A bunch of friends were in town this weekend so we went out to CJ’s Texas Barbecue. This was my second attempt at eating there as they had run out of food the last time I visited. My wife and I first drove by the restaurant when we were out looking for furniture on Rainbow Blvd. That same weekend we heard promotions on the radio for their grand opening. Then last week, KNPR had a segment on CJ’s and they got a good review. You could say I’ve had “CJ’s on the brain” (kudos to CJ’s marketing team).
When we first walked in we were greeted by big metal tubs of cold drinks. I quickly grabbed a RockStar energy drink to help speed my recovery from partying the night before. In hindsight, ice-cold beer would have been great but I didn’t see them right away. We stepped up to two, big plasma screen menus listing all kinds of barbecued goodies: ribs, beef brisket, pork loin, sausage links and all the requisite sides. We ordered all of the above. A few in our group were non-porkers so we ordered a whole roasted-chicken and some turkey breast (the cashier told us beef ribs were being added in the next few weeks). The prices were very reasonable and portions ranged from 1/4 lb - 1 lb. We parked our butts at a long, metal, picnic table and before long our faces were smeared in grease and BBQ sauce.
Where there’s smoke . . . there’s barbecue!
For many people, the first thing that comes to mind when you mention barbecue is the sauce. Sauce is important but ask any serious barbecue-fanatic and they’ll say it’s all about the smoke baby. I’ll take my barbecued meats dry, smoky and melt-in-my-mouth tender, sauce on the side - thank you. You’ll know CJ’s is authentic the moment you step inside and see the big honkin’ smoker and get a whiff of the fragrant, hickory smoke. The food here is cooked to perfection and you’ll be happy to call yourself a carnivore. The sauce is quite good and I particularly liked the spicy version.
I’m not ready to declare them the best in Las Vegas because I still need to visit a few other local favorites. But they did set the bar pretty high and you can be I’ll be back in a few weeks to try their beef ribs.
CJ’s Texas Barbecue
7865 West Sahara Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89117
(702) 233-0190