It's time for The Texas Bucket List Bite of the Week and this week we are
in Brownsville out of location we've been trying to hit up ever since we
started the Texas bucket list we're at Vera's backyard barbecue when talking
about the flavors of South Texas the barbecue you'll find it Ferris tops the
list I drive 50 miles just to come to this restaurant it's really good I like
it super good but this isn't brisket or turkey it's a much more cultural type of
cuisine that really puts the head into it
he's smiling for the camera mr. Boddy for the camera more teeth amia yeah you
see it bears barbacoa is the only dish they dish out
and it is legendary not anywhere you can find this type of cooking it's something
good to try here in South Texas it's one of our top dishes out here i'ma Destin
you know a recording Larry y know once you smoke here you get home to our Mambo
era doesn't smoke anything but massive cow heads but he is the kingpin
that's because Venice is the only place in Texas and most likely the entire
country you can get barbacoa cook the old-fashioned way in the ground well I'm
going to taste like anything the late seventies early eighties that's when it
became a run okay then you said yeah no more looking around I don't want my
grandfather so we work but still mix it we have to me that health regulation so
is it safe we never have anybody get sick let me tell you that good enough
for me it's nothing to be queasy or here Tim India to try it's super good taste
is like brisket Vera's was started by Armando's father
Alberto in 1955 Armando took over in 1972 at the age of
12 when his parents separated I know your dad gets a lot of credit for
starting this place but since you've run it yourself since nineteen
is a kind of buff is it kind of like you give them credit for starting it but
this has really been your baby for wait longer that was yeah but if it hadn't
been for him it whatever the business wouldn't have been here so where's God
also I mean I always think God I'm very blessed without him nothing is possible
cooking cow heads all starts with a massive fire full of Mesquite after
cleaning the cow heads they're wrapped in foil dropped in and left to cook
overnight we don't have any spices we don't any salt we don't have any condoms
we don't have anything to it this is what I'll call miss Keith when the heads
head to the kitchen that's when the real fun begins
oh my gosh we always reference opening Christmas gifts but opening a Christmas
gift a special one look at that just with his years of
experience Armando separates the meat of the head
into some specific parts so obviously for our non-spanish speaking viewers
lengua tongue cheek consistent and that's usually what that's the majority
of the majority yeah mixed up mix it it's what's left over the v-fib once you
take out the tongue that the cheek the eyes apparently the southern meat
sitting there in their head and you just chop it and that's called the mixer Oh
kevie are actually good carrier those look so lovely it's like a doily 6:30 in
the morning there are that's funny you draw the line somewhere though guess
what this is
eyeball Wow what looks like a fatty congealed
mess yeah it's got a little work of this rule yeah just take the pupil of because
that's not edible oh you can't eat that beautiful no well
that's good to know I don't think I'm gonna try that way I'm just something
about eyes I just okay considering we have nothing to prove we'll pass on the
peepers it's amazing every cow you have to be
this precise and carefully go people buy different things you know
separate everything make sure you know what's what when eating barbacoa it's
good to go with a more common cut of meat
the cajeta and what the heck throw in a little lengua all right
Armando been waiting for this moment ever since we started the show I'm gonna
try these that's no good yes sir and we have finally made it to the shangri-la
of barbecue of barbecue so this package is tortillas this package is the
barbacoa and it is steaming hot we'll go ahead and unwrap these corn tortillas
cuz when you're down in the valley eating barbacoa you gotta have corn
tortillas quit being an idiot then get to eating
we'll go down the easy road first with so a little bit catch it a which is
cheek meat and you know what's amazing is we just saw come off the head but as
soon as you put it on a taco tell me that doesn't look awesome steaming hot
fresh out of the ground
Oh like the tenderest pot roast you've ever had so as soon as I take that bite
it takes me back to when I was a kid now it comes time to taste the tongue by
putting it on the tongue it's not overpowering
it's a really smooth beef flavor so you don't go the lingua things I hope no not
that's not my cup of tea they taste like beef but just a very nice subtle very
lean beef well boy here is really good and you won't regret it
well if you're looking for some old-school flavor along with an
old-world tradition coming down to Brownsville and trying the barbacoa
Vera's backyard barbecue well were the stop on the Texas bucket list it's
something that every Texan should come in and give it a try what's it like to
continue the family tradition here it's an honor privilege you know and I guess
it's in the blood I love it you get the bar go you get friendly people here at
red us and it's just overall a great place to visit and experience
South Texas there are way our culture's