Filed under: barbecue, food, restaurant, top-feature
Texas Barbeque
Food snobs beware because if you’re coming to Dallas for the SuperBowl this year you might have to readjust your taste buds Texas style. Or at least put on a Stetson and some cowboy boots and learn how to saunter like a pro, particularly into one of Big D’s many barbeque joints.
Texas and Dallas/Fort Worth specifically are known for good barbeque around the globe. So with all the sports enthusiasts raining down in early February it’s important to know what the “barbeque capital” is all about and exactly what you need to do to enjoy the best barbeque around.
Why Texas Barbeque is Different
By Texas barbeque I don’t mean slapping meat on a grill and turning it over every now and then. No way, true Texas-style barbeque is cooked with low-heat and lots of wood smoke for both the cooking part of the process and the flavoring part of it. That means barbeque that’s cooked over a slow burning hardwood fire with love and care.
Texas barbeque in Dallas can be even more distinctive since, after all, there are several different styles throughout the state and that includes the way it’s cooked to the taste of the sauce. Salt Lick is one style, but not what you will find in Big D, instead it is here you will most likely find a “no sauce” option with your meat. You don’t want to ruin the flavor with sauce anyway.
Where to Find it
In Dallas you’re as good as royalty if you find yourself at just the right barbeque hole-in-the-wall, but that takes a little bit of knowing what you’re actually looking for to begin with. There are definitely some specific rules in Texas on how to find the best barbeque stops – and first and foremost, you use your nose. If there is not an amazing smoky smell (think wood) wafting from the place don’t even bother.
It’s also going to be the kind of stop that even if you are a little scared to go in, you’d better anyway. Once inside its crowded and you’ll find folks with Louis Vuitton bags and Rolex watches, pushing their sleeves up and digging in for a bite.
On the menu look for slow cooked ribs, tender beef brisket, pork sausage and chicken, which can be had either as a sandwich, sandwich plate or dinner plate. Take note of the size, it is Texas after all. You’ll also want to make sure there are choices of comfort-style veggies (potato salad and beans) and big Texas-size onion rings.
How to Eat it
Forget about the sauce, you don’t eat barbeque in Dallas with sauce unless you’re a newbie or you just don’t care to make the right kind of impression. Instead, slather your chosen meat with the likes of onions, pickles maybe some cheese, and if it’s not a sandwich you’ve got to add some bread (Mrs. Beard’s bread out of the bag and you’ve hit just the kind of barbeque place you’ve been looking for too). Don’t be surprised if you don’t get a plate either, the meat is often served on butcher paper and that means again, you’ve found your barbeque home.
On the Dallas Barbeque Trail
You can’t go wrong with one of these five barbeque “bests” in or around Dallas:
- Mesquite Barbecue (145 E Davis at Belt Line, Mesquite, map) – Since 1959 the short drive from Dallas to Mesquite has been worth it with its hickory-smoked pork and mouthwatering side dishes that are second to none.
- Mike Anderson’s BBQ House (5410 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, map) – Down and dirty just like it should be, it was in 1981 that this place opened and they make everything in-house too. Expect cafeteria-style with choices of hickory-smoked pork ribs, Polish sausage, beef brisket, turkey breast and for sides heaping portions of jalapeno pinto beans and rice, garlic and cheddar smashed potatoes and garlic slaw.
- Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse (2202 Inwood Road, Dallas, map) – It’s an oldie and still a goody since this legendary barbeque spot has been around since 1910 offering Texas-style portions with a variety of sauces. There is pulled pork or chicken, brisket, ribs, sausage, ham or turkey and for sides you can choose from coleslaw, potato salad, green bean casserole and fried onion rings that are as individual as the place itself.
- Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que and Home Cooking (1820 W Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, map) – The theme here will draw you in, but the food will assure you stay. Rustic with specials like chicken and dumplings and fried catfish to order right along with ribs, hot links or chicken.
- Red Hot & Blue (9810 N Central Expressway, Dallas, map) – Try the famous “Hoochie Coochie” (it’s hot) sauce along with pulled pork, dry or wet pork spare ribs, chicken, beef brisket or the smoked turkey. Sides include coleslaw and potato salad, and with the Elvis tunes playing non-stop, it’s a barbeque experience not to be forgotten.
Photo credit: SXC
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We feature award winning BBQ at our restaurant in Grapevine. We also offering catering.