Big Game Favorites
Hey there sports fans. Or commercial fans, we won’t judge. Really, as long as you’re fans of barbecue, you’re good in our book. The Super Bowl is just around the corner, and you know what that means…… well it means something. What’s important though, is that Pok-e-Jo’s is always serving up those fan-favorite football finger foods. (Try saying THAT 5 times fast!)
Whether you are throwing down the full BBQ buffet, or just need some Mac n Cheese for that pot luck you forgot to make something for, Pok-e-Jo’s is here for you. Call us early or place an order online to guarantee you get what you want, and we will see you this Sunday!
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PoK-e-Jo’s Chili: It’s World Famous in Austin
As we head into the winter months, Texans revise yearly traditions to help keep themselves warm and happy throughout the harsh season such as: hot cocoa, warm apple cider, that one really nice, big coat you only wear when the temperature drops below 60 degrees but perhaps the most beloved tradition for braving the cold months is Texas chili. Pok-e-Jo’s knows this all too well, which is why we started serving our homemade chili 25 years ago and have brought it back every year since. Pok-e-Jo’s chili is made with ground beef, diced onions, chili spices and Pok-e-Jo’s smoked brisket to give it a truly unique, hearty and smoky flavor that is sure to warm you up even if it gets below 40! Pok-e-Jo’s Chili is a Texas chili which means NO BEANS! We do have beans available on the side if you feel the chili needs it, just ask any of our staff and they will be happy to add that to your order.
Our chili is served by the cup or the bowl with cheese and extra onions available on top or on the side. It’s also available in pints, quarts, ½ gallons and even Gallons! But it wouldn’t be chili season if we didn’t offer the essential Frito pie, well worry not because we’ve got you covered! Frito pies are available to order at every Pok-e-Jo’s location with cheese and onions on top or on the side. Chili’s appeal is what it is because it can make, literally, anything better. We have a lot of sides that we like to add our chili to like our Mac ‘n Cheese, Texas fries or even our baked potato to make our Super Spud even more…Super!
So remember, when winter comes, and it is coming, Pok-e-Jo’s has the cure for the common cool down in the form of piping hot brisket chili so call, come in or order online for your bowl today and Come And Get It!!!!!
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Story Time: Pork Loin is Really Good, Y’all
Brisket and Pork Loin: a Tale of Two Meats
As we all know, BBQ can mean many different things to a lot of different people, mostly based on where you live and here in Texas, BBQ means brisket. While brisket is undoubtedly delicious and the state meat of Texas, Pok-e-Jo’s offers a wide variety of meats to choose from in addition to the classic, namely our smoked pork loin. Many might remember this as a staple of our menu before we made it our special on Wednesdays, what many don’t know, sadly, is just how delicious our pork loin can be! One guest was lucky enough to find out just last week and now we’re gonna share their story so you too can know the power and appeal of pork loin.
Almost every Wednesday evening, John Smith (names have been changed to protect the innocent) came to the Pok-e-Jo’s store located in the Great Hills shopping center to buy a Sliced Brisket plate because that was the special on Wednesdays, it was discounted from the regular menu price and also, John loved smoked brisket. This night however, John Smith was in for a unexpectedly delicious surprise for a few weeks prior, the special for Wednesdays had been changed to the Pork Loin plate. Upon realizing this change John had said, in a completely understandable huff, “I came here for brisket and now y’all aren’t serving it as a special?! This is terrible!” Of course, we at Pok-e-Jo’s understand that this was both surprising and disappointing for Mr. Smith and he was given a sliced beef plate at the special plate price however, we also saw this as an opportunity to introduce Mr. Smith to a new menu item that he might like, enjoy even, and so with his plate was given a sample of the pork loin and we sent him on his way.
Almost 30 minutes later, John Smith stood up from his table, walked over to the manager of the store and said “That pork loin was amazing! I didn’t know pig could taste so good, save for bacon! Thank you for offering me that, I now have a new meat to compete with brisket!” And with that, John Smith left Pok-e-Jo’s a new man, a changed man, we’d like to think a better man for he now knew the joy that we in the company have known for quite a while: Pok-e-Jo’s pork loin is the best smoked meat you may have never had but you can fix that any Wednesday of the month, so grab a friend on hump day and Come and Get It!
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Brisket: A Texas (and PoK-e-Jo’s) Tradition
A few facts about Texas: our summers are hot, our chili ain’t served with beans and our BBQ is built on brisket. Pok-e-Jo’s has been serving up traditional Texas BBQ since 1979, which means we’ve been smoking briskets for 36 years now and we’ve gotten pretty good at it too.
Our briskets are smoked in-house every day of the year at each of our locations so no matter which Pok-e-Jo’s you visit, you’re always getting high quality, hand crafted brisket made lovingly by one of our pitmasters. Our briskets are smoked uncut and untrimmed with no sauces or fancy mixes, just a black pepper dry rub that goes on before smoking and then we let the smoke do the rest. We cook our briskets for 14+ hours before they get trimmed and sliced up on the line to ensure that every slice is tender and has the taste of Texas in every bite.
If you’ve ever had brisket, you know that it has several different cuts of meat and that some are leaner than others. We serve 3 cuts of brisket at Pok-e-Jo’s: The Lean, The Moist and what we call “The End Cut”. The lean cut is the largest and has the least amount of fat or marbling (as you might of guessed by the name). This is the cut that most folks think of when they think of brisket and though it is lean, it is not lacking in tenderness and smokey flavor which is why it is our most popular cut. The Moist cut, also known as The Crown, Marbled or “That Good Part” is the upper cut of brisket and the meat has the most fat surrounding it before trimming so it retains much of the moisture and tenderness. However, this cut also has the highest fat content which may not be desirable for some. For others though, this cut is highly sought after and is the only cut of brisket there is! The third cut or “End Cut’ is a part of the brisket where the lean and the moist meet, and as such the meat is both tender and juicy like the moist but has a lower fat content more akin to the lean cut. We typically use this meat to make our Chopped Beef as it is a nice marriage of the two main cuts of brisket. If you’re not sure which cut to order or would like to try any of them, you can always ask for a sample from any Pok-e-Jo’s team member and they will gladly get you a sample of one, or heck try all three! Here at Pok-e-Jo’s, we offer up any cut, or combination of cuts, of brisket when you order with no extra fee ‘cause everybody has their own preference, and we think we’ve got a cut of brisket for just about everyone.
We offer up our brisket on plates, sandwiches, salads, on potatoes or just by itself ’cause, let’s face it, it’s the star of BBQ. Come on in to any Pok-e-Jo’s today and try out our take on Texas’ tastiest tradition!
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