Alison Cook’s Burger Friday: A pit-smoked brisket burger with solid ‘A’ rating

Once a rarity, smoked burgers have become a niche themselves in recent years. We thank our local barbecue renaissance for that.

Some barbecue joints now smoke burgers as a weekly food special. Others, like Bar-B-Cue at venerable Pizzitola in the West End, put them on the regular menu.

I’ve been curious to try Pizzitola since the 88-year-old establishment—born in 1934 as Shepherd Drive BBQ Stand under John and Lila Davis—changed last year.

The Year in a Burger: The Best of Alison Cook’s Burger Friday, 2021 Edition

James Maeda, partner and investor at Pizzitola’s, has brought in new location manager Robert Quiroga, who has worked at Truth BBQ in both Brenham and Houston. Chef Eudel Hernandez has joined Quiroga to work on the dig and help update the menu, giving it some welcome Mexican touches.

This makes Pizzitola a capsule of Houston’s ever-changing barbecue influences, from the styles of black Southeast Texas – including the original brick pits that Pizzitola still uses in Davis – to the Central Texas style in which Quiroga worked in Truth, to the current wave of multiculturalism. For smokers the meat type.

Here’s how my burger adventure went there.

the price: $14 for a smoked ground beef burger with cheddar cheese, arugula, and sauce.

Request: This is the rare barbecue joint for the table, so either order to go to the register, or wait for the clerk to point you to a seat.

Architectural Engineering: Power stuff on top. Serve this open-sided burger on half a toasted buttered brioche bun. On the bottom half, a huge, inch-thick brisket is placed, crowned with a generous lid of melted cheddar cheese. On the other half of the cake, chipotle mayonnaise, a thicket of watercress leaves and a tangle of pickled red onions are passed. Slap them together—with a bit of hot/sweet sauce coming on the side—and you’re in business.

Quality: Let me just say up front that this burger was exceptionally easy to bring, despite its large size.

I’ve never liked the good side that is so integral to the smoked pie type, but over time, I’ve learned to appreciate it. Here the brisket is coarse enough to avoid any density issues and some of the meat juices are still spilled onto a napkin. The flavor of the beef is clear and smoky enough.

All the sandwich elements also tap into the breadth and softness of the cheddar cheese. to the unexpected bitterness of watercress leaves; To the sharp pickled red onion with its Mexican flavor of spiced oregano. The sweet touch of the spicy red sauce makes everything dance. And while you squish the brioche buns as you go, they never stop doing their job.

Geese classification: Surprisingly decent for a well-cooked pie smoked in a hole.

class message: a

the value: Fair, given the size.

Vegetarian option: number.

Later things: You really, really, really want some cues and sides to take home. She loved half a chicken (with the bone, if you will) and delighted in the vibrant sides, which had an added personality. Don’t miss the delicious smoked cabbage topped with chunks of bacon and spicy sausage. crunchy and colorful Texas caviar with a base of black beans instead of black peas; Or wonderfully smoked macaroni and cheese.

Note: If it was Friday, you better believe I would have come home with an order of brisket.

local color: The timeless quality of Pizzitola’s small-town Texas café ambiance is something I hope will never go out of existence. It is very comfortable to sit under the low acoustic tile roof at the chrome-plated, wood-paneled tables, listening to country and western tunes. She could be in Sesterdale; Or Ozuna or any small burg away from your current problems.

On a recent afternoon, my fellow restaurants were all men of a certain age, the vast majority of whom had arrived in big, shiny vans. The buzz of the conversation gave me a sudden feeling of happiness. As well as the smell of smoke. I miss both of them.

alison.cook@chron.com