Texas BBQ on a Palgongsan day trip, Daegu: 3 meats ranked at Modak

The weather is lovely lately, so if you're looking for somewhere to go on a Daegu weekend, plenty of you are probably heading to Palgongsan. I found a great Palgongsan barbecue spot that's perfect right now, so let me introduce it. It's called Modak Texas Barbecue (모닥텍사스바베큐), and it has a Palgongsan Branch and a Dongdaegu Branch. We went to the Palgongsan Branch!

We went on a drive and outing since the weather was so nice, and the atmosphere and the food were both great 🫢 I'll walk you through the camping-style outdoor seating and a detailed, honest taste review.

Modak Texas Barbecue Palgongsan Branch: Is parking easy?

Modak Texas Barbecue Palgongsan Branch is at 290 Palgongsan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu (1st floor), and it has a big parking lot, so you can drive there without worrying. It's on Palgongsan, so it's a great stop on a scenic drive too.

Palgongsan day trip course: What to pair with Modak Texas Barbecue?

Have your meal at Modak Texas Barbecue Palgongsan Branch and combine it with nearby Palgongsan sights before or after for a full day trip.

• Donghwasa Temple & Palgongsan Cable Car: About 10–15 minutes by car, perfect for autumn foliage season or a walk along the autumn forest paths.
• Palgongsan big atmospheric café tour: There are lots of bakery cafés with great views nearby, so it's easy to follow your meal with dessert.

Modak Texas Barbecue → a walk at Donghwasa → a Palgongsan café tour. Do it this way and you'll have a really full weekend outing!

Indoor and outdoor seating at Modak Texas Barbecue Palgongsan Branch

The seating at Modak Texas Barbecue Palgongsan Branch is split into two spaces, inside and outside.

Indoor seating: wood tones like a Texas mountain lodge

Step inside and the warm wood tones and red brick give you an exotic feeling, as if you'd dropped in on a mountain lodge in Texas, USA. The indoor seats are laid out roomily, so it's not crowded and comfortable for eating. The inside is full of barbecue vibes too, so if you're coming with kids or older relatives, taking an indoor table seems fine.

Outdoor seating: glamping vibes I recommend even on chilly days

But the real highlight of Modak Texas Barbecue Palgongsan Branch was without a doubt the wide-open outdoor seating 😆 It felt like having a barbecue at a glamping site! It had suddenly turned a bit cold and I wondered about eating inside, but when I saw the outdoor seats I thought, we have to eat here, haha. Once we started eating it wasn't cold at all, the air was clean and the mood was great, so I personally highly recommend the outdoor seats.

Modak Texas Barbecue menu: What did we order?

As a proper barbecue specialist, Modak Texas Barbecue offers barbecue in various combinations such as brisket, pulled pork and spare ribs. It also has ribeye steak, tomahawk, lobster and plenty of pasta dishes, so pairing the main barbecue with pasta sounded good. We wanted to try a bit of everything, so we ordered the Memphis platter set and the shrimp cream pasta!

Modak's signature witch soup & nachos

Before the mains come out, Modak Texas Barbecue first gives you its signature witch soup and nachos as an appetizer. Honestly, witch soup (a vegetable soup often eaten for dieting) is bland and so-so when you eat it for a diet, right? But Modak's witch soup was really delicious! The broth isn't thin but rich, and the meaty flavor is deeply infused.

I don't normally eat big chunks of potato and carrot like this, but the sauce was so rich and tasty that I kept scooping it up. Spooned over crunchy nachos like a sauce, it was a really good match, and it was pleasantly spicy, zesty and savory. I think I practically inhaled almost all of it, haha.

Memphis platter (pulled pork, brisket, spare ribs)

While we were working on the appetizer, the Memphis platter arrived. The Memphis platter is the signature platter that lets you enjoy the three great Texas barbecues, brisket, pulled pork and spare ribs, all at once. It comes with assorted salads, special sauces, french fries and chicken wing drumettes too, so the lineup is really generous.

Pulled pork: tender, no gamey smell, falls apart along the grain

The pulled pork in the Memphis platter doesn't come already shredded; it comes out as one big chunk that you tear apart yourself. The meat is so soft and tender that it splits smoothly along the grain with just a brush of the fork.

I'm someone who can sniff out any pork odor and can't eat it if there's even a hint, but there was not one bit of gamey smell, and the meat was truly tender.

The basic sauce brushed on the surface is already great, but I stuffed bread or a tortilla with plenty of meat, topped it with salad, sauce and pickles like a mini burger, and got a real burst of authentic American flavor.

Brisket: beef with chew and juicy flavor

The brisket made my mouth water from its moist, glossy look alone!

The brisket is good on bread, and wrapped in the tortilla that comes with it, it's plain and goes well too. If the pulled pork is melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, the brisket is tender but packed with beef's characteristic chew and the rich juiciness, so anyone who loves meat will definitely be satisfied!

Spare ribs: smoked ribs that slide off with a gentle pull

The spare ribs in the Memphis platter had thick, solid meat on the bone and looked hefty from the first glance. You can tell they were smoked for a long time: just hold the bone and tug lightly and the meat slips right off, it was that tender.

The smoky aroma and the sweet-salty barbecue sauce soaked deep into the meat, so I sliced it up and finished every bit!

Which of the three Memphis platter barbecues was the best?

My ranking was pulled pork > spare ribs > brisket. All of them had properly good barbecue flavor and the differences are really slight, but the pulled pork was so tender it was great on its own and heavenly with bread and tortillas. 🏆

Does the shrimp cream pasta go well with barbecue?

Modak Texas Barbecue's shrimp cream pasta has a thick cream sauce with a subtle kick, which cut through the richness of the barbecue. After a proper protein load of barbecue, we tried the shrimp cream pasta we ordered alongside. The shrimp weren't cocktail shrimp; they were plump, big shrimp, generously packed in!

There's cheese in it too, and the sauce isn't watery but thick enough to cling to the noodles, which I loved. Especially because the cream sauce has a gentle spiciness, it neatly wiped the palate clean in between when the barbecue gets heavy!

If you're coming with kids, the spice level can be adjusted, so just tell them when you order to suit your taste.

The wing drumettes and french fries in the Memphis platter were tasty too. The wings in particular had a flavor that was quite distinctive. This lineup seems like something kids would enjoy as well.

Overall review of Modak Texas Barbecue Palgongsan Branch

• Wide-open outdoor seating with real camping vibes
• Authentic Texas barbecue platter that shreds along the grain with no gamey smell
• Rich, spicy Modak witch soup & nachos
• Spicy, thick shrimp cream pasta that cuts the richness of the meat
• Friendly staff and a spacious private parking lot

Overall, the atmosphere of the place is so romantic, and I was happy with everything: the quality and taste of the meat and the kindness of the staff at Modak Texas Barbecue Palgongsan Branch! It's the perfect place to visit when the weather is clear and cool like now, so if you're heading out to Palgongsan or on a drive, I highly recommend stopping by with the kids or your parents 🤍