This is who makes their sausage:

https://www.nativemeatcompany.com/


Brisket and beef ribs:

http://www.creekstonefarms.com/


And pork ribs and pulled pork:

https://www.nimanranch.com/

MMM That prime brisket.

MMM That prime brisket.

Same brand Aaron Franklin uses.... At one time he was using almost every brisket they were producing... So either he's slowed down or they've ramped up production.

Creekstone beef is all natural, free of hormones, antibiotics and growth promoting drugs.

I believe their brisket alone will make this place a wild success.

I'm already craving it.

Hmmm.... Andouille sausage? .... Well I do enjoy andouille but that's not Central Texas sausage.... Guess I'll still be going 6 hours out of town to get that fix.

The beef rib in that pic is definitely intriguing.... Wonder if it will become a full time fixture or a special like Texlahoma BBQ does with their beef ribs.


That doesn't appear to be andouille to me. Where are you getting that?

That doesn't appear to be andouille to me. Where are you getting that?

Instagram..... Pete just posted the pic from Instagram eariler without the comment... https://www.instagram.com/p/BSwESXvAhy8/?taken-by=maplesbarbecue

huh... while i'm generally a fan of andouille, it's a pretty interesting choice for a barbecue joint to use.

My understanding is that Hudson Park (the old Foodies) is planning to do BBQ as well and given the close proximity to Maples, this could develop into an interesting rivalry that would inspire both operators.

I believe their brisket alone will make this place a wild success.

I'm already craving it.

That it very well could because there is no good brisket to be found in OKC in my opinion..... Unless Back Door got their texture problems corrected.... I liked their flavor profile but stopped ordering because the texture was all over the place.

I have not made it back to Texlahoma BBQ since last years rib tour, and I only ate ribs that day, but I know they are now cooking prime briskets Central Texas style.... Their drawback is their location on the far north side of Edmond but I know they recently were interviewed by a magazine but they haven't released the name of who it was yet.

huh... while i'm generally a fan of andouille, it's a pretty interesting choice for a barbecue joint to use.

Very interesting considering I have never seen it on a BBQ menu before.... Have not been on a Louisiana BBQ run so might find it down there but I've definitely not seen it in Oklahoma.... Or Central Texas.

My understanding is that Hudson Park (the old Foodies) is planning to do BBQ as well and given the close proximity to Maples, this could develop into an interesting rivalry that would inspire both operators.

Yeah.... I've seen the layout that shows a dedicated location for a smoker on the property.... I think I even commented about the neighbors possibly complaining about the smoke..... Considering that Maples doesn't appear to be sticking to that Central Texas theme.... It could indeed but there is also not any place making any Carolina style BBQ around here..... Would sure be awesome if someone started cooking some whole hog to fill that niche.

Yeah.... I've seen the layout that shows a dedicated location for a smoker on the property.... I think I even commented about the neighbors possibly complaining about the smoke..... Considering that Maples doesn't appear to be sticking to that Central Texas theme.... It could indeed but there is also not any place making any Carolina style BBQ around here..... Would sure be awesome if someone started cooking some whole hog to fill that niche.

Jones Assembly people had a "Pig and Punch" party this summer where they roasted a whole hog. They have talked about doing it once a month once they open.

My understanding is that Hudson Park (the old Foodies) is planning to do BBQ as well and given the close proximity to Maples, this could develop into an interesting rivalry that would inspire both operators.

That would be great, we could have a Geno's/Pats rivalry. But for BBQ, they could play this up as a real tourist attraction!!

Very interesting considering I have never seen it on a BBQ menu before.... Have not been on a Louisiana BBQ run so might find it down there but I've definitely not seen it in Oklahoma.... Or Central Texas.

OKBBQEA,
Did you ever eat at Bubba's? One of their choices for sausage was andouille. I bought a New Orleans style sausage dog from Bubba's when I was attending an OU football game. With their sauce it was delicious. After I finished the hot dog, I went back to their trailer and asked what it was and where did they get it and they told me it was andouille from Cusack's. That was in the mid 90's. I have been buying it from Cusack's ever since. I have six pounds in the freezer right now. It's really good. Also, I ate it often at their location on Northwest Expressway and when they moved to Northwest 39th and Portland. In a nutshell, it was on their menu.
C. T.

Will they have more soft openings?

Will they have more soft openings?

Nope

OKBBQEA,
Did you ever eat at Bubba's? One of their choices for sausage was andouille. I bought a New Orleans style sausage dog from Bubba's when I was attending an OU football game. With their sauce it was delicious. After I finished the hot dog, I went back to their trailer and asked what it was and where did they get it and they told me it was andouille from Cusack's. That was in the mid 90's. I have been buying it from Cusack's ever since. I have six pounds in the freezer right now. It's really good. Also, I ate it often at their location on Northwest Expressway and when they moved to Northwest 39th and Portland. In a nutshell, it was on their menu.
C. T.

No that was before my BBQ obsession began.... I get andouille from Bill Kamps whenever I'm having a crab boil these days.

13774

^^^ HAHA!!! Someone camping out for it already?

Butcher BBQ in Wellston has some great brisket and ribs but its a heck of a drive from OKC. Last time I was up there, I waited in line for 20 minutes, so it has quite the following right now for being in the middle of nowhere. I like their ribs and brisket better than Burn Co in Tulsa and would put them as my favorite BBQ joint in the state.

Now if Maples can actually cook their meats right, they will be wildly successful I think. There are so many mediocre BBQ restaurants in OKC, its ridiculous. I've had BBQ at a lot of "good" places in Kansas City, Memphis, Nashville, Austin, etc. Most OKC BBQ when it comes to brisket is cooked too fast so it leaves it tough. When it comes to ribs, there are two types at most OKC places, either overcooked (fall off the bone) or under-cooked (too snug), nothing in the middle where it should be in my opinion. Granted Everyone likes what they like but I'm a bit of a BBQ snob, I know what I can make on my smoker and I like a good rib with a little tug and thats it. I like my brisket like a tender steak, cooked slow and low, about 11-12 hours on pretty low heat yields a great brisket. If I try to rush it, it just does not work out. My best briskets where ones where I got up at 6 AM and fired up the smoker and cooked it all the way to 6PM.

Butcher BBQ in Wellston has some great brisket and ribs but its a heck of a drive from OKC. Last time I was up there, I waited in line for 20 minutes, so it has quite the following right now for being in the middle of nowhere. I like their ribs and brisket better than Burn Co in Tulsa and would put them as my favorite BBQ joint in the state.


Butcher had a built in crowd from day one since they are a very successful competition team and have competed on BBQ Pitmasters twice... It also helps that they are consistent. I've only made it out there a hand full of times but every time the food has been consistent.... It is also one of the few places in Oklahoma I will order the brisket.

If Maple's can be consistent they can kill it because consistency is the biggest issue I have with OKC BBQ.... One day you get something that's really good and the next you get something that probably never should have left the kitchen.

I had pit BBQ while driving through Stephenville, TX this weekend, and it reminded what we're missing out on, especially brisket. Looking forward to this opening and hoping it fills that void.

What do you all think of Rudy's? I went to the original one in Austin back in the day, and it was incredible. Its seems with the growth, its become a bit commercialized, but overall for me, its a consistent and pretty good.

What do you all think of Rudy's? I went to the original one in Austin back in the day, and it was incredible. Its seems with the growth, its become a bit commercialized, but overall for me, its a consistent and pretty good.

I'm not a pitmaster, but I've always found Rudy's to be quite good.

I'm not a fan of the Rudy's in Norman... Have not been to the original.

Butcher had a built in crowd from day one since they are a very successful competition team and have competed on BBQ Pitmasters twice... It also helps that they are consistent. I've only made it out there a hand full of times but every time the food has been consistent.... It is also one of the few places in Oklahoma I will order the brisket.

If Maple's can be consistent they can kill it because consistency is the biggest issue I have with OKC BBQ.... One day you get something that's really good and the next you get something that probably never should have left the kitchen.

Butcher is good. It's not Burnco good.

Butcher's ribs are consistently way over, but that is apparently what Oklahomans want. I have never understood why people want ribs that have the texture of baby food, but that is what we do here for some reason.

The brisket is worth the occasional drive out of town because it is far and away better than anything in Oklahoma City right now.

Butcher's ribs are consistently way over, but that is apparently what Oklahomans want. I have never understood why people want ribs that have the texture of baby food, but that is what we do here for some reason.


Agreed and pretty certain they do it to suit the tastes of the majority of their customers.

Also, to a degree (pun intended), part of the problem with restaurant ribs boils (no pun intended) down to them having to hold them at a safe temperature. Holding meat at 140 degrees continues to alter the texture. I know this from doing sous vide cooking.

Even using that technique you can alter the texture of a piece of meat if you hold it in the water bath too long. The temp will never go above what you set it to but if you let it set there much beyond 4 hours you start getting mushy.

I use my sous vide setup to reheat BBQ for caterings but I'm careful to only start the reheat a few hours before I'm ready to serve so I don't alter the texture too much.

Well the pitmaster for Maple's is dang sure getting tested for opening day.... Keeping the temps stable in that big offset smoker in this weather is going to be a task!

If you go try them today and it's not as good as you expected give them some slack... These are brutal conditions to be cooking Q in.

I can verify that with the 4 comment cards I had to turn in for brisket at the Enid contest over the weekend. Those competition guys were cooking in similar conditions and it showed in the entries that were turned in.. I handed out some of the lowest scores overall I've ever given.

Yes, reminder that they open at 11AM today.

Opening during Art's Festival week may work out to their advantage too... Will probably result in smaller crowds for opening week so they can get any kinks worked out before the crowds hit.

I have been waiting to try this place. I work nearby so I will head over there early to prevent me standing in line. Do they open at 11?

They had a tent set up over the picnic tables. I'm not sure if that's permanent or just today due to the weather. I also noticed two people already waiting.

I have been waiting to try this place. I work nearby so I will head over there early to prevent me standing in line. Do they open at 11?

Yep... That is the time they have said they will open.

They had a tent set up over the picnic tables. I'm not sure if that's permanent or just today due to the weather. I also noticed two people already waiting.

As I said up thread... I think it will become permanent.

Well?.......it's after 11. Any updates? How's the crowd? Wish I could be there...looking forward to the reviews.

Was told that there were 50-60 people in line.

that's pretty good considering today's weather... we got in and out of george's happy hog but by the time we left the line was around 20 deep.

I went over there around 11:15. There were probably 50 or so people in front of my group. When we got in line, two people had gotten their food and just sat down to eat.

After waiting 5-10 minutes without anyone else getting food, we decided to leave due to it being chilly. After lunch, we drove by the line. We recognized some people in line that showed up right when we left. They were still about 10 people away from ordering. We were gone for 50 minutes.

I would assume this would be day one operation slowdowns and I'm sure they had some difficulties either with service or payment etc. I figured it would go faster though due to everything already being cooked and just required being served.

Alas, will try again soon, but will make sure I'm there before 11.

I'm sure they will get better. They should do the person walking down the line ordering style that I have seen others do. It makes it move faster and know when they are running out.

I drove by and snapped this pic about 12:45 and there was a short line still.

13792

One of my rib tour friends, and also an OKCTalk member, snapped this pic but I don't know what time it was taken.

13793

He said the brisket he had was the best he has had in OKC but that came with the caveat that there's not much good about brisket in OKC. Also mentioned they served him some chopped brisket that was kind of dry but the slices off the point were perfect.

He said the ribs had great flavor but were overcooked and falling off the bone.

I was there! Came in at about 11:15-11:20. Line was about back to the tent (20-25 people or so?) . Swear I saw a bunch of people push in ahead of me too =(.

Got out by 12:30 and they were out of sausage when I got there, and about to run out of brisket when I left.

13794

He said the ribs had great flavor but were overcooked and falling off the bone.

God dammit

He said the brisket he had was the best he has had in OKC but that came with the caveat that there's not much good about brisket in OKC. Also mentioned they served him some chopped brisket that was kind of dry but the slices off the point were perfect.

He said the ribs had great flavor but were overcooked and falling off the bone.

Easy to tweak the cook time on the ribs and otherwise this sounds like very high praise, especially on the first day.

Easy to tweak the cook time on the ribs and otherwise this sounds like very high praise, especially on the first day.

Ribs are weird BBQ. I have cooked quite a few and I always like mine with bite and not falling off but I have had people said if it isn't falling off the bone it is overcooked.

Ribs seem to be subjective to me

God dammit

HAHA.... In this weather the fact they got anything cooked close to correctly is amazing.

Give them a few weeks to get things dialed in and it should improve.... I'm not even going to consider trying it until they've been open at least two weeks.... Had my hopes and dreams dashed multiple times on opening days... lol

Got there just before noon, maybe 30-40 people in line front of me. Waited 40 minutes to order, then another five minutes for food. By the time I was at the front of the line, they were out of sausage and burnt ends beans, and they ran out of sliced brisket somewhere behind me in line.

As for the food, the pulled pork was fantastic. Some of the best I've ever had. The chopped brisket tasted very good, although was a bit on the greasy side. I didn't taste the sliced brisket, but it appeared the same way. Personally, I'd prefer more bark (I also think this is more true to "central Texas" style). Mac and cheese was good, but not fantastic. Same with the chipotle slaw.

Overall, would definitely go back for the food. The ribs looked great. Prices seem to be a little high for the portions, but the atmosphere should be really great (when it's not 40 degrees outside).

Ribs are weird BBQ. I have cooked quite a few and I always like mine with bite and not falling off but I have had people said if it isn't falling off the bone it is overcooked.

Ribs seem to be subjective to me

Yep, I bet most people prefer the falling-off-the-bone type even if the hard core BBQ people see that as overcooked.

Yep, I bet most people prefer the falling-off-the-bone type even if the hard core BBQ people see that as overcooked.

I would definitely agree with that statement and as I've mentioned before. Even places like Butcher BBQ Stand will overcook a little to suit the taste of their average customer.

I've invited people to my house that didn't really care for my ribs because they didn't fall off the bone.... There are two things I absolutely refuse to cook... well done steaks and fall off the bone ribs.

Yep, I bet most people prefer the falling-off-the-bone type even if the hard core BBQ people see that as overcooked.

Oklahoman's also love the BBQ sauce. Over saucing everywhere. I make my own BBQ sauce but never put it on my smoked meats. People come over and just douse it. It kind of makes me cry but to each their own.

Oklahoman's also love the BBQ sauce. Over saucing everywhere. I make my own BBQ sauce but never put it on my smoked meats. People come over and just douse it. It kind of makes me cry but to each their own.

I almost asked a friend to leave one time because he poured a 1/4 of a bottle of Head Country on my ribs before he even tasted them! LOL

Looks like Levi Bouska of The Butcher BBQ Stand made the trip from Wellston on his day off to give Maple's a try.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209470382619576&set=a.1827768577074.2099236.1326097376&type=3&theater

I've been anticipating this place opening for months. Disappointed in the ribs because they were overcooked, but the flavor was excellent.

Sausage had snap to it and was very flavorful.

Now to the brisket, best brisket I've had in OKC which doesn't say much. But the flavor was great!! Just a basic salt and pepper rub with a little kick on the backend. The sliced point was perfect, and the sliced flat was very good as well!! I would recommend this place for brisket over anything I've tasted.

Pulled pork was seasoned well and was actually pulled pork, not chopped with a knife. A little on the dry end but I'm willing to give it another try later.

I'll have to get a second tasting of the ribs to really get a feel for them. They were good but cold and fell off the bone.

Overall, my expectations were high and they've met or exceeded them(especially brisket). If they remain consistent, this will be my go to spot for BBQ!!

Mac and cheese I thought was unique. They used macaroni noodles, but it tasted like there was alfredo sauce in there. The person I ate with mentioned a watermelon taste too?

I don't think I saw any pictures of the menu, but I can describe it

$20/lb for brisket

$18/lb for pulled pork

$18/lb for ribs

$16/lb for sausage

*edit*
Saw sooner88 posted on page 5.

Yeah, the mac actually reminded me of the vegan mac at Loaded Bowl, oddly enough.

Oklahoman's also love the BBQ sauce. Over saucing everywhere. I make my own BBQ sauce but never put it on my smoked meats. People come over and just douse it. It kind of makes me cry but to each their own.

We are fat for a reason.

The sauce thing is just a force of habit because everyone here is used to lousy BBQ meat.

If the meat is cooked right and has plenty of flavor, like a good steak it doesn't need sauce. But that's a big if and as we all know, very little BBQ around here meets that standard.

The sauce thing is just a force of habit because everyone here is used to lousy BBQ meat.


Not so much lousy BBQ as much as sauce is a regional thing. Our local BBQ is more strongly influenced by Kansas City style BBQ (sauced) than it is Central Texas style (unsauced). In fact Central Texas is about the only BBQ I know of where sauce, and eating with utensils, is frowned upon.

I don't particularly care for the style of brisket served in our region but a lot of people must like it to keep all the BBQ places we have, just in OKC, going.

I'd put the ribs from The Flying Pig BBQ and pretty much any of the Top 5 from the 3 rib tours I did up against ribs anywhere in the country. There was a pretty big difference between our Top 5 and the rest of the field over those 3 years and several of those that made it were in there all 3 years. So there was some consistency there.

I also think OKC is severly lacking in good pulled pork. Too many places serve that chopped, folded, spindled, mutilated pork I complain about all the time but like the brisket it must be selling... Just not my thing.

The best thing about Maple's and Texlahoma is they are expanding our regional BBQ options some and as I've said, either in this thread or another, I would really love to see someone bring a Carolina style concept to OKC.

Russ Garret was making some killer Carolina style pulled pork when he was cooking at the Bricktown Coaches and there was a small place on N. Western that was knocking the Carolina style pork out of the park but both are gone now. I don't know what path Garret took after Coaches closed but the other people moved to the NE part of the country.

OKC has seen an explosion of different styles and ethnicities of cuisine in the last few years and really seems to finally be embracing it. Which is a really great thing in my opinion. I remember when the first Churasscaria opened up on NW Expressway and people really didn't seem to get the concept at all.

So I can't go along with believing that our BBQ being lousy is the reason for sauce. Yes there is lousy BBQ to be found here but there is lousy BBQ to be found in Central Texas, Kansas City, Memphis, etc... too.

Not so much lousy BBQ as much as sauce is a regional thing. Our local BBQ is more strongly influenced by Kansas City style BBQ (sauced) than it is Central Texas style (unsauced). In fact Central Texas is about the only BBQ I know of where sauce, and eating with utensils, is frowned upon.

I don't particularly care for the style of brisket served in our region but a lot of people must like it to keep all the BBQ places we have, just in OKC, going.

I'd put the ribs from The Flying Pig BBQ and pretty much any of the Top 5 from the 3 rib tours I did up against ribs anywhere in the country. There was a pretty big difference between our Top 5 and the rest of the field over those 3 years and several of those that made it were in there all 3 years. So there was some consistency there.

I also think OKC is severly lacking in good pulled pork. Too many places serve that chopped, folded, spindled, mutilated pork I complain about all the time but like the brisket it must be selling... Just not my thing.

The best thing about Maple's and Texlahoma is they are expanding our regional BBQ options some and as I've said, either in this thread or another, I would really love to see someone bring a Carolina style concept to OKC.

Russ Garret was making some killer Carolina style pulled pork when he was cooking at the Bricktown Coaches and there was a small place on N. Western that was knocking the Carolina style pork out of the park but both are gone now. I don't know what path Garret took after Coaches closed but the other people moved to the NE part of the country.

OKC has seen an explosion of different styles and ethnicities of cuisine in the last few years and really seems to finally be embracing it. Which is a really great thing in my opinion. I remember when the first Churasscaria opened up on NW Expressway and people really didn't seem to get the concept at all.

So I can't go along with believing that our BBQ being lousy is the reason for sauce. Yes there is lousy BBQ to be found here but there is lousy BBQ to be found in Central Texas, Kansas City, Memphis, etc... too.

Yes indeed, we have a less than a stellar food culture. There are bad croissants in Paris, but there are excellent ones if you make the effort to go to the right patisseries, likewise BBQ, and any other food group. Perhaps it's history, the daily Oklahoman with no food page for ever, no proper criticism, maybe food people just don't want to move here. It's not like it or leave it, I want to have better food choices...

Yes indeed, we have a less than a stellar food culture. There are bad croissants in Paris, but there are excellent ones if you make the effort to go to the right patisseries, likewise BBQ, and any other food group. Perhaps it's history, the daily Oklahoman with no food page for ever, no proper criticism, maybe food people just don't want to move here. It's not like it or leave it, I want to have better food choices...

We live in a place where people were fixated on mere survival for a long time. A desire to do everything on the cheap permeates our culture, and I think it is probably an echo of that old priority. Like other forms of cooking, most Oklahomans have only been exposed to the cheapest and lowest forms of bbq - overcooked, heavily sauced meats, which have often been cooked many, many, many hours before they ever hit a plate. That's because it is the easiest way to make money with this kind of food, and because we not only tolerate it but wolf it down. This is why we are the fast food capital of middle America. When it comes to food, we love the lowest of the low here. We are making gradual progress, but this is still a very provincial place. Sorry for the negative take.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.....

Maples got a mention by the BBQ Snob in his Weekly BBQ News (https://tmbbq.com/bbq-news-0421-0427/) for Texas Monthly linking to the article by Dave Cathey from The Oklahoman.

We live in a place where people were fixated on mere survival for a long time. A desire to do everything on the cheap permeates our culture, and I think it is probably an echo of that old priority. Like other forms of cooking, most Oklahomans have only been exposed to the cheapest and lowest forms of bbq - overcooked, heavily sauced meats, which have often been cooked many, many, many hours before they ever hit a plate. That's because it is the easiest way to make money with this kind of food, and because we not only tolerate it but wolf it down. This is why we are the fast food capital of middle America. When it comes to food, we love the lowest of the low here. We are making gradual progress, but this is still a very provincial place. Sorry for the negative take.

Not sure about all that. I think we just don't have a true style. Most places are trying to imitate another style, or aiming for something middle-of-the-road for mass appeal or commercial reasons.

Similar to what I've heard about why Chinese food here is lacking. Often it's Vietnamese families appropriating Chinese recipes, because Chinese food has had mainstream appeal here for decades, whereas Vietnamese cuisine has only become trendy within the past few years.