Great Texas barbecue on the way to South Texas golf

I can cross another one off the list of great barbecue joints after stopping at Joe Cotton’s in Robstown last night on my way to play golf in South Texas.

Joe Cotton’s Barbecue, which is located off of State Highway 77 about 16 miles outside of Corpus Christi, has served presidents, actors and plain old folks like me for more than 60 years. And the red-tailed coat-wearing waiters there don’t bring it to you on plates.

No sir. You can order any three of four meats ? brisket, pork, pork ribs or sausage (no bird) ? and they bring that out on butcher paper along with a thick slice of home-grown tomato, onion, a radish, a sour dill pickle, a couple of slices of bread, and some crackers and cheese. You can get potato salad or green salad extra, but the standard order comes with a bowl of the best-tasting pinto beans on the South Texas coast.

The rib meat practically falls off the bone, the brisket is as tender as pot-roast and the pork, well that’s pretty tasty, too. (Sorry, didn’t have any sausage.) Carnivore heaven.

Cotton’s ranks right up there with the best of Texas BBQ, including Salt Lick or anything out of Lockhart. Don’t pass it up if you have the chance.