Watts' Chuck Wagon
 Watts' Chuck Wagon |
2540 1/2 Main St
Gatesville, TX 76528
(254) 865-6531
David Watts has been going to the same BBQ shack since he was in high school. When the previous owner accumulated too many DUIs, he starting asking David’s parents to take over. He begged them to buy the business, and finally bartered a one-way plane ticket to Arizona in exchange for the business. SOLD!
The Watts family took over and eventually had a larger smoker custom-made. The sooty black tower can hold 29 briskets, 8 racks of ribs, and a handful of sausage links. In a corner of a parking lot on Main Street, the smoker sits next a mobile trailer with a few covered picnic tables and a big pile of mesquite wood. A few well-used pickups generally grace the parking lot, but a motorcycle out front really classes up the joint.
The menu includes brisket, both sliced and chopped, spare ribs, and homemade sausage. David claims that the sliced brisket, which is smoked 8-12 hours, is the best thing on the menu. When asked about the ribs, he responded like a genuine beef-eating Texan. “Well... they’re pork...” For sides, choose from potato salad, beans, or beans & Q. Beans & Q? That’s baked beans, chopped brisket, and sauce, all mixed up and served in a cup with a fork and a slice of white bread. Don’t fool yourself. This side is a meal in itself!
JGE © 2005