A specific hook carried me into Longoria's on my last trip to the corrugated-metal meat mansion in Everman. Owner David Longoria added pulled pork to his eclectic menu a little over a month ago, and by this time had mastered the new offering, making it time, once again, to check in on this true Texas gem.
And make no mistake, the sandwich, reasonably priced at $5, is a triumph, sweaty with savory juices that soften a toasted bun if you don't scarf quickly enough. The pork occupies the same pit overnight that houses Longoria's briskets, which are used for making their famous brisket sausage. But the shoulder stays in just a couple hours longer than its smoking bovine companion and slides right off the bone when done.
A wrong was righted when Longoria's finally began serving these puppies up, and the cut is also available in plate form for those barbecue fans who are watching their carb intake.
Comparing the pulled pork to Longoria's brisket sausage would simply be unfair, because no one does brisket sausage like Longoria's does, and pretty much everyone does pulled pork. It's not the hardest cook in the world, and skilled pitmasters like Longoria are able to get a close-to-perfect product after a couple trial runs.
But this last visit also gave me the opportunity to try one of Longoria's more head-scratching menu items. The past three times I had been, I'd seen several patrons nibbling on crispy tacos and wondered what these lunatics were thinking. Here you are in this bastion of beef sausage and you're having a taco? Or a tamale plate?
So I tried one. These tacos have been on the menu for roughly a year and can be ordered with any barbecue meat (I had chopped beef). The Longoria's staff makes the mild red salsa fresh daily.
I can't tell you it was some novel or groundbreaking approach to the taco ($6 for three, $2.50 for one), but the fresh fried shell adds a good deal of life to Longoria's take. And the barbecue meat gives the taco a unique smoky taste after the lively crunch. I shouldn't have expected anything less.
