Lum's BBQ - Junction Texas - 7th Small Town Texas BBQ Review

Love. Love will keep us together. - Captain and Tenille

The gas pumps were up at Lum's the last time I was here. My memories were of a small dark dining area and I hadn't given this place a lot of thought for some time until my buddy John mentioned it at work.  It must have been at least 10 years since the last time I'd been here and we'd gotten there so late in the evening I don't think that they still had a full amount of the usual meats they had.  I wasn't thoroughly impressed way back when. The BBQ business is tough. That sentence alone is hard to write simply because I know what it means to get up early to start fires for a catering job and to babysit an offset smoker for hours on end to be sure that the meat coming out of it is just perfect. It is early mornings, late nights, smelling like smoke around your loved ones, and doing things most people wouldn't do to get the results that we desire.  The people that do it best are the people that have a love for it - a PASSIONATE love for it.  When I met Austin Lumbley almost a week ago I was taken with his almost euphoric passion for his craft and what his family has been doing for three generations.  His smile communicates volumes about what is deep inside of him - love.  Love for a business that can be harsh.  Love for a business that can be unforgiving - one bad Yelp, Google, or Trip Advisor review and people are loath to try your place because some person riding a desk had a bad experience or maybe a differing opinion on taste and flavor can't get them to expand their mindset.  Love makes things better.  It makes things more bearable.  Love is what drives us and makes us who we are.  It is clear that Austin loves what he does and how can you not love something that your Grandad and your Dad built with their own hard work, blood, sweat, and tears?  

Smoking with Mesquite

Briskets on the concrete and brick smoker at Lum's 

Austin and his brother may still have been in high school the last time I visited Lum's but he mentioned that some of his family had lost some passion for the business back then.  After they moved off to college and began living their lives in other cities, the opportunity to assume leadership in the family business came. Taking over something is always difficult and living up to familial expectations is even tougher.  When you've built something there is this thought in your mind that it should continue to grow and progress. As parents (speaking for me and my wife) I want my children to do better than I did.  Hopefully, it is a reflection on the type of parents we've been and that we've inspired our kids to do the best they can in life. As I spoke to Austin, I could tell that his forebears had made a good decision in handing the keys over to him.  While I was eating I heard him speaking and his joviality is contagious.  You can't help but smile and have a great conversation when he's around. 

Before I met Austin I arrived and took some pictures and video outside and then ordered a three-meat plate with the Texas Trinity of Brisket, Pork Ribs, and Sausage along with some creamed corn and a side you don't often see in most BBQ joints: cucumber salad. The gentleman that served me piled loads of meat onto my plate and I had a hard time finishing it so they get kudos for portion size without a doubt. As I sat down to eat I took a few photos of the food and the interior of the area I was sitting in and then I began to chow down. My first observances were that the brisket had a black bark with a beautiful parallel running smoke ring. The ribs were dark and thick and the sausage looked like a coarse grind with excellent moisture.  As I started in on the ribs I was impressed with how juicy and flavorful they were and in my opinion, out of the meats I tasted that day the ribs were the best on the plate.  The bark on the ribs was less dark than the brisket and there was also a slightly less pronounced smoke ring.  The true test was in the bite through as I was able to bite through to the bone without all the meat falling off - these were masterfully cooked and some of the best pork ribs I've ever had at a Texas BBQ joint. As I worked my way through I grabbed a slice of brisket and gave it a tug and it had just the right amount of resistance and give in it.  I took a bite and was pleased with the flavor. That being said the brisket here is different than what you'd eat at a Franklin's or another Texas Craft BBQ restaurant.  The brisket here is smoked with mesquite and isn't loaded down with tons of coarse black pepper.  This brisket is what I like to call Old School Texas BBQ.  West and west-central Texas has always had loads of Mesquite wood and out here it is typically the wood of choice because of that abundance.  That being said, Lum's brisket has a flavor profile not dissimilar to a lot of the places in my own hometown.  Mesquite can be bold and overwhelming but in this case, it is not. It provides the necessary smoke that works with the spices and flavors the meat just right.  The brisket also pairs very well with the sauce they've developed at Lum's. In between a pair of white bread slices, the sauce and the brisket along with a few pickles and onions is heavenly. I was also very impressed with the flavor of the sausage.  Some joints have a drier sausage that tends to be more like a beef stick in a convenience store but this sausage is far from it.  Juicy with a great bite it also works well with the sauce but isn't in the least bit dependent on it. The slightly peppery bite of the sausage is a perfect complement to the other two portions of meat.  The creamed corn had just the right amount of sweetness and didn't make my teeth feel like they were going to fall out of my head.  The side that was odd for a BBQ joint to have also didn't disappoint - cucumber salad.  The freshly sliced cucumbers mixed with onions, tomatoes, and some vinegar was really a welcome change to the usual barbecue sides that are available of which Lum's does offer. Although I didn't get to try them Lum's does have some of the other more traditional meats and sides like Turkey, Pork Loin, Pulled Pork, Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, and Pinto Beans and also another odd one that I will have to try the next time I'm there: spicy spaghetti. There are plenty of choices for everyone. Take at look at their menu here:  Lum's Menu  

 I met Austin right after I'd finished my meal and we began to talk about the BBQ, smokers, and places I've been and he's been.  He told me a lot about how the building had changed and evolved over the years and how much it has grown.  At one point they had an opportunity to move closer to Interstate 10 but they decided they liked the feel of the place where they've been for so many years.  They've got inside and outside dining areas and even some that are dog-friendly. I got a tour of the pit area and I'm always surprised at just how many different designs of smokers I've seen in my travels. These pits are a combination of concrete and brick that were made by a local craftsman and there was a live-fire going as we walked around the area.  He had a load of briskets on one smoker that were coming along nicely.  Austin also mentioned that they'd be getting a new smoker in shortly.  Let's just say for the purposes of this blog that I was impressed with what he told me he was getting for the restaurant. I don't want to steal their thunder so I'll only say be on the lookout because Austin is taking Lum's to the next level with his next smoker acquisition that should arrive in the coming months.

College Banner Dining Area - Go Angelo State Rams!

Dog-Friendly Patio

In addition to the great tour Austin gave me, he mentioned some prominent people in the BBQ family and what great people they are.  Robert Sierra and Robert Jacob Lerma were a couple of the ones that came up in conversation and he mentioned what great people they are and how kind and supportive they've been when they've shown up at Lum's. The deeper I dive into the Texas BBQ world I see that there is a wide network of great folks out there cheering each other on and supporting one another through everything.  Walking around Lum's I felt a kinship with Austin.  I felt a bond in the commonality of the craft that we share and the familial aspect of it.  I can't help but cheer on Austin Lumbley who I consider a great ambassador of BBQ out there in Junction, Texas.  His passion and love run deep and it shows. 

For more on Lum's and other great Texas BBQ Joints check out: My YouTube Channel