Brisket jalapeno popper pizza at Snarky’s in Tomball
J.C. Reid/Contributor
Brisket jalapeno popper pizza at Snarky’s in Tomball
J.C. Reid/Contributor
The pizza oven at Snarky’s
J.C. Reid/Contributor
Snarky’s Pizza & Burgers, Tomball
J.C. Reid/Contributor
Brisket jalapeno popper pizza at Snarky’s in Tomball
J.C. Reid/ContributorJ.C. Reid/Contributor
People love to argue about food. Whether it’s beans in chili or sauce on barbecue, everybody has their own tastes and opinions.
A more niche debate among food aficionados is which toppings are appropriate on a pizza. For the most conventional pizza lovers, the only acceptable toppings are tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil: the classic Margherita pizza.
Americans, of course, are more forgiving. Pepperoni, mushrooms and all manner of vegetables are fair game. But many draw the line at one controversial topping: pineapple.
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Another controversial topping is barbecue. When it comes to grain-based accompaniments, smoked meats are associated with white bread or tortillas rather than pizza crust.
There are exceptions. Famously, one of Elvis Presley’s favorite indulgences was a barbecue pizza from a local Memphis Italian-American joint called Coletta’s.
To this day, it’s Coletta’s signature dish: a pie piled high with mozzarella cheese, pulled pork and a generous ladling of barbecue sauce on top.
Not the most nuanced dish imaginable, but this was Elvis’s fried peanut butter and banana sandwich phase, after all.
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More recently, barbecue chicken pizza became the cornerstone at California Pizza Kitchen. Here, a sweet barbecue sauce substitutes for the traditional tomato sauce. The sauce is combined with pieces of grilled chicken, smoked gouda cheese and crispy red onions. Something about this combination clicked with diners.
When it opened in the mid-1980s, California Pizza Kitchen wowed crowds with creative pizza toppings inspired by the California fusion cuisine of celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. Though the chain isn’t as popular as it once was, its barbecue chicken pizza is still a standard offering in most supermarket freezer aisles.
For the most part, though, barbecue pizzas are defined by trading a savory tomato sauce for a sweet barbecue sauce.
What about real-deal Texas barbecue — actual smoked meats — as a pizza topping? It’s not unusual to see a barbecue joint team up with a pizza joint to provide smoked meats as toppings.
It’s far rarer to find either an individual barbecue joint or pizza joint offering this combination as a regular menu item.
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Such is the case, though, at Snarky’s Pizza & Burgers in Tomball. Owned by the same people as the nearby Tejas Chocolate & BBQ joint, Snarky’s offers legitimate smoked meats on an Italian-American-style pizza crust.
On a recent visit, I sampled the Brisket Jalapeño Popper Pizza, which features a deconstructed “Texas Twinkie” as a topping on Snarky’s exceptional sourdough crust: chunks of Tejas smoked brisket with slices of jalapeño peppers, crispy bits of bacon and cheddar cheese on a traditional base of mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. After the pie is baked in a 750-degree pizza oven, it’s finished with a drizzle of sweet barbecue sauce.
It’s the best of both pizza and barbecue worlds. It’s also a great way to use brisket with a slightly better profit margin: brisket as a topping on a pizza goes further and is a bit more profitable than just selling brisket by the pound.
Unlike barbecue, pizza is almost impossible to sell out of. Large batches of dough can be made in advance, and the toppings can be refrigerated until ready for baking in the oven.
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It’s an interesting and delicious combination of flavors and techniques: the brisket is cooked for up to 12 hours and then used as a topping on a pizza that’s cooked in an oven for just six minutes.
Snarky’s Pizza & Burgers
306 Market St., Tomball; 832-422-2019
Closed Mondays.
Dining and Cooking