@movernie
During our Spring Training Press Trip in Arizona, the itinerary was not just all about baseball. We got to visit many cool places around the area that serves good food, drinks and amazing outdoors activities.
Have you ever have a peanut butter, jam and brisket sandwich before? I had a beef brisket sandwich before but never a PBJ beef brisket sandwich in my life. Welcome to Jalapeno Bucks, a popular local outdoor restaurant that serves BBQ dishes plus a variety of burritos. It’s a very casual, chill sit down spot in Mesa, Arizona. The place is so popular that most often you couldn’t find a parking spot or there is a long lineup, so be patient coz the food is worth the wait.
We got a nice table reserved for our media group and it’s a nice long wooden picnic table with umbrellas to keep us under the nice shade. Owner of Jalapeno Bucks and self-taught pitmaster Duaine Burden, who runs the business with his wife Dianne came and greeted us. They started us off with the fresh, crispy tortilla chips and they gave us 3 different pint (yes they sell pint of salsa) of salsa sauce (mango; mild and hot chilli).
Everyone got to order their own lunch and I ordered the peanut butter & jam beef brisket sandwich (I just have to order it and taste it). I was really curious if PBJ works well with beef brisket. Then, we ordered a half pound of burnt ends to share. I love burnt ends, it’s crispy outside while super juicy and tender inside.
MoVernie Fun Fact: What are burnt ends? Based on Wikipedia, they are flavorful pieces of meat cut from the “point” half of a smoked brisket. Either the entire brisket is cooked whole, then the point end removed and cooked further, or the point and flat are separated prior to cooking.
As I looked at the food menu, prices are very reasonable, it ranges from $7.00 USD to $10.50 USD for a sandwich, depending on how much BBQ meat you want. There are a good list of food items that you will enjoy. The portion of each food item was generous, we couldn’t finish all the tortilla chips or the sides (coleslaw & macaroni salad) but I managed to finish the entire PBJ beef brisket sandwich and burnt ends.
Back to the PBJ beef brisket, after my 1st bite, I was like “Wow!”. The use of PBJ was that good! I have to say, I couldn’t stop biting on it until I finish it all. I was like “Why didn’t anyone think of using PBJ earlier?”. I wish there are places in Toronto that serves PBJ beef brisket. I may have to look harder to find one. I would never thought PBJ will work this well with the beef brisket. The only drawback with the PBJ is that it drips and could get messy but who cares, if it’s delish, that’s all I care about.
I enjoy the food here, the vibe, the atmosphere (patio style) really makes this place super special. I do, however, have to say that…..this may not be a place for vegetarian or vegan coz almost the entire food menu does revolve around serving BBQ meat, beef brisket, pulled pork. There aren’t whole lots for vegetarian to choose from, perhaps a cheese or bean burrito and the salad. But if you are BBQ lovers, this is definitely the place you have to visit the next time you visit Mesa, Arizona.
MoVernie Fun Fact: One of the journalists asked the owner Duaine of how he came up with the name “Jalapeño Bucks”. He said Jalapeño Bucks was derived from playing the famous Playstation game “Halo”. Who would have thought a resto name would be based on a popular video game?
And may I suggest you order a large iced tea to flush down all the meat and food? It’s a wonder feeling my friend. And while you are there, be sure to check out the B&B Citrus Farms, it sells fresh produce and big and fresh oranges.
Jalapeño Bucks
Website: www.JalapenoBucks.com
Address: 3434 N Val Vista Dr, Mesa, AZ 85213, USA
Phone: +1 480-459-3050
Want to know more about my press trip experience and adventures during my visit in Phoenix and Mesa in Arizona? Follow my journey on Instagram (@RealMoVernie) and Twitter (@MoVernie).
The dining experience at Jalapeño Bucks was provided by Visit Mesa. However, as always, the opinions expressed in this post is entirely my own.
