American comfort food in the form of Texas barbecue is now open in Makati Avenue. Carnivores, get ready to dive into ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and homemade sausage — this new joint is all about the joy of sinking your teeth into slow-cooked, slow-smoked pork and beef.
Woody's Texas Bar-B-Q is Manila's new authentic Texas barbecue restaurant, brought to life by couple Ines Cabarrus-Habayeb and Elian Habayeb, the folks behind Tex-Mex favorite Chihuahua Mexican Grill. Authentic here comes in the form of the Texan way of barbecue: Southern style of slow-cooked and slow-smoked meats to bring out the rustic, juicy flavors of the hog and beef. Houston-raised Elian is excited to bring the succulent flavors of good old American barbecue in the metro, and to execute the smoking and cooking techniques of all their meats is Woody's Executive Chef Chris Vecin, the Pit Boss.
Low and Slow, Texas Style
Authentic barbecue is achieved at Woody's by keeping things Texas Style: cooking low and slow, with patience and knowledge that longer hours of cooking meats will reap the juiciest benefits (a dry and overcooked barbecue is the saddest thing, after all). The restaurant had its soft operations for a month, tweaking and improving on their smoking of meats, and have now smoothed out their recipes and finalized each of their meaty showpieces: the pork Ribs, Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket, and Texas Hot Links. Their barbecued meats can be ordered as sandwich, on a plate, or per pound, and best paired with their selection of sides (cole slaw, potato salad, country beans, dirty rice, mac n' queso) and extras (dinner roll, corn bread, corn on the cob, baked potato).
Woody's Ribs (P255/Plate, P565/Pound) is a personal favorite, pork ribs given deeper flavors with a rub of cumin, paprika, chili, cayenne, onion and garlic powder, brown sugar, pepper, and Himalayan pink salt. The ribs are hickory smoked for 6 hours on low heat, meat succulent and fork-tender. Best paired with the Mac 'n' Queso (P60/single, P150/pint, P250/quart).
Carrying the same depth of flavors of pork ribs is the Pulled Pork (P185/Sandwich, P225/Plate, P495/Pound). Hog's shoulder, smoked for seven hours, is hand-pulled straight off the bone for easier to devour mouthwatering meat to be enjoyed as a sandwich or piled on top of Dirty Rice (P60/single, P150/pint, P250/quart).
Now, for the serious American barbecue enthusiasts, the best meat to sink your teeth into to truly test Woody's authentic take on BBQ is the Beef Brisket (P235/Sandwich, P295/Plate, P625/Pound). Slow-cooked perfectly, this usually tough cut of the beef is treated with much patience and reverence by a pit boss to achieve the perfect smokey, flavorful, and juicy brisket. At Woody's the brisket is smoked for 15 hours and served in slices, each one bursting with much flavor that one need not smother it in any kind of BBQ or hot sauce at all.
Leave more space for sausages, because this new joint serves mean Texas Hot Links (P175/Sandwich, P205/Plate, P465/Pound), handmade pork and beef sausages with a blend of pepper and spice that makes these such terrific bar chow. Dip on some of their homemade BBQ sauce and it becomes even more addicting! To tame down the heat, have some of the Cole Slaw (P60/single, P150/pint, P250/quart) as a cool, crisp, and sweet chaser.
Try more meats in one go by getting a Combo (any two meats for P285/Plate, P605/Pound) or the Three-peat (any three meats for P295/Plate, P625/Pound), and for P95, you can add two single sides with your meals. For a Texas-style sandwich (read: big and rich!), your best bet is Woody's Clutch City Sandwich (P255), loaded with slices of brisket and sausage, then smothered with cole slaw and pickles.
For the thirsty, frozen cocktails include a twist on the Cuba Libre in Rum & Coke Slush (P120), Chihuarita (P180) frozen margarita, and Long Island Iced Tea (P140), and beers include both local and imported brands–even a Texas Size Mug (P137) for the incredibly parched. For dessert, it's sweet and simple with a trio of creamy Bourbon Banana Pie (P125), a comforting and homey Apple Pie (P135) served warm and a la mode, and an interesting Coca Cola Cake (P95) which makes you consume the world's favorite soda by the fluffy forkful rather than by the sip.
Visit Woody's Texas Bar-B-Q on 7838 Makati Avenue (formerly Chihuahua), across A-Venue Mall between Kalayaan and JP Rizal (parking available at A-venue and streetside). The restaurant is open daily from 11am to 2am. Like Woody's on Facebook (/woodystexasbbq) and follow on Instagram (@woodystexasbbq).
