No Reservation BBQ

Rusty Star BBQ
10600 N River Xing
Waco, TX 76712-2523
(254) 848-7827


The Eyes Of Texas Are Upon You
P XII


After a morning of working out at my ranch (finally had some great weather), with only a cold McGriddle & hash brown to fuel me, I obviously got pretty hungry. So I decided to try this BBQ joint right off Highway 6, on the way back to Waco. They’ve been there for years, I just never bothered trying them, and Im not sure why… I think partially could I have heard some complaints about them, but that shouldn’t have stopped me. ALL BBQ MUST BE TRIED.

This is the Rusty Star; Ted Nugents choice for BBQ and was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s- No Reservations. I haven’t seen the episode yet, so I’m not just what the point blank and sarcastic Tony thought… but this is my opinion on the joint.

So I pull up in their lot, and as I get out I get hit with the smell of sweet BBQ smoke. You walk in; it’s a quaint little place, greeted as you walk in, there are already a few people sitting around enjoying some Q. I walk up to the counter to stare over the menu; they have your basics- brisket, sausage, turkey, pulled pork, ribs…. All of which you can get by the pound, on a sandwich or a plate with sides. They have plenty of sides to choose from; potato salad, jalapeno salad, slaw, beans, etc… as well as deviled eggs and desserts.

I go with the 2 meat plate; Sliced brisket, pork ribs, jalapeno potato salad and slaw… With the amenities of pickles, bread and sauce. I pick up a couple of pulled pork sandwiches for my folks, and a couple deviled eggs for later. Im not sure if they weigh it out, of just eye it, but my plate came with two long strips of brisket and a single rib. It was enough to fill me up, along with the sides.

The first item I try is the brisket; it has a nice smoke ring, good amount of fat, good bark, good flavor… but unfortunately it was a little dry… kind of seemed like it had been precut. Next was the rib; juicy, tender off the bone, good seasoning on the bark… was really good. One of the better ribs I have eaten lately. Now for the potato salad I could’ve got plain or jalapeno… well I just had to try the jalapeno. This is actually the first place I’ve seen offer it, so I had to jump on it. It was pretty good; creamy, flavorful, with some slice jalapenos thrown it. I could’ve eaten another serving or two of that. I think next time I make some potato salad I’m going to though in some Sweet & Spicy jalapenos. The slaw was pretty good too; fresh, not dry, crunchy, seasoned well… maybe a little much on the pepper, but was still good. The BBQ sauce was alright, your run of the mill sweet with a little spice, good consistency.

Later that day I tried the deviled eggs… but ultimately disappointed in them as all I could taste was egg and mustard. I like mustard, but this was too much and I couldn’t tell if there was anything else in them. I also snagged a bite of the pulled pork from my dad’s sandwich. It was alright, a little dry, but good flavor. If they had thrown some of their BBQ sauce on it while it was still warm, it would’ve been a lot better.

So over all I thought it was pretty good. The atmosphere was nice, the food was good, and they have some items most others in town don’t. I’ll be stopping by there more often on the way to/from my ranch. It’s not too far outside of Waco, so if you ever want to give them a try don’t hold back, it’ll be worth it and you might even run into the Motor City Mad Man.


Now time to go find the episode where they are featured on No Reservations, and see how it stands up to Tony.