#12 – Roast Beef, Barbecue Sauce, Onions, Pickles on White

Ingredients

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Christian: Growing up, I used to visit my mother at her workplace in Alvin, Texas. Alvin is a small city of less than 30,000 residents, and when I first visited, one of those residents was a man named Nolan Ryan.

Now, you might know Nolan Ryan as the guy whose name is on the steaks you see at Kroger, but it turns out, he was also a professional baseball pitcher. He is Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in strikeouts (5,714) and no-hitters (7). He also once had a difference of opinion with a Chicago White Sox player named Robin Ventura.

Watch it for yourself:

Why am I writing about Nolan Ryan? Well, because other than the Hall-of-Fame pitcher, there’s not much else notable about Alvin, Texas.

It was, however, the first place where I experienced Texas barbecue. My mom would take us to a restaurant called Joe’s Bar-B-Q, who is obviously not a sponsor because these sandwich reviews generate absolutely zero traffic.

At Joe’s, you could order a sliced beef brisket plate, which would be given to you with your sides, and you’d put everything on your tray. You’d keep moving down the cafeteria-like line to pay at the register. But before you left to find a table, there was a little station where you could load up on dill pickle chips, white onions, and slices of white bread.

I was reminded of Joe’s when I ate this sandwich. Obviously, the deli roast beef we used is far inferior to Texas-style barbecue brisket, but it still tasted a little like the make-shift sandwiches I would make at Joe’s. This one really brought me back to those good ol’ days.

You know, the ones when you could throw a pitch at an opposing player, put him in a headlock after he charges at you, punch him repeatedly in the head, and still not be thrown out of the game.

Yep, it tasted like that.

★★★½

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Susannah: This one reminds me of a sandwich you would get at a real BBQ place, but maybe with a fancier beef. They’ll give you the pieces of meat order up front and then you get to assemble your own sandwich. So if you’re in the mood for a BBQ sandwich, this is pretty much it.

That being said, it’s not the most exciting sandwich. There’s no magical ingredient that takes it to another level, or a unique twist you wouldn’t really think to try.

★★★

Next Up: #19 – Nutella, Peanut Butter, Banana, and Cornflakes on Brioche