Lockhart Smokehouse (Dallas, TX)

I came down with a pretty nasty cold this week. DayQuil wasn't doing much to alleviate my symptoms, so I decided to try a little DayQue instead. Lockhart Smokehouse has eluded me for a while now. The last time I went was during the dinner hour and they were sold out of almost everything, so this time I went at 11:00 a.m. right when they opened.

Don't go to Lockhart Smokehouse if you're interested in a barbecue sandwich or some kind of platter. Here the menu selections are all a la carte cuts of meat that are ordered by weight only, and the same is true for the sides. You also shouldn't expect hoity-toity things like plates, just butcher paper. Lockhart really isn't the place for a dinner date, but if you're looking for phenomenal barbecue, you're in the right place.

I wanted to make sure I had enough food for my wife and I to eat both lunch and dinner, so I ordered 1/2 lb. of beef brisket, 1 lb. of ribs, 2 pork chops, and 4 Kreuz sausages. I also got bbq baked beans, mac n' cheese, and potato salad for my sides.

 
The beans had a good sweet flavor to them, and had a generous helping of chopped brisket and smoked onions mixed right in. They had been cooking just long enough without being mushy and overcooked. My mac n' cheese was cheesy and creamy, and was just what I needed on a dreary rainy day. The potato salad also had a nice taste. I found big chunks of smoked potatoes and red onion throughout. There was also a fair amount of spice that tends to creep up on you if you're not careful.

As much as I wanted to keep eating the sides, I couldn't resist diving into the magnificent-looking brisket piled in front of me. At Lockhart Smokehouse, you can get your brisket however you want: lean, fatty, extra bark, etc. I opted for a mix of lean and fatty with lots of extra bark. My first bite seemed to literally melt in my mouth. The fat was rendered nicely, and there was a great smoky flavor both on the edges and seeped into the meat itself. I was in heaven.

Next I moved on to the pork chops. The crust was nice and crispy, with a hint of sweetness to it. There wasn't just a ton of smoke on the inside, but the edges were great. My pork chops were just a tad dry, although not bad overall.

The sausages are individual 1/3 lb. links, which are perfectly-sized. The casings had a great snap to them, and as soon as you got past the casing the meat inside is so tender it almost dissolves in your mouth. My sausage also had a nice amount of pepper to it that left a lingering spiciness after each bite.

I finished off my lunch with the ribs. My order of 1 lb. of ribs ended up being 4 gigantic spare ribs that were 1/4 lb. each. They were perfectly cooked Texas-style ribs. There was a great char and flavor from the dry rub, so the ribs didn't need any sauce at all (which is good because none was offered).

My lunch was absolutely delicious all the way around. In fact, the only bad thing about Lockhart Smokehouse is the price. The brisket and sausage were each $15.00/pound, and the pork chops and ribs were each $12.50/pound. This was my first time at Lockhart, so I admittedly went a little overboard. Even so, I ended up spending $80.00 on two meals for two people, which is a bit outrageous. Lockhart Smokehouse probably has some of the best Texas-style barbecue in Dallas (that's kind of like saying they have the best barbecue in the mall food court, but still). This place is definitely worth checking out, just be prepared to pay for it.

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Lockhart Smokehouse
400 West Davis
Dallas, TX 75208
(214) 944-5521
http://www.lockhartsmokehouse.com