The Line Shack

Wandered down here today and tried some brisket. This is very very good BBQ, real Texas style.

Brisket was tender and seasoned well. The huge pink smoke ring was a sight for sore eyes. Perfect on its own, it didnt need sauce just as Texas BBQ should. I found the sauce a little sweet for the brisket, it would work better with ribs I think. I got red beans & rice, cornbread, and chili for sides....+READ Wandered down here today and tried some brisket. This is very very good BBQ, real Texas style.

Brisket was tender and seasoned well. The huge pink smoke ring was a sight for sore eyes. Perfect on its own, it didnt need sauce just as Texas BBQ should. I found the sauce a little sweet for the brisket, it would work better with ribs I think. I got red beans & rice, cornbread, and chili for sides. I really liked the red beans and rice. The cornbread was pretty good, dense with bits of corn. Chili was alright, good bit of spice.

Now if they're cajun seafood is as good as the BBQ then I'm set. Definitely a good find for southbay BBQ!-COLLAPSE / REPLY (9 Replies) (by trojandude, updated October 10, 2009)

» Good Q, confusing name

The name has nothing to do with BBQ (it's a Navy term), and it was only recognizable by the map of Texas.

The owner/pitmaster is from Houston and of Vietnamese heritage. He opened it about a year ago, taking over from a Cajun joint. He's kept a Cajun menu - his own, not the prior owner's - but that's not why I was there. He was happy to chat about his food.

He smokes over charcoal (eek) and...+READ The name has nothing to do with BBQ (it's a Navy term), and it was only recognizable by the map of Texas.

The owner/pitmaster is from Houston and of Vietnamese heritage. He opened it about a year ago, taking over from a Cajun joint. He's kept a Cajun menu - his own, not the prior owner's - but that's not why I was there. He was happy to chat about his food.

He smokes over charcoal (eek) and fruit woods (yay) in a smoker that he's not happy with because it's a big box with the fire at the bottom, not offset. He smokes at about 250° to 300°F (eek). But, as I found out, he does know how to get what he wants from it.

I got the brisket and pork ribs with sides of potato salad and coleslaw. The brisket had a thin but tasty bark, and a 1/3" smoke ring. (He said that he smokes it for about 12 hours (short), but he cuts the brisket into smaller chunks, which will make it go faster, as will the higher heat.) The meat was fork tender, nicely smoky, and had excellent flavor. I'd be proud to have it come from my smoker. The pork ribs were cut oddly, but certainly not sparingly. Meatier than baby back, they were more like a St. Louis cut. They were heavily rubbed (as I like 'em), and the rub was good. Not quite fall-off-the-bone, they were nicely tender, but just ever so slightly on the dry side. Still, very good. The meat came with a BBQ sauce (on the side! I did not have to ask!) which was flavorful, molasses sweet, and had a nice spice/herb combination I could not identify. Dave said that he (like me) prefers the meat without sauce to cover up the flavor.

The generous servings of potato salad and coleslaw were home made; the potato was creamy and a little boring - a dash of black pepper helped. The coleslaw was tangy, slightly creamy, and not watery, with a good flavor. The sides are not a reason to go, but they won't make me stay away, either.

Overall, I was pleased. I will go back, and want to try the pulled pork and hot links.-COLLAPSE (by smash, updated October 7, 2009)

My second time to The Line Shack. Learned some Californian's like me are used to sweet marinated ribs served with another sweet sauce and Texas BBQed meats focus more for enhancing the meat flavor and you add sauce if you want. The owner/chef is very nice and serious about serving a good Texas BBQ and a few cajun dishes. The catfish in the jambalaya is very good also. Fried pickles was...+READ My second time to The Line Shack. Learned some Californian's like me are used to sweet marinated ribs served with another sweet sauce and Texas BBQed meats focus more for enhancing the meat flavor and you add sauce if you want. The owner/chef is very nice and serious about serving a good Texas BBQ and a few cajun dishes. The catfish in the jambalaya is very good also. Fried pickles was interesting/ fun and if you like hot the stuffed fried chilies are good (can be hotter if you asked them to have more seeds left in). I would say they have been in business just over a year and are an undiscovered Texas BBQ place with a private room for events.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (9 Replies) (by BeefStew, updated October 5, 2009)

» Great BBQ!

Found a great BBQ place in San Jose called the Line Shack. Went to a private event that featured brisket, ribs beans, dirty rice, jambalaya and salad. All of it was deliciious. The ribs and the beans were the standouts for me. What I liked best is that the meat was so flavorful-- the flavor comes from the dry rub that the meat is marinated in, not sauce that is slathered on! (Although the owner/...+READ Found a great BBQ place in San Jose called the Line Shack. Went to a private event that featured brisket, ribs beans, dirty rice, jambalaya and salad. All of it was deliciious. The ribs and the beans were the standouts for me. What I liked best is that the meat was so flavorful-- the flavor comes from the dry rub that the meat is marinated in, not sauce that is slathered on! (Although the owner/ chef gives you sauce to add if you want it but the meat's flavor stands on its own)

I liked it so much that I bought pulled pork and ribs to go. Absolutely delicious and it was worth my two hour drive to get to the restaurant!

There is lots more to try from the menu including several cajun entrees and seafood boils.

Check it out:

The Line Shack
826 S. Winchester Blvd (about 3/4 mile south of Stevens Creek)
San Jose 95128
(408) 244-2528
www.thelineshackbbq.com-COLLAPSE / REPLY (9 Replies) (by dimsumgirl, updated September 30, 2009)