ended up getting Brisket, Sausage, Pork Ribs, a Beef Rib and all the sides except the green beans. Sadly we missed the desserts because the meter said we were full up already. When we looked back and my wife saw that they had Strawberry Cobbler she wanted me to turn the car around on Highway 83 and get back over there but alas life and its responsibilities kept us moving to our next destination. 

Brisket, Sausage, Chicken, Pork Ribs and a few free items that they gave us were a couple of burnt end pieces and some turkey.  That's the generosity I was talking about. Meats were on par or superior to many of the places that I've had in the Texas Monthly Top 50.  The Peppery-Salty-Sweet rub on the Ribs and Brisket was amazing - so much so that my wife who is very partial to my BBQ and doesn't really like to go on many of these outings because of the sheer disappoint she has had gave high praise for the Q here: "Wow!  This is so good and it is even better than Snow's. Way better." I mean we don't like to start BBQ feuds but when I get a comment out of her like that I was completely surprised not because I didn't think it was good but because she rarely compliments any BBQ (except my own) this much. Chicken breast, Turkey, and the HUGE beef rib were overflowing with juicy goodness.  All the sides were well balanced and were great to have next to the smoked meats. Fact is every bite of every piece of meat was amazing. Some places have great brisket, or a great pulled pork sandwich, or maybe some excellent ribs.  The Shed Market has it all.  

Despite being in a strip mall sort of establishment you can see from the pictures below that they have some excellent decor inside.  That Brisket portrait was shear genius!  The other portraits also made the place feel like a true BBQ destination as much as the meats did. Abilene has got itself a winner and what I would venture to say is truly the best BBQ in town and I've eaten in at least 4 other BBQ joints in Abilene. Don't miss out on all the cool merchandise when you go.  Get there early if you can because I can see this place filling up extremely quickly. We got there at around 11:20 and it was almost filled up already and it stayed steady the entire time we were there.   We were super impressed and you will be too!

Enjoy the rest of these pics below and then get in the car and drive there. You'll be happy you did!

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad, Pinto Beans, Sausage,
a mix of lean and fatty Brisket along with some Pork Ribs

Up-Close Creamed Corn

Extremely moist Chicken Breast - One of the best I've ever had.