The Gonzales Food Market has been producing praiseworthy ‘cue in, yes, Gonzales, for more than 50 years. Speaking of their pit boss in his “Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook,” author Robb Walsh says “his beef ribs are the best I’ve ever had.” The place, all smartly newish and uncharacteristically light and airy for a barbecue joint, evokes Gonzales only through a “Come and Take It” banner that refers to the cannon that started the Mexican-American War. Oh, and by dint of its sausage.

For us, sausage is as good a bellwether as brisket, given that it’s first created, then smoked, and GFM’s is just what we like: coarsely ground, emphatically seasoned, and presented still moist and just short of spurting. It takes to the house’s superlative sweet/tart/fruity sauce beautifully. So do the lamb ribs. Okay, they’re fatty—but not too lamby, and they are a welcome change from beef ribs no matter how good those stalwarts may be.

Whatever your meat choice (the pork chops are preferred by some), be sure to have the collard greens; they’re salty but utterly amazing. The residual pot likker is probably the only reason to say yes to wimpy white bread. Cheesy potatoes are excessive and trigger a fifty-cent supplement; the peach cobbler shouts out its cinnamon spicing with “come and take it” bravado. But, come and take it away when it comes to the flatscreen TV…