Out in the West Texas town of El Paso

Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with a barbecue joint. With apologies to Marty Robbins for my singing abilities, I have to tell you about Smitty's Pit Bar-B-Que where I met some yummy Texas barbecue.

Okay, so we had to go to El Paso to pick up Monique on Saturday night and I asked Bill if he wanted to try Smitty's with me. Since the "Texas Pit Bar-B-Que" restaurant was just a block away from us in Cloudcroft and we had already eaten there I figured Bill would be up for the adventure. I heard about Smitty's when I looked on Roadfood for restaurants to be on the lookout for while I'm here in New Mexico. So when I saw that Smitty's was listed there as the 'best barbecue in West Texas" and only a few blocks from the El Paso airport I knew I had to try it. But when I flew in to El Paso my flight was late and Smitty's was already closed. So I knew this could be my only chance.

Smitty's has been around since 1955 and when you look inside it's old school with a dash of new. Green vinyl booths are partitioned off and match the green vinyl bar stools. Texas longhorns hang on the wall near a Shiner Bock advertisement. It definitely looks like a place built in the fifties and the fact that it's so well taken care of speaks to a love of tradition. Of course there are modern elements too like the big screen TVs. The bar boasts an impressive collection of beer steins and vintage Budweiser collectibles abound.


Now, down to the food. The menu lists an extensive selection of meats, with beef brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, corned beef, pork loin, ham, hot links, chicken breast and turkey breast. I got the two meat combo (with beef brisket and pork ribs) while Bill got the four meat combo (with brisket, beef ribs, hot links and chicken breast). The combos come with cole slaw, pinto beans, 'German' fried potatoes and sliced white bread. They were out of cole slaw so Bill got potato salad instead and I got double beans. The beans were good, but not as phenomenal as the Texas Pit BBQ in Cloudcroft. (Those were truly great beans!)I'm not sure what made the fried potatoes 'German' but they were good, peeled wedges of potato that had been deep fried. These were larger than wedge cut fries and were crispy on the outside and still fluffy on the inside.

The beef brisket was smoky, moist and delicious. It was a little on the fatty side but I noticed (after the fact, of course) that you could order it 'lean'. The pork ribs were slow smoked with a nice char on the outside and rosy hued inside, with the meat falling off of the bone. They were loin ribs, not baby backs, which can mean that they are not as tender but the long cooking process left these ribs succulent. Bill exclaimed over his beef ribs (and he says he knows good beef ribs!). Beef ribs can be tough and I rarely order them because I feel like a dog when I have to gnaw the meat from the bone but these were well cooked and the meat came away easily. The links were spicy enough that Bill didn't eat his usual pile of jalapenos (you can order a plain style sausage our waitress informed us.) The chicken breast was just that, a plain chicken breast, which Bill said was serviceable but dry, as plain chicken breasts tend to be. The only downside we could find was with their sauce. It was a thin, vinegar based sauce with a spicier version on the table. I usually really like vinegar based sauces but these were a bit overwhelming in their vinegarness. Fortunately the meat was flavorful enough that no sauce at all was just fine by me. (Bill likes the tomato and brown sugar-type sweet barbecue sauces so he was more upset than I was.)


Dessert is limited to home made rum cake (note the typo on the menu where it says 'run cake' not once, but two times) and commercially prepared cheesecake. The rum cake is the way to go, it is definitely made in house and tastes just like the rum cake my grandma used to make for Christmas. Moist sweet and just enough flavor of rum. Delicious.

Our server was a very polite young lady (she looked really young but she knew how to do her job) and she would excuse herself whenever she left our table. They sure know their manners down here! One caveat for the late night diner, while Smitty's hours are until nine in the evening, in reality they lock the doors at eight. Also, the strip mall Smitty's is located in is pretty deserted at night except for the rather intimidating looking biker bar a few doors down.

Smitty's has an extensive to go menu and if you're ever in the El Paso airport area, I suggest you stop by for some brisket and rum cake. If you take it on the plane with you I guarantee you'll make friends real quick as soon as that rich smoky aroma wafts through the plane. And if you go, tell the waitress the girl from Las Vegas who stole the menu (I offered to buy it but she told me I could have it) says hi!