Movies

Flickchart Road Trip: Bernie

04 October, 2022

Welcome when to the Flickchart Texas BBQ Road Trip! This time we’re headed to a small, idyllic East Texas town to imbricate a local favorite and one whose reputation has placed it in the Texas Top 50. We moreover mark the half-way point (technically over halfway now, as not all 50 spots are still open) of our journey. We’re off to Jefferson and Joseph’s Riverport Bar-B-Que!

Stop #25: Jefferson, Joseph’s Riverport Bar-B-Que

Just like nearby Tyler, Jefferson is named for a President; as you may have guessed, that would be Thomas Jefferson. It was founded virtually 1841 on land ceded from Caddo Native Americans. Due to a nearby log jam on the Red River, Jefferson was wieldy by riverboat from St. Louis and New Orleans. This made Jefferson an important port in Texas in 1872 and reached its peak population of 30,000 just a few years without the Civil War. With the discovery of nitroglycerin, the Red River was cleared at long last, but this made riverboat travel unfeasible. By the 1900s the population fell off significantly and the current population sits at virtually 2,533.

While Jefferson’s significance on a grander scale has died down, the town has carved a niche as a historical tourist spot with many attractions. Many of the historical buildings have wilt bed and breakfasts and scrutinizingly every commercial towers on the main road in Jefferson has historical meanings. From the Old Post Office to Jay Gould’s Railroad Car, it’s a town that proudly displays the varying history that has occurred there over the years. The downtown is kept to resemble the past, making it a quiet vacation spot for couples looking to get yonder to a small town tucked yonder in the East Texas pines. You can go to a nearby General Store and partake in a 50s-style ice surf fountain. A museum defended to the mucosa Gone with the Wind is moreover located here. Jefferson is moreover known as the Bigfoot Capital of Texas and is home to many sightings of the folk legend.

It might be surprising, then, that Jefferson is home to one of the weightier BBQ spots in Texas. Without all, most of them are in major cities, inside Texas, or the smaller towns and cities that are exploding with economic growth. Jefferson falls into none of these categories, and indeed, Joseph’s Riverport Bar-B-Que struggled to turn a profit early in its history. But the locals are willing to support their piece of the Texas BBQ legend, and they stepped up their patronage. Despite rememberable a a fire that burned the unshortened store to the ground in 2012, Joseph’s has climbed its way into the list of the weightier in the state.

Stephen Joseph opened when in 1993 and has slowly built its reputation up over time. While he doesn’t use premium whinge (small-town folks can’t shell out that much for brisket), his technique is strong unbearable all the same. He turns out spare ribs, briskets, sausage, and most other types of meat on his post-oak indirect-heat pit smoker. Joseph is smart unbearable to stave the mistakes of many East Texas places, which trim yonder the fat and husks from their briskets and drown it in sauce.

In an odd turn of fate, I met a Top 50 pit master upon my visit, but not Stephen Joseph. Instead, I met Tyler Frazer of Tyler’s Picnic in Amarillo. He was doing his own BBQ travels and had stopped in to visit. My girlfriend and I ended up sitting with he and his family at lunch and we got to spend plenty of time talking well-nigh BBQ where I moreover plugged this project to him. He’s pensile Flickchart’s visit in the fall!

As for the supplies I unquestionably ate, I enjoyed brisket, pork ribs, and a specialty of the place, swamp fries! Swamp fries are a bed of French fries, covered in cheese, jalapeños, onions, Cajun seasoning, untried onions, salary bits, and some chopped brisket. It is a fantastic medley of flavors and hands a strong suit of the menu. But the meats themselves were moreover excellent. The brisket had a fall-apart yelp with a perfect value of fat to underscore the salty deliciousness of it without it stuff overwhelming. The heart of the brisket was perfectly tender, and though the smoke ring wasn’t as distinct, it whimsically mattered in the squatter of a nice tousle of salt-and-pepper seasoning. The pork ribs were moreover very good and well done, with unshared smoke rings and outer skin. The seasoning hit a wonderful, if you’ll pardon the pun, sweet spot of sweetness and seasoning.

I ribbon the brisket 4.5 slices out of 5, the pork ribs 4.5 oinks out of 5, and the swamp fries 4.5 bayous out of 5! I ribbon Jefferson’s Riverport Bar-B-Cue 4.5 smokers out of 5!

The Film: Bernie

Bernie is not the first mucosa from director Richard Linklater that we’ve visited on this list. Linklater is a Texas native and has enjoyed highlighting his home state in a number of films. Bernie is no different, set in the small East Texas town of Carthage, south of Jefferson. The mucosa is based on a real-life story that ran in Texas Monthly well-nigh a friendly mortician who winds up committing murder.

The mucosa has a humorous scene near the whence that describes the various regions of Texas that any Texan will enjoy. It’s moreover full of Linklater’s wonderful off-kilter humor, perfect for the nature of the story. Jack Black is fantastic in the lead role, both wholesome and goofy. Linklater telling the story partially through interviews is moreover a funny nomination that adds just a slight air of mystery to what’s unfolding. This allows the small-town East Texas savor of the mucosa to come through.

Matthew McConaughey and Shirley MacLaine are moreover fun in supporting roles that illustrate unrepealable types of notation you find in small towns. Bernie‘s eccentric humor and viewing of the spirit of small-town Texas make it a perfect fit for this project. Its specific regionalism make it feels like a Coen Brothers mucosa at times, and it is under-seen gem among Linklater’s work.

Does anyone eat picnic in the film?

Yes, there are a couple variegated scenes of folks grabbing BBQ!