DAY 13 - El Paso to Phoenix

Tuesday morning we were up and out by 8am. It was only a five hour drive from Deming, NM to Phoenix. We planned to do lunch somewhere along the way but didn’t expect to experience one of the better all around bbq places on the trip.

Zena took the navigator spot

We saw some great mountain ranges on the drive; this looked like the mountains had a blanket of clouds over its back

We pulled into Tucson and since neither of us had been we explored a bit. We checked out 4^th Ave., a bit of the University of Arizona campus and finally Mr. K’s BBQ (see review below). It was an unlikely spot to get solid ribs, smoky beef and pork slices, tasty sides and one of our highest rated sauces.

We finished up the drive with a two hour trek into Scottsdale. We took a nice walk near the Phoenix Zoo and walked around downtown Scottsdale’s shopping areas. It had a Santa Fe feel, but with a little more city vibe.

Phoenix scenery

Mama D. exploring a park outsdie Scottsdale

Phoenix mountains have unique designs and erosion caves

Being our final evening we decided to do a nice dinner at one of Scottsdale’s premiere steakhouses - Mastro’s City Hall Steakhouse - www.mastrosrestaurants.com/cityhall-main. It is part of the Mastro’s Steakhouse family so it was no surprise the rib eye bone-in was one of the best steaks I’ve had in my life.

Mom and I leaving Mastro's City Hall Steakhouse in Scottsdale, AZ

At dinner it slowly set in that Wednesday is our last day of this epic BBQ Road Trip. A wave of reality hit and the thoughts of going back to everyday life came crashing in, which is fine in most aspects, but the freedom of travel will be missed. We lived it up and maximized the trip so no complaints.

Downtown Scottsdale at sunset

More Phoenix scenery

Zena was on the scent and dove face first into a gopher hole

On Wednesday we’ll explore Scottsdale a bit more and then make the six hour drive back to Orange County.

THE REVIEW - Mr. K's BBQ, Tucson, AZ

Some days you just get lucky!! Tuesday was one of those days. We pulled into Tucson, AZ to have lunch, but didn’t have a place picked out. We made a few calls, asked around and ended up at Mr. K’s BBQ a few miles from the University of Arizona. Touted as “Tucson’s best unknown BBQ hole in the wall,” Mr. K’s surprised us and was among the most well-rounded bbq joints we’ve tried on the trip. It was quality across the board and well above in some categories.

Mr. K's had a modest façade and even more lackluster interior; it had a small counter, a small prep area, two tables and two smoke barrels outside. It was surprising this good of bbq could come from such a small operation. There was no question that Mr. K’s produced bbq to compete with the big boys.

Smoker barrels at Mr. K's BBQ in Tucson, AZ.

Sauce – 4.5 – One of the best sauces, if not the best, we’ve had. It had nearly everything – nice spice, a tad sweet, great consistency, served warm and enhanced the meat flavor. Only qualm is it had a hint of marinara-style sauce, which isn’t bad, but not normally expected from a bbq sauce.

Sides – 3.5 – Nice assortment for such a small place and we really enjoyed the unique home cooking recipes they had. The coleslaw was creamy and sprinkled with cinnamon, which added a nice flavor; definitely something we hadn’t seen before. The sweet potatoes were loaded with ginger and a tad too sweet for my palette. The Texas beans had nice thick texture and were seasoned with bay leaves, again something we hadn’t seen before. Potato salad was the only traditionally prepared side with diced pickle, red pepper and celery.

Slabs – 4 – Great smoky flavor. It had a bonfire aroma. The dry rub resulted in a tasty spicy crust once cooked in the smoker. The meat was tender and pulled off the bone nicely. Only drawback was they lacked a sweet tone that normally comes from a nice glazed skin.

Steaks – 4 –The thinly sliced beef had the same delicious smoky flavor and aroma as the ribs. The meat was moist and tender. With the sauce it was a 4.5.

Sandwiches – 4 – The thinly sliced pork had the same smoky flavor as the other meats, but it was not as prominent. It had a bit of the crispy skin crust which enhanced it a bit. It was moderately moist and with the delicious sauce it was also a 4.5.