5 /5 Joydeep Chakraborty: Texas style of BBQ is an enigma. Living in SE Texas, the search for the most authentic Texas BBQ, commonly yields hits that are popular on different social media. We forget, that although such places are amazing in their own ways, but often, their rating is driven by the proximity to cities (Austin, Waxahachee, San Antonio) or other attractions and most importantly, appeals to a chunk of the society that is savvy and reliant to social media connections.
Then, there are places, that are very rarely hyped or mentioned in the social media and are tucked away in a quaint Texas town - serve food twice a week on the weekend - and are sold out by 11am on a Sunday. Matus BBQ in Caldwell may not have the panache or the charm by the overall look and feel of its joint, but it might just have served me the best BBQ, I had in my entire lifetime so far. I could tell from the moment I parked infront of the BBQ place, they dont care about their location or the ambience or social media presence. But what they do care about is the warmth of their front house staff and the love and passion with which they cook their food for 26 years in the same location. Words have fallen short to describe the brisket I had and I say this rarely, but I was flabbergasted by the sausage that they made in-house. I have attached some pictures for others to evaluate my emotions, but I doubt they will be close to making the right justice. In the end, I will just say, I am way underqualified to express any remark about their food, their love, passion and expertise in what they do. I would urge one and all foodies near and far, please give this place a try in the "Kolache capital of Texas". I can personally guarantee you will not regret. The lesson we learnt is - if the vessel is full, it does not make much noise.