Dallas BBQ?

I am going to Dallas and Sherman for a long weekend. Any good barbeque to be found? Other Dallas threads have dealt mainly with chicken fried steak and Mexican.

Holla back now y'all (that doesn't sound Texan at all).

It's been a while since I've been, but Sonny Bryan's (orignial location only!) is a classic. Have I mentioned that you should only go to the original location on Inwood?

Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse
2202 Inwood Road
Dallas, TX 75235
214-357-7120

Thanks Steve - the online menu looks great - sparse and to the point. Fried pie? What am I getting myself into with this Texas bizness?

More recommendations would be greatly welcome!

Gracias Amigos

maybe not what you had in mind, but this place has better Chinese than any I've had in Chicago:

http://www.firstchinesebbq.com/

Habibi wrote:Thanks Steve - the online menu looks great - sparse and to the point. Fried pie? What am I getting myself into with this Texas bizness?

More recommendations would be greatly welcome!

Gracias Amigos

The whole place is sparse and to the point. Did I mention that you should only go to the original location? Also, if you can get to Ft. Worth, The Railhead is also worth checking out.

Habibi wrote:I am going to Dallas and Sherman for a long weekend. Any good barbeque to be found?

I've never been to Dallas but it seems an outpost of my favorite Texas spot, Cooper's in Llano, where god goes when she is in the mood for brisket, has opened in Fort Worth. That would be the first place I would go for BBQ. I'd also want to try the original Sonny Bryan's on Inwood and the Railhead in Fort Worth.

Here's a link to an article on Dallas BBQ joints sent to me by a fellow on a BBQ listserv I participate on. The Best Barbecue in Dallas (Thats Not Really in Dallas).

Google map of Dallas BBQ joints.

DallasFood.org is a good resource, but I don't know if its been kept current.

Have fun, looking forward to hearing how the Fort Worth Cooper's turned out.

Enjoy,
Gary

Cooper's BBQ
301 Stockyards Boulevard
Fort Worth, TX 76164
817-626-6464
coopersbbqfortworth.com

stevez wrote:It's been a while since I've been, but Sonny Bryan's (orignial location only!) is a classic. Have I mentioned that you should only go to the original location on Inwood?

Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse
2202 Inwood Road
Dallas, TX 75235
214-357-7120

Another datapoint of soul satisfyingly good grub--and by virtue of it being a BBQ variant posted here:

Golden Joy BBQ
Belt Line Road
Addison? (I think so)

Very respectable Hong Kong style BBQ meat hanging in the window/dim-sum/cantonese (sic: LTH type menu). VG roast pig, Hong Kong style wonton noodle soup (great broth), Black Cod and Tofu Hot Pot. Two types of dim sum dumplings sampled were not great but certainly were good.

stevez wrote:It's been a while since I've been, but Sonny Bryan's (orignial location only!) is a classic. Have I mentioned that you should only go to the original location on Inwood?

Stopped by Sonny Bryan's (original location on Inwood) last weekend while in Dallas. Classic joint - time worn inside & out, looked (and smelled) very promising going in.

They were running a special w/ a meat sandwich & rib sampler w/ one side for something like $10. We got one sliced brisket, one chopped brisket, and one pulled pork. All the sandwiches were very dry & bordering on flavorless. The ribs were a bit better, decent texture - somewhat toothsome, not falling off the bone (wish I would have thought to specify sauce on the side, as they were fairly drowned in sauce). Sides of beans and potato salad were unremarkable.

Noticed a newspaper article posted on the wall which stated that they do NOT use any kind of rub on the meat, which could certainly contribute to the lack of flavor, and the dryness could have been a function of sitting around too long after coming off the pit, but overall we were pretty underwhelmed (this was on a Saturday evening around 7 p.m.).

ChiNOLA wrote:

stevez wrote:It's been a while since I've been, but Sonny Bryan's (orignial location only!) is a classic. Have I mentioned that you should only go to the original location on Inwood?

Stopped by Sonny Bryan's (original location on Inwood) last weekend while in Dallas. Classic joint - time worn inside & out, looked (and smelled) very promising going in.

They were running a special w/ a meat sandwich & rib sampler w/ one side for something like $10. We got one sliced brisket, one chopped brisket, and one pulled pork. All the sandwiches were very dry & bordering on flavorless. The ribs were a bit better, decent texture - somewhat toothsome, not falling off the bone (wish I would have thought to specify sauce on the side, as they were fairly drowned in sauce). Sides of beans and potato salad were unremarkable.

Noticed a newspaper article posted on the wall which stated that they do NOT use any kind of rub on the meat, which could certainly contribute to the lack of flavor, and the dryness could have been a function of sitting around too long after coming off the pit, but overall we were pretty underwhelmed (this was on a Saturday evening around 7 p.m.).

Sorry to hear that. It's been a while since I've been there, but I've always gone at lunch time when the place is jammed. It's possible that the joint has gone downhill now that they operate other branches and the old man is dead.

Many years ago, when I lived Dallas, I was a regular at Sonny's. Like Steve above, I was a lunchtime diner. They would serve what they had, then announce when the next round of brisket, sausage, etc. was due out of the smoker. In the meantime, burgers were available if you couldn't wait. The product turnover at lunchtime, to me, was the secret to Sonny's success. Later in the day, unlike at lunch, the food has a chance to sit around, lose moisture and flavor, and be a little less satisfying.

Anybody have any recommendations for good bbq in the Dallas/Fort Worth area?

If you will be there over the weekend, I recommend North Main BBQ in Euless. I am too young to have experienced Sonny Bryan's in its heyday, but in my opinion it is nowhere near the top tier of Texas bbq now.

North Main is all-you-can eat, BYOB and it is attached to a mechanic's garage. It's basically everything you could want out of a Texas bbq joint that isn't located in the Hill Country.

406 North Main Street
Euless, TX 76039-3639
(817) 283-0884
Open Fri-Sat 11am-9pm; Sun 11am-4pm

davem wrote:Anybody have any recommendations for good bbq in the Dallas/Fort Worth area?

As my vacation last week was cancelled, I had to change my vacation destination from Spokane/Moscow/Yakima to Dallas-Fort Worth.

I came across this EXTREMELY thorough website last week:

Full Custom Gospel - BBQ
http://fcg-bbq.blogspot.com/

I have read about fifty reviews and he is pretty accurate on the dozen that I have tried (outside DFW).

I used the DallasFood.org to plan a lot of trips over the years BUT all of the old posts are gone and it has a focus on ... CHOCOLATE.

the BBQ Snob (Daniel Vaughn) is pretty spot on with his reviews but sometimes he's caught a place on a really good day or a really off day. I've eaten at many of the BBQ joints in the metroplex since I moved here from Chicago 14 months ago and have some favorites- especially for brisket. Not much of a rib guy. Wherever you go, remember to ask for brisket from the point.

I'd recommend the following places for Q (in order of my preference.)

1. Coopers in Ft. Worth: Consistently good. (Which can be difficult with Texas Q.) Not as smokey as some of the others, but very tender, excellent Texas pit BBQ.

2. Lockhart BBQ: Trying to emulate some of the giants of Lockhart Tx (including Kreuz, Smitty's and Blacks) this place doesn't stock forks and sauce is only occasionally available. A bit more variable than Coopers, but closer to Dallas. They stock sausage from Kreuz.

3. North Main BBQ in Euless: Although BBQsnob was not impressed, I really like the weekend buffet, if for no other reason than you can pick exactly what cuts are on your plate (and ask for specific things if you don't see them.)

4. Pecan Lodge BBQ: Very smoky, I haven't been back since they changed up their smoker, but I remember this place putting out very very smoky BBQ. Also very good fried chicken and sweets.

5. Meshacks: No place to sit. A bit less complex. Super sweet sauce.

There are a few chains that are good. Rudy's, with many locations in the north part of the city, is pretty good. Absolutely avoid all Sonny Bryan's and Dickey's locations (even the original.) If stuck in DFW, Cousins BBQ is not bad.

Good eating.

Veeral

veeral wrote:the BBQ Snob (Daniel Vaughn) is pretty spot on with his reviews but sometimes he's caught a place on a really good day or a really off day. I've eaten at many of the BBQ joints in the metroplex since I moved here from Chicago 14 months ago and have some favorites- especially for brisket. Not much of a rib guy. Wherever you go, remember to ask for brisket from the point.

In all fairness, that is the problem with MOST BBQ places ANYWHERE. If you get there at the right time, the food is divine. If not, well roll the dice.

The WORST BBQ experience recently was at Coopers in Llanos. We got there late in the day and much of the meat other than the brisket was overcooked or charred. I should never have been served the piece of goat as it was cooked beyond recognition ($8 down the drain).

And Arthur Bryants' rib tips were pretty bad also. If you are going to cook meat the night before, at least take the time to HEAT UP the meat so that it is not still ICE COLD in the middle. I was dragged there by a KC native who swore that it would be a great experience.

veeral wrote:4. Pecan Lodge BBQ: Very smoky, I haven't been back since they changed up their smoker, but I remember this place putting out very very smoky BBQ. Also very good fried chicken and sweets.

Likely hitting Pecan Lodge in mid April, have heard high praise from a number of friends who have also been to BBQ meccas in the US.
http://www.pecanlodge.com/
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Sweet Willie wrote:Likely hitting Pecan Lodge in mid April, have heard high praise from a number of friends who have also been to BBQ meccas in the US.
http://www.pecanlodge.com/
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despite torrential downpours and gale force winds, there was still a line of 40+ outside of Pecan Lodge ~11:45AM on a Sunday. Side note: a colleague of mine went to Pecan Lodge on a weekday and stated that the wait was 1.5 hours to get to the door, then another hour once inside.

So not one to wait in lines, a colleague and I went to Baker's Rib which is located in the same area as Pecan Lodge, the Deep Ellum area of Dallas, an arts, entertainment, dining district.

Baker's Rib was good and hit the spot but I wouldn't recommend going out of one's way to go: http://www.bakersribs.com/location/downtown-dallas/
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Client treated me to lunch yesterday in Dallas, we went to Odom's BBQ (Singleton Ave location)

Tried East Texas links, brisket, ribs.

EXCELLENT RIBS, out of sight, big meaty pork spareribs, I'd go to Odom's again just for these.

East Texas links were short chubby links, med ground coarse, tasty but I wouldn't order again.

Brisket was tender as could be, good flavor but there is better to be had in Texas.

Odom's BBQ
1971 Singleton Blvd
Dallas, Texas
(214) 631-3538
http://odomsbbq.com/
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stevez wrote:It's been a while since I've been, but Sonny Bryan's (orignial location only!) is a classic. Have I mentioned that you should only go to the original location on Inwood?

Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse
2202 Inwood Road
Dallas, TX 75235
214-357-7120

Just returned home from a visit to Dallas. My wife and I had dinner at the original location on Inwood. She pronounced the brisket as "the best she's ever had." She actually shared a piece with me.

Thinking of you Steve while enjoying our dinner. Olav ha-sholom.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Pecan Lodge a few weeks ago. Great brisket, nice jalapeño sausage, and a brisket tamale. A cup of Big Red( with real sugar !!!), and I was set.

I tried Pecan Lodge 4th of July weekend and found it to range from really good (pork ribs and mac n cheese) to solid (brisket and pork sausage) to not great (jalapeño beef sausage). For the brisket, I asked for a cut from the point only to get a fattier piece but I guess there was a miscommunication about how they trim the brisket/refer to the fattier portion at Pecan Lodge because I got a kind of dry piece while my friends got better looking slices. Still tasted pretty good, but didn't blow me away like I'd hoped. I think that part of it is that, for me, brisket will never do it as peak barbecue despite the fetishization of it.

Still, I'd recommend Pecan Lodge for anyone in Dallas because it seems to be one of the few spots in DFW to get solid Texas BBQ.