Harmons Bar-B-Q - Cibolo

There is something about pork, that when done right, will make it melt in your mouth. You get the feeling you're no longer consuming regular meat, but instead, tasting something that is usually reserved for those kinds of people you know exist, but who you don't actually know. This is the kind of pork they give you at Harmons.

I can honestly say the pork they serve there is the finest I have ever tasted. Tender and juicy, it made me regret I'd ordered the 3-meat combo and hadn't just asked for a giant plate of this delicious ambrosia. After finishing my generous portion I was a bit disappointed to see my nearly untouched brisket and sausage staring back at me.

This is not to say the brisket and sausage weren't top notch because they were. The brisket was better than the sausage. It too was juicy, although not as succulent as the pork. I also got a bit more fat than I was looking for, but it was easy enough to work around it. As for the sausage it was good. I believe a recurring theme of barbecue eating is that the sausage is almost always the safest bet. I don't recall ever having terrible sausage, but at the same time I can count on one hand the times I have encountered truly memorable sausage.

As for the sides, Harmon's offerings were better than most. I had some potato salad which was fine, but the true highlight was their creamed corn. I realize most creamed corn is pretty much the same - save the kind that comes in a can, that stuff's awful - but Harmon's jazzes theirs up a bit with large bits of cracked pepper. As with the pork, I liked what I tasted and I wished I could have tasted a lot more.

There are folks out there who will tell you really good barbecue does not need any sauce. In fact, I know of restaurants that won't even give you any, figuring putting sauce on the meat they spend days cooking is kind of an insult. Well I've never really understood this point of view. I love BBQ sauce almost as much as the meat. That all changed at Harmons. I ate most of their pork shoulder sauceless, thus I feel I'm in a bad position to give the sauce a fair verdict. I will say that from what I remember it made a nice compliment to the meal.

Harmon's is located in Cibolo, close to Schertz about 20 miles north of San Antonio and maybe 20 miles south of New Braunfels. If you decide to go and start to get the feeling you're getting lost on your way there, don't sweat it, you're probably closer than you think. The old building is located across from a cow pasture in what is one of the two or three buildings that make up 'downtown' Cibolo. It might be out of the way, but it's worth the trip. Believe me, the pigs probably won't thank you, but your taste buds will!