Texas Barbeque and Monster Potatoes
A few weeks ago, I was in Dallas and since I am always on the lookout for new barbecue joints, I took the recommendation of a friend and went to visit Mike Anderson’s. I wasn’t familiar with this Dallas institution and so when I arrived at 2 p.m., they had just shut their doors. The restaurant serves lunch every day and that’s it. We were out of luck, but Mike and his wife were nice enough to open the doors, offer us a beer and talk about their ‘Que.
The restaurant has been in operation more than 20 years and serves all kinds of barbecue and home-style sides. But the thing that I was most curious about was their "Monster Potatoes." Mike told me that they had served 500 potatoes on this regular Friday—in addition to all the other barbecue offerings. That blew me away…and started my craving for a Texas Monster Potato.
The stuffed baked potatoes are made using 2-pound potatoes that are about 7-8 inches long and about 4-inches wide. At Mike Anderson’s they are split and stuffed with every imaginable combination of cheese and sour cream, bacon, onions, jalapenos, olives etc. and then topped with chopped beef, pork, chicken, ham, sausage, etc. and a healthy dose of barbecue sauce. I couldn’t decide if I thought that sounded heavenly or a little too much, but I was intrigued.
Fast forward to this week. I went to Austin to speak (and visit my buddies) at the National Barbecue Conference. We took a tour of some of Austin’s finest BBQ restaurants and low and behold, Smokey Mo’s Bar B Que had a big ole stuffed baked potato! I couldn’t wait to try it. The counter person suggested I try the potato with their chopped smoked turkey. In a blink of an eye, they presented me with a steaming baked potato, split and stuffed with a tower of butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, chopped scallions and the silkiest, moistest, smoked turkey that I have ever eaten. The trick is to put enough of each topping on the potato so that you can taste everything with each bite, but not so much that you drown out the potato. I am sure there is a fine line here, but Smokey Mo’s hit it with perfection. The heat of the hot potato melts the butter and cheese and warms the meat. The fluffy potato takes the place of bread and when you get a bite with a little bit of everything, the raw crunch of the scallion mixed with the richness of the potato, cheese, butter and sour cream make a perfect bed for the smoky toothsome meat. I shared this potato with my table and we still couldn’t eat all of it. I used to dream of brisket and sausage when I went to Texas, but now it is the Monster Potato that is at the head of my list!
Texas-Style Monster Potato
This stuffed potato is the most basic and similar to the one that I had at Mo’s. Use this recipe as a point of departure and add all your favorite toppings. This recipe is for 1 potato, double it as many times as you need to feed your crowd. You can also use the baked potato as the base for killer nachos.
1 freshly baked russet potato, about 2 pounds
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
2 tablespoons sour cream
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped smoked turkey, brisket, pork, sausage etc.
2 scallions cleaned, trimmed and chopped
Favorite Barbecue Sauce
Take the potato out of the oven or grill. Split it down the middle and press on the sides to open. Season the potato flesh with salt and pepper. Layer the butter, sour cream, cheese and turkey in the open depression of the potato. Sprinkle the scallions over top and serve with sauce on the side.
Repeat as necessary to serve a crowd.
Serves 1 in Texas!
Bob on February 26, 2008 at 03:11 PM
Is this any wonder why the USA is the fattest and most unhealthy country in the entire world? Now why would anyone want to eat this potato?
Fatso on February 26, 2008 at 09:38 PM
I'll have 2, and wash it down with a six pack of Miller. OK, Miller Lite, since I'm trying to lose a couple hundred pounds.
kynna on February 27, 2008 at 12:23 PM
>
Oh Bob. Live a little. People would want to eat this potato because they're hungry and it's their favorite thing on the menu. That's just one reason I can think of. Another reason is because they like the way all the ingredients taste and imagine they would taste pretty great together. And those two reasons are just off the top of my head.
What I can't imagine -- no matter how hard I try -- is why anyone would want to eat soy cheese. Now there's a mystery. I have a theory that soy cheese backlash is actually the reason the USA is the fattest country in the entire world. Well, that and the fact we're the most prosperous.
Anymore questions?
justsomeeater on February 27, 2008 at 12:50 PM
"½ cup chopped smoked turkey, brisket, pork, sausage etc."
Um ... sorry, but that's not Texas ma'am.
See, here in Texas, we don't eat half a cup of anything. We eat a WHOLE cup, and then some. So, you might wanna change the title of your little recipe here to something, oh, I don't know, like:
Rhode Island Weanie Potatoes with 1/2 a cup of Wussy
Jeff on February 27, 2008 at 12:51 PM
Oh c'mon Bob, lighten up. I lost 75# on Weight Watchers several years ago, got to a normal healthy weight and have kept it off. But I still allow myself to indulge in delightful looking creations like this from time to time. Acknowledged, if you do one of these babies every week or more often you will surely chub up. But as an occasional fling, this looks like a winner!
Tully on February 27, 2008 at 01:06 PM
Hey, she SAID she shared it. And that wasn't even a Mike Anderson Monster Potato. Frankly, a Mike Anderson Spudzilla could feed a family of four, or keep a starving student going for two days. Pretty good deal at that price. You don't HAVE to eat the whole thing in one sitting, you know.
Bob R (Not that Bob) on February 27, 2008 at 01:06 PM
My main objection is to the picture. No one should bake potatoes in foil. Cook them in 500 degree oven for about an hour. The skins get beautifully crispy and crunchy. If you don't want to do them stuffed, scoop them out use the insides for gnocci or James Beard's Disgustingly Rich Potatoes (is it any wonder that Americans are the happiest, most contented people on earth - if we don't count people like the other Bob). Cut the skins in strips and drizzle with butter and/or olive oil. Add hot sauce, pepper, salt to taste. Bake for 5 minutes more.
Dr. Dave on February 27, 2008 at 01:33 PM
It's a one-item, whole meal that includes all manner of good stuff at a low price.
You are expected to either have the self control to not eat too much or do enough hard work to burn the calories. You have the freedom to make that choice.
This is Texas, after all.
G8rRanger on February 27, 2008 at 01:43 PM
Bob (not "Not That Bob") seems like the kind of person who would love to be in charge of your government-run healthcare. He knows what's best for you. Is it any wonder bloodless "right-thinking" people are often the most dour and humorless people on the face of the planet, yet oh so willing to infringe upon the liberties of the rest of us?
That, fellers, is one awesome looking spud.
Mark Buehner on February 27, 2008 at 02:17 PM
This look remarkably like the recipe for every loaded baked potato on earth. Not that thats a bad thing.
Rex on February 27, 2008 at 02:17 PM
A trick I learned from Alton Brown ("Good Eats")is to lightly coat the outside of the potato with oil (canola, sunflower, etc,) before putting it in the oven. No foil needed, it cooks nicely, and doesn't get too hard a crust on it.
RobD on February 27, 2008 at 02:20 PM
Get rid of the patato and I would eat it. <----Low-carber
Paul A'Barge on February 27, 2008 at 02:24 PM
Bad link alert: Go to this URL (http://www.aldenteblog.com/elizabethkarmel.html) and reading in the bio at the top, note that the link to Girls At The Grill is a broken link (try clicking on it).
Note that someone misspelled the underlying URL by leaving out a "T".
You want the HTML to read Girls At The Grill instead.
js on February 27, 2008 at 02:50 PM
That looks like a terrific meal.
Don't like it?
Too bad.
submandave on February 27, 2008 at 02:59 PM
And what exactly does this potato have to do with Q? Taking a random variety of flesh and slathering on a spicy sauce does not a Q make. Anyone who really knows Q understands that the phrase "pork barbecue" is redundant. Hell, as I've heard tell the only reason Texans invented that thing they call "beef barbecue" is because it's damn near impossible to steal a pig while on horseback.
Paul A'Barge on February 27, 2008 at 03:08 PM
I tried to provide the correct HTML to fix your bad link problem but stupid TypePad does not allow HTML code in comments. Send me an email and I can give you the corrected HTML if you need it.
Al Dente on February 27, 2008 at 03:32 PM
The link is fixed. Sorry about that.
Just another Bob on February 27, 2008 at 04:21 PM
I have been to Anderson's and it is a true culinary delight. But I always wondered,where oh where, does an ordinary person get a hold of some of those monstrously large potatoes? I have yet to see anything of that size in my friendly local neighborhood supermarkets. Any one have any info on it?
Just another Bob on February 27, 2008 at 04:22 PM
I have been to Anderson's and it is a true culinary delight. But I always wondered,where oh where, does an ordinary person get a hold of some of those monstrously large potatoes? I have yet to see anything of that size in my friendly local neighborhood supermarkets. Any one have any info on it?
Jeff Medcalf on February 27, 2008 at 04:49 PM
Next time you're in the DFW area, go to Keller (about 8 miles West of DFW airport), and on Hwy 377, West side, just South of the intersection with FM1709, is Up in Smoke. Not classy dining, but amazing BBQ of the Texas variety. And a good bar, too.
George B on February 27, 2008 at 06:34 PM
Chopped smoked turkey, jalapenos, sour cream, and cheese on top of a baked potato is a suprisingly good combination. Sonny Bryan's (Dallas area) offers this as a lunch special. Texans are fairly flexible regarding what types of meat can be barbequed, allowing flavor combinations not allowed in the pork only barbeque areas. A variety of tasty animals can be cooked slowly in the smoker.
h2odragon on February 27, 2008 at 09:20 PM
"why would anyone want to eat this potato?"
"Too much is never enough!
"Moderation" as a principle is all well and good, but even Ghandi acknowledged that it could be carried too far. Refusing to test the extremes life offers is not virtue, its cowardice.
I'll take one of these taters with pork, beef, goat, and anything else that once bled (or is still bleeding) for stuffing, and with no regrets for my suffering afterwards. And lots of butter.
Jeff B. on February 28, 2008 at 08:03 AM
I recently moved away from Dallas (unfortunately) and I miss my Anderson's BBQ! I was a Texan for 12+ years and I've been to many a BBQ joint and Anderson's is by far the best. Great blog post, but now I'm hungry!
Nonny on February 28, 2008 at 02:07 PM
I just had a stuffed potato at lunch from Smokey Jo's. (OK-half of one. The other half is for lunch tomorrow!) Yum!!! Bob (not Not that Bob)-get over yourself you little food fascist!!!
Erik G on February 28, 2008 at 10:50 PM
Smokey Mo's is great, thanks for the review, its always nice to see a local joint get some media time. Did you happen to stop by the Salt Lick (Spicewood) or Stubb's (downtown Austin)? Heck, eveny Rudy's has some pretty good BBQ.