Desert Oak Barbeque
1320 N. Zaragoza
El Paso, Texas
915-309-4322

Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥    (Five Out of Ten Hearts)

On the front end of my Spring 2022 Rock Art Trip I made a quick stop in El Paso a little after noon on Monday, April 18, 2022.  The purpose of my stop —  to check out the western-most BBQ joint on Texas Monthly’s 2022 Top 50 List, namely, Desert Oak Barbeque.  Daniel Vaughn calls Desert Oak a “diminutive joint” — boy he wasn’t kidding.  I was shocked at how small the place was, and was equally as shocked that there were no patron’s in line when I arrived at 12:15 p.m. and only two tables were occupied.  I ordered a two-meat plate (brisket and ribs) with sides of cole slaw and green chile rice.  The brisket was tender, but it, as well as the ribs, were a little dry and not that well seasoned.  Perhaps I should have ordered some sausage, because Vaughn raved about it in his write-up.  I did like the cole slow, which had fresh pineapple in it, a nice flavorful touch.  Although I had never had green chile rice, I was not impressed.  The place never got very busy, and, sitting at the table closest to the cash register, I was able to strike up a conversation with the owner, who was very nice.  He said that they were very close to moving to their new location a short distance away.  A new location — that should give me a reason for a return visit, because the barbeque sure didn’t!