This smoked bark is worth the wait, and the drive

As the foil was peeled back from a steaming, ebony-hued hunk of brisket, I knew waiting in the long line, amid the heady aroma of wood smoke, had been worth it.

The brisket at Moonie’s Texas BBQ looks more like a meteorite than meat. The dark, crusty outer layer is the epitome of perfectly smoked brisket. The pitmasters at Moonie’s, located in Flowery Branch, achieve the hefty bark with a simple rub of sea salt and cracked black pepper before smoking the meat in an oak-burning, Texas-made J&R Oyler smoker.

You can order the brisket by the pound, on a griddled bun or as slices of meat on a thick slab of Texas toast. Beneath the black crust are caramel-like, melty ribbons of fat, and a ring of pink, tender, juicy smoked meat. Moonie’s has a selection of house-made sauces, but this perfect brisket doesn’t need anything to elevate it.