Houston vs. Austin MICHELIN STAR Texas BBQ! CorkScrew vs. Interstellar

There's barbecue and then there's religion. In Texas, the pit is the altar and the brisket, sacred. In this video, I'm hitting up Corkscrew BBQ in the Houston area, a no-frill smokehouse that landed a Michelin star without changing a thing. Then I'm off to another Michelin star barbecue in Austin, Texas, where tradition and innovation collide in the most beautiful way. Slow, deliberate, and unapologetically Texan. And before getting to the barbecue, I just want to give a big thank you and shout out to the sponsor of this video, Surfshark VPN. Of course, I've been using and talking about Surfshark VPN for a number of years now. I consider it one of the most essential apps I keep on my phone, my laptop, and there's so many reasons for that. First of all, security. We all know nowadays, so much of our digital information is online. We all know there's so many people trying to gain access to that. 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I can pay my mortgage and I would not have been able to do that without Surfshark VPN. So if you want to give it a try, go to Surfshark.com slash dumpling and use my promo code dumpling for four extra months. Good morning. Right now, I am in the town of Spring, Texas, right around Houston and heading to one of the four Michelin star barbecues in Texas. This place is so popular. They just opened and there's not a parking spot inside. I have to park like three blocks away. Yeah, I can smell it. There's no denying that smoke right there. Oh, this is so exciting. Oh, that smells good. Welcome to Corkscrew Barbecue. As soon as you walk up, they hint you the menu for today. There's the smoked meat by the pound, there's sides, there's sandwiches, there's potatoes. There's something about Texas barbecue that just makes you so unbelievably happy. So I waited about an hour, actually, from getting in line to getting my food. I got the pork ribs. I haven't tasted these yet, but they look like they could possibly be the best pork rib I've ever had just because the amount of chilies out here. It smells so smoky. I smell it right now. It looks incredibly juicy. I got the really fatty brisket. Oh, my gosh, look at this. So just by the little container of sauce sitting on top of the brisket, the brisket's already been squished. That's how soft it is. There's some fresh jalapenos, fresh onions, bread, of course, pickles on the side, some potato salad. And again, look at these ribs. Look at them. They look so scrumptious and soft. Oh, my gosh, look at this. Oh, these are some tender, tender, I bet you, fall-off-the-bone pork ribs. Wow, look at that. Oh, my gosh. It's a beautiful crust on top with that gorgeous smoke ring. Holy moly, look how juicy this thing is. This is about as juicy as pork ribs can get. And look at the fatty brisket. This, oh, my gosh, seriously, every time you poke it with a fork, there is absolutely zero resistance. Crazy, crazy tender. That is 100% gonna melt in your mouth. Let's try this. Holy moly, I'm so excited for this, especially for the pork ribs. So, for me, the best pork rib I've had to this day has been the pork rib at La Barbecue in Austin, which has also earned a Michelin star. I still remember that as the best pork rib I've ever had. But check this baby out. Most beautiful color. Again, love the chili flakes on top. This could be something really, really special right here. Oh, wow. Oh, my gosh. Are some mouth-watering, mind-blowing pork ribs. When you take a bite, the smoke absolutely overwhelms you. Beautiful crust on top. It's the perfect amount of smokiness. Little hint of sweet and spicy. And when you keep chewing, you hit the fat. The fat and some crunchy cartilage is just the most tender thing you'll ever put in your mouth. Oh, my gosh. This is absolute perfection. That's perfect fall clean off the bone tender. Oh, yeah. One bite of this, you can tell right away why this place deserves a Michelin star. Now, let's try some of their barbecue sauce. Oh, actually, chase it with some potato salad. Oh, that's really good. A little mustardy, creamy. Potato salad's good. Pickles good. A little jalapeno if you want some extra heat. Let's add the barbecue sauce. Look at that. Oh, yeah. That is a tangy, tangy barbecue sauce. Goes really, really well with these pork ribs. Oh, my gosh. I cannot emphasize enough how tender and juicy these ribs are. I mean, look at this. Plastic knife, clean off the bones. I think those ribs might be better with the sauce. This is some absolutely superb barbecue sauce. This is absolute Texas barbecue perfection. Sitting outside in the shade, eating some lip smack and barbecue. It's just one of the greatest indulgence in this state. That rib is so good. I totally forgot about the brisket. When they ask me if I want moist or lean brisket, I always say, oh, my gosh, it's too fragile. Oh, yeah, that's what you want your brisket to do. So tender and fragile that you can barely pick it up. Oh, this piece right here. That's all smoke. All smoke. Look at this piece right here. Such a gorgeous crust, right above a layer of fat and juicy meat. Oh, my gosh. You barely need to chew that. Wow. It's got to be one of the best briskets I ever had. Oh, that's amazing. When you bite into that brisket, the smoke bites right back. It's fatty. It should have multiple fragile stickers on it. Oh, my gosh. This is some insane brisket. Oh, I can seriously barely pick this thing up. Even on the leaner side, you can barely pick this thing up. Wow. Oh, my gosh. Look at this. That's the gold standard right there. Brisket that falls apart like this. That'll make you want to move to Texas. I've always said this. You got to come to Texas for barbecue. Oh, my gosh. That fly literally lingered on my brisket. Like I was waiting usually flies fly away. That fly risked its life to get an extra bite of brisket. That's how good it is. I feel like there's certain things you've got to try in life and it has to be on the top of your bucket list. Barbecue in Texas is one of those things. There's certain things like you could get a good Neapolitan pizza outside of Italy. You can get phenomenal sushi outside of Japan. But barbecue? I've never tasted barbecue like this outside of Texas. I have not. There are places that come close, but not like this. Oh, this brisket. I'm going to have to say maybe the best brisket I've had of any place I've been to in Texas. And that includes Franklin's. Holy moly. Look at this falling apart. That is absolutely life changing stuff. Also, it's got to be one of the best potato salads I've had. I think I like it because it's not chunks of potato. I mean, there's small chunks of it, but it's mushier than other potato salads and way more mustardy. Oh, this brisket. This is heaven. Like if there is a giant smorgasbord up in heaven, this has got to be on it. So I'm going to finish this and tomorrow I'm heading to Austin, Texas to try another Michelin star barbecue. This will be the last Michelin star barbecue. And after that, I would have tried every single Michelin star barbecue in Texas. See you then. Ten minutes before the barbecue opens, the line is already stretched halfway across the strip mall. How long are you guys smoking for? Uh, pretty close to around 12 to 14 hours, give or take. So the total wait is about an hour and 20 minutes. And here is my spread. So this barbecue restaurant definitely has a lot more items on their menu that you don't see in a lot of traditional, typical Texas barbecue places. So I got the smoked duck, the beef rib here, this is a chimichurri beef rib. This is a peach tea glazed pork belly. I got some chorizo cheesy grits, and this is a Southern Texas pork hash. I've of course got some briskets, got some pork ribs. Okay. This is going to be very, very exciting. Let's start with the more traditional food items. Pork rib. So the pork rib looks beautiful. Just like everything looks beautiful on this giant plate. Look at that smoke ring. And this is a St. Louis rib. So this is not a baby bag. This is a St. Louis rib. It's a ginormous rib. Beautiful, beautiful smoke ring. By the way, the aroma from the smoke is almost intoxicating. Look at this. The crust is gorgeous. It looks so juicy. Look at that. The juice just erupting from inside the meat and bones. Let's see how this thing will come apart. Here we go. Wow. Incredible. This is 100% one of the best pork ribs in Texas. 100%. The ribs are tender, it's juicy, it's peppery, and just so much smoke. Wow. Wow, wow, wow. 100% one of the best pork ribs I've had in Texas. Whenever you're eating Texas barbecue outside, you gotta eat it quick before the flies get to it. Okay, pork rib is awesome. Try it with some of the sauce. By the way, I'm eating this right by their smokers right there. So that smell really does whet your appetite a lot. The sauce is awesome. Really, really chingy. Oh, that goes so well with the pork ribs. Pork ribs, incredible. Let's move on to the brisket. Every time I get brisket, I always try to get the fattiest ones. Look at this crust. Just looking at this will make my mouth water. Of course, gorgeous ring. And this thing is just so fatty and tender. Wow. Incredible. That is an absolutely mind-shattering brisket. Oh, it's so good. The crust is peppery. This whole thing, an absolute smoke show. So much incredible smoky flavor. Every single time you chew, the smoke just hits you everywhere. And this thing absolutely melts in your mouth. Yeah, the brisket is awesome. Oh, this is a nice thick piece right here. Look at this. This piece has so much beautiful crust. Oh my God. For those of you who just never had Texas brisket before, it's like Japanese Wagyu. No matter how many times I've had it, every single time I put it in my mouth, it still managed to shock me with how melt in your mouth tender it is. Really, it's only in Texas. Can't find that anywhere else. Okay. Ribs are great. Brisket, amazing. Let me try a couple of the sides. So this is the chorizo grits. First time having chorizo grits at a Texas barbecue place. Love it. Love it so much. Bits of chorizo. The grits are nice and creamy. It's got a little kick to it. And you definitely get that nice umami from the smoke as well. Wow. This is phenomenal. Let's try this too. I am so excited for this. This is their Texas pork hash. It's caramelized pork hash with peppers, bunch of stuff inside, all over white rice. Oh, wow. Oh, it's really interesting. So this thing, very vinegary, it's spicy. The pork is 100% melt in your mouth tender. Wow. It's really vinegary. It's got a nice umami to it because there's definitely a lot of acid inside this hash. I think this is something you got to eat with something fatty. Even though it has pork inside, it definitely helps to balance out the fattiness of the meat. Okay. This I'm so excited about. This is a pork belly with green tea glaze. And I only got pork belly once at a Texas barbecue. And it was also here in Austin. Love it. This glaze is so good. The glaze is not overly sweet. It's peppery. Pork belly, of course, just loaded with melt in your mouth fat. It's a rich bite, but it's definitely an awesome bite. I think that's a good piece to chase with my pork hash. Oh, that's nice. This is something I've never seen at a Texas barbecue before. This is a smoked duck leg. Let's try this. Oh, so tender. You know what? I really, really like this. I love duck. And this is some, oh, look at that. This is some amazingly tender duck. This thing is sweet. It's peppery. It's smoky. I like the glaze on the outside. Goes really well with a savory fatty duck. I think my favorite is the skin part. That's a whole different type of fat that you're putting in your mouth. Duck is definitely nice and fatty. It's a different type of fat than what you would get from brisket or pork belly. It's something that you don't see a lot at traditional Texas barbecue joints. I like it. I saved what I thought was the best for last. This is a chimichurri beef rib. And look at how beautiful this crust is. I haven't had a Texas beef rib in so long. Oh my gosh. Here we go. This is just, oh, butterflies, you know? Oh, yeah. It's basically beef butter. Smoky, peppery beef butter. Every piece comes off so easily. Like, I know if I shake this bone right now, this whole thing will just plop to my tray. I think that's my favorite thing on the plate. The chimichurri works so well with that fatty, melt-in-your-mouth beef rib. I mean, just look at this thing. When I say melt-in-your-mouth, there's no exaggeration. This thing is loaded with delicious fat, tender pieces of beef. Look at this, falling apart all over the place. Just like the brisket, every time I'm in Texas, I take a bite of the beef rib. It's the same wonderful, comforting feeling that just sends shockwaves down your spine. I don't think I've ever got an end piece before. Oh, it's so smoky. Like I said, that's a fragile, fragile beef rib. I'm so happy and sad it's my last meal in Texas, probably for a while. I really wanted to come to Austin and try this barbecue.