Ambiance: Very
close to the downtown area, Burt's is a poplar neighborhood place
and folks in line tell me that it draws people from all over
Houston. I believe it. Burt's has been in operation
since the 1940s so they're clearly doing things right. The
inside is well-worn, in a good way, and the staff is friendly. Location:
5910 Lyons Ave., Houston, TX 77020
The BEEF Boudin (Boudain)
To see the review of
Burt's regular boudain click
HERE.
Price: $2.99 lb. (more
than a dollar more than the pork boudin)
Presentation: Get it at the
meat counter where they'll wrap it up tight in a generous portion of
butcher paper. Casing: The
casing is thin and brittle.
Meat/Rice Ratio: Large
amounts of rice. Probably 70%
-- which is significantly more meat than their regular pork
boudin. Texture: Dry,
dry, dry. When the casing is opened the filling is loose and
spills out.
Spice: Medium Overall Flavor: The
rice is well cooked and sets the link up as a decent offering.
The first bite is ripe with black pepper. Not too much, but
the black pepper taste is pronounced. The beef is in small
bits and chunks and there are little bits of gristle here and there.
The flavor is really pretty good, but I'm not sure I'd even know it
was beef if they didn't label it as such. I'm not sure if that
says more about my pallet or about their recipe. ?
Comments: They told me that
the recipe is the same as the one they use for the pork boudain, but
it has lots more meat and a lot more of a black pepper flavor.
This was my first encounter with a "beef boudin" and I have
misgivings about the whole idea. Even so, I think I'd like it
to be a little more distinct.
 
The look of the large link is virtually the same as their
regular link, but there is more meat and the meat is (as you'd
expect) darker.

The chunk of animal protein on the left is mostly gristle . . .
. . though most of the meat in the link is tender bits/chunks.
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