Caldwell County MexiQ - DT Gilbert

[BillBuitenhuys]

Finally made it in to this place after having driven by so many times.
Damn, this is good! They are serving straight up barbeque and also Mexican dishes that take advantage of the smoked meats.
My cousin and I opted for one of the sampler plates. It cost about $55 and was more than enough for the two of us.

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Starting with the Mexican nibbles, the ubiquitous birria taco was a very fine example. Nice depth of flavor. The bacon wrapped jalapeño popper had a good bite of heat and tasty creamy filling. The tostada was a bit of a throw away, not bad, just a bit plain compared to the rest.
For the bbq bits, the brisket was the standout. Tender, juicy, good flavor, bark with a good chew, and medium smoke. Solid crunch on the sausage, also nicely seasoned with a bit of cheese in it. Pulled pork was ok but that's never my fave anyway.
Sides of elote and pinto beans were both solid.
Definitely will be going back.

Caldwell County MexiQ
546 N Gilbert Rd
Gilbert

[Wilbur]

Is the Caldwell County BBQ place on 18324 E Nunneley Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85296 related to this restaurant? The logo seems to be the same, and based on the name and this recommendation, we stopped at this second one last night.

In any case, the Caldwell County BBQ down near the Mesa airport is not good barbecue at all, or at least it was very, very average last night when we stopped. Gristly, cold ribs; tasteless, non-smokey brisket, etc. I did notice that while the smokers were fired up, no actual meat seemed to be cooking during the time we were there. And maybe our party just happened to all be served items that were off, but none of us enjoyed our portions, while around us snowbirds and locals both exclaimed over how good their food was. I could not understand the wide gap.

It does have a nice outdoor seating area, and the folks working there were all very nice, but the barbecue was not to my taste. We have several other barbecue options in the valley that might not be quite like eating in Lockhart, TX, but are still miles better than what we ate, such as Eric's, Little Miss, or Naked.

[BillBuitenhuys]

Yes, they are the same group. They also have a BBQ place, more like the Mesa Airport one, down in Queen Creek. I've only been to the Gilbert MexiQ as I've heard mixed reaction on their main BBQ spots.
We've been twice more since this post and stuck with Mex platters. Ya, their brisket isn't LMB level by far, but given that "the best" in the area has been Joe's... I really did find the brisket smoke to be much aggressive than LMB. Looks like we had very different experiences.