I recently decided to take a Friday off and head south to Oklahoma City for lunch. I had been wanting to try Clark Crew BBQ since it opened about a year and half ago. If you have never heard of Travis Clark you should look him up. He is arguably one of the best competition barbecue cooks of all time. Oklahoma City is only about a two hour drive south for me so I don’t know what took me so long to get down there. I had decided about a week ahead of time that Clark Crew was plan so I went to their website to try to make a reservation but no luck. During the pandemic they have cut down the amount of reservations they take to accommodate walk ins. My first impression of the building and setup was that it was well thought out. They created a great atmosphere to have a meal. The smell of the pits filled the parking lot. A friend joined me on the journey and we were both ready to eat when we arrived shortly after 11. There wasn’t a wait when we arrived and got seated right away. We decided to share some BBQ nachos with pork. Let me tell you this was an excellent choice, and it set the tone for the entire meal. They were fantastic, and not the traditional nachos we all know. These are made with house made barbecue potato chips. I will admit I wanted a bit more pork, but honestly they were delicious. When I travel to eat barbecue like this my usual order is a 3 meat dinner. I like to try as many different meats as I can in a trip. I chose the sliced brisket, ribs, and jalapeño sausage. For sides I got French fries, and macaroni and cheese. I know what you are thinking, no I did not eat near all of it. Clark Crew has a big drink menu, and if I didn’t have a two hour drive back I would have sampled a few. Next time I guess. Clark Crew BBQ believes like many, that to get the best results you have to start with the best meats. That is why the cook Snake River Farms wagyu briskets. This was my first ever experience with wagyu brisket. I have never cooked it, and until that day had never eaten it. The brisket slices were very moist and tender. That brisket was cooked to perfect tenderness. I have since purchased a wagyu brisket to try my hand at cooking one. I doubt I will have the same result as Clark Crew, but you got to start somewhere right? The jalapeño sausage was honestly not my favorite. I traded bites with my buddy who ordered the regular sausage, and it was much better. I will get the regular when I make a return visit. The ribs had good flavor, but for my liking I wish they were a bit more tender. I like ribs to almost fall off the bone. The cornbread was an outstanding compliment to the entire meal. It balanced everything out. I don’t know if it was just getting away from work, getting out of town, and eating barbecue that made the whole experience stand out to me, but it was a great meal. Well worth the drive on a Friday. It was also the trip that gave me the inspiration for this blog. I enjoy getting out there and trying barbecue, I like the idea sharing my experience in hopes others will follow suite and take an afternoon to journey with a friend or relative to eat barbecue.

The Traveling BBQer