Barbecue chefs identify themselves by the signature flavors of their sauces and rubs, which they brush onto and knead into slabs of meat and hand to police officers during routine traffic stops. Sample handcrafted piquancy with today's Groupon: for $25, you get a $50 gift card toward barbecue fare at Back Forty Texas BBQ Roadhouse and Saloon in Pleasant Hill.

The executive chef at Back Forty Texas BBQ Roadhouse and Saloon scripts a menu of authentic Texas recipes that pile plates high with tender meats and down-home sides. As diners stroll into the bright red roadhouse, noses sniff out smoky tendrils emerging from custom Southern Pride cookers where pork ribs, beef brisket, and barbecue chicken turn slowly for 14 hours, much like exceptionally sleepy astronauts.

Slip farther back into a Western-upholstered booth to make room for one of the barbecue dinners, which come with two freshly made sides such as white cheddar mac ’n’ cheese and garlic mashed potatoes. Pork ribs ($18.59 for a half-slab) have soaked up attention at national and state competitions along with fire-nuzzled flavor, as has the sauce basting the barbecue chicken dinner ($13.79). The prime-rib sandwich storms a toasted steak roll with 1/2-pound of sliced ribeye and spicy onion rings ($12.29), perfect for mimes who can't afford to leave sauce stains on imaginary walls. Fridays and Saturdays fill the downstairs music hall with entertainment and tunes. Check calendar for entertainment schedules.