Gambling on barbecue in Las Vegas
Until recently, finding decent barbecue in Las Vegas was a hit-or-miss affair, and mostly miss. There were a few casinobased joints and even some local outlets, but for the high expectations of visiting Texans, they never really measured up.
That’s changing. Like most big cities in the U.S. and even internationally, the siren song of Texas barbecue has resulted in an expatriate army of pitmasters bringing a diaspora of Lone Star State smoked meats to all corners of the country.
Add Las Vegas to that list. Recent openings there have made finding good barbecue a possibility for Texans, and especially Houstonians, visiting Sin City. Here is a- noncomprehensive list of barbecue joints that should be on a Texan’s radar.
Your choice for barbecue will depend on your strategy for visiting Las Vegas. For instance, if you’re on a gambling-only visit, i.e., staying at a casino on the Strip or downtown with no plans to venture out except to other casinos, your best bet is Blood Bros. BBQ at the new Resorts World property. You read that right — one of Houston’s definitive barbecue joints recently opened a branch in a Las Vegas casino.
Located on the first floor of this visually spectacular and brand-new hotel and casino (worth a visit all on its own), Blood Bros. is one storefront in a food court known as the “Famous Foods Street Eats,” featuring world cuisines inspired by the casino’s Asian-themed marketing and design. The menu is understandably simplified from the Houston location, but the Texas trinity of brisket, pork ribs and sausage is properly featured. On a recent visit, the flavor and cooking technique of the brisket was almost identical
to what you get at the Bellaire restaurant. A welcome respite for Houstonians seeking a taste of home.
If you want to get out of the casino bubble and visit a place where the locals go, then Rollin Smoke Barbeque is the place to
be. The barbecue trends toward Southern U.S. traditions with influences of competition-style barbecue and is one of the best examples of this genre of smoked meats I’ve found. Aside from the well-cooked meats and big portions, the scene is straight out of a Quentin Tarantino movie with blue- and whitecollar workers mixing with down-at-the-heels local gamblers coming off a 24-hour bender.
If you’re not quite ready to go full Vegas-local and prefer to stay on the tourist beat, head north toward downtown and the newly branded Arts District. The local powers that be correctly calculated that diversifying the Vegas tourist experience is a good thing, so they’ve created this neighborhood of art galleries, breweries and restaurants.
Here you will find SoulBelly BBQ, helmed by nationally recognized chef Bruce Kalman, who is producing solid Texas-inspired barbecue from two massive 1,000-gallon offset barrel pits sitting right in front of the restaurant. This place is also a good option if you are craving a cold Topo Chico or Mexican Coke in the parched Las Vegas heat.
And if you are truly a homesick Houstonian in Vegas, head a couple of blocks south in the Arts District to Braeswood Tex Mex BBQ. Recently opened by native Houstonian Gerald Casas and named after the neighborhood he grew up in, Braeswood produces excellent brisket tacos, pork ribs and sausage.
Casas is cooking with a 500gallon offset barrel pit built by Texas-based Cen-Tex Smokers, and it shows — the brisket on a recent visit carried the aggressive salt-and-pepper, smoky flavor that Texans expect from their barbecue. With Astros and Rockets signs all over the walls, it’s a taste and feel of home.