A gray drizzle hung over San Antonio on a recent Saturday, but the atmosphere was anything but gloomy at Avenue B’s El Camino Food Truck Park.
A boisterous crowd of customers huddled around pink picnic tables under the awning, enjoying cheap drink specials and, of course, food from the half-dozen food trucks parked on site. More than a few of those patrons — myself included — braved the weather to sample San Antonio’s newest social media darling: the chunky Dinoritto from the Bussin’ Q food truck.
Bussin’ Q Food Truck can be found regularly at the El Camino Food Truck Park and Bar at 1009 Avenue B.
Paul Stephen/StaffThis beast of a meal is the kind of extreme eating designed to make contestants blush like Joey Chestnut. The “dino” part of the equation is a whole smoked bone-in beef rib, often referred to as “dino rib” in barbecue circles. We are talking about at least two kilograms of meat. This behemoth is stuffed into a jumbo flour tortilla along with a few scoops of mac and cheese, pico de gallo and a drizzle of barbecue sauce. The whole assembly goes on a hot pan where the tortilla gets crispy.
Dinoritto has been around for a few months, but is currently riding a wave of attention, largely sparked by a post in late October by TikTok user @lifeofcian, who featured the dish in a video that has garnered nearly a million views. These days, Bussin’ Q usually sells about 50 of these monsters on a normal shift.
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When you throw this ballistic burrito on your table, the first operation is to remove the bone. With a slight wiggle and twist, the rib slips right out of the tortilla wrap, leaving almost all of the meat behind. The few ragged pieces of beef left on the bone make a quick appetizer before the main event.
Don’t be fooled. The Dinoritto is a clumsy (and possibly unholy) mess of food that will leave you covered in grease and sauce with a pepper crust wedged between every tooth. And my condolences to any poor soul trying to handle the whole thing at once. There are at least three solid dishes here. But every bite is a well-balanced taste of a classic Texas barbecue platter, with tender smoky beef cooked to perfection, silky poppy seeds, and just enough flavor from the sauce to remind you that this is a party, not a Sisyphean struggle.
Caveat emptor: This is probably the only $42 burrito in San Antonio. But it’s a fair price. If you’ve ever ordered a dino rib at a barbecue joint, you know it’s in line with what you’d pay for this much protein coming from any pit in town.
Bussin’ Q, 1009 Avenue B at El Camino Food Truck Park, 562-269-6522, Facebook: Bussin’Q
Speaking of other pits, if your belly is craving low and slow smoked beef ribs, here are three other places you can find them on the menu.
Beef ribs are a Saturday-only event at 2M Smokehouse on South WW White Road in San Antonio.
Mike Sutter/Staff file photo2M Smokehouse: San Antonio’s best barbecue joint only offers beef ribs on Saturdays, but these decidedly non-babies are worth the wait. 2M co-founders Esaul Ramos Jr. and Joe Melig have won statewide praise for their beef ribs, and you’ll be singing along after a few bites.
2M Smokehouse, 2731 S. WW White Road, 210-885-9352, 2msmokehouse.com
EVERYONE IN THE FAMILY: Barbecue Station in San Antonio keeps it in the family with loyal employees, customers
The Barbecue Station sells center cut beef back ribs.
Mike Sutter/Staff file photoBarbecue Station: This timeless smokehouse has been serving San Antonio for over 30 years, and the beef ribs are a big part of that success. The Barbecue Station sells beef short ribs that don’t have the same comedic impact as a massive dino rib, but deliver all the flavor at a more affordable price.
The Barbecue Station, 1610 NE Loop 410, 210-824-9191, barbecuestation.com
The menu at Pinkerton’s Barbecue in downtown San Antonio includes massive beef ribs.
Mike Sutter/Staff file photoPinkerton’s BBQ: This downtown restaurant has come a long way in a few years, from a soft opening in 2021 to earning a spot on Express-News dining critic Mike Sutter’s August list of the city’s 10 best barbecue joints . The beef ribs are the most expensive item on the menu at $31 a pound, but it will be a meal to remember.
Pinkerton’s Barbecue, 107 W. Houston St., 210-983-0088, pinkertonsbarbecue.com
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The Bussin’ Q food truck serves a Dinoritto made with a whole smoked bone-in beef rib, mac and cheese and pico de gallo wrapped in a giant flour tortilla for $42.
Paul Stephen/Staff
