Horse Thief BBQ

At Horse Thief BBQ, Angelenos get schooled on the ways of low-and-slow cooking, namely central Texas-style BBQ. Native Texans Wade McElroy and Russell Malixi met at school in Austin, and have brought their self-taught 'cue chops (and a trip of hickory smokers and elevated ingredients) to DTLA's historic Grand Central Market. With no more than a queue-and-order window and alfresco communal picnic tables, Horse Thief BBQ serves the local lunchtime crowd and hungry groups everyday from 11am to 6pm (and later on weekends), or until sold out. As any good Texan would know, brisket ($6, 1/4 pound; $12, 1/2 pound) is the star here—dry rubbed and smoked for 15 hours over oak wood. (Sorry burnt ends fans, no charred tips here, just "moist" and "lean.") Pork fans can get their grub on pulled pork ($5, 1/4 pound; $9, 1/2 pound) and pork ribs ($12, half rack; $24, full rack), while poultry lovers can sink their teeth into brined and smoked chicken (Mary's organic, no less). A complete meal is packed on with the proper white bread, dill chips, chopped raw onions and fixings ($3, small; $6, large) of blue cheese and bacon potato salad, cabbage and jicama slaw and heirloom baked beans.