Excerpt from Food and Wine
A half-hour away, in Richmond, chef-owner Ara Malekian of Harlem Road Texas BBQ delves into his Armenian background (not to mention his experience working in the fine-dining scene in Switzerland) for inspiration. Barbecue sauce spiked with Armenian coffee accompanies a litany of smoked meats (lamb chops, duck, even quail) slow-cooked over aged wine-barrel staves. And further south, in San Antonio, Esaul Ramos of 2M Smokehouse has pioneered a movement of barbecue practitioners in which Mexican flavors are integrated across an array of sausages (try links stuffed with Oaxaca cheese and serrano chiles) and sides (mac and cheese capped with crunchy chicharróns).
Yes, Texas is beef country, but it’s also laden with superb lamb and game, a specialty of Ara Malekian at Harlem Road Texas BBQ. Before heading to the Hill Country, stop off in Richmond and try the chef’s deeply smoky lamb chops and a luxurious pecan pie that somehow extracts more flavor with half the sugar.