The Slow Bone (Dallas, TX)

The Dallas blogosphere has been on fire lately, raving about Jack Perkins' week-old barbecue joint, The Slow Bone. I've been fooled by public opinion before, so I had to scope things out for myself.

An amazing smoky aroma hits you as soon as you step within 50 feet of this place. The exterior looks like a shady nightclub, while the interior has more of a diner feel to it. I dig it. They have great old school blues and classic rock pumping through the speakers that adds to the overall experience. From the doorway to the counter, they have a wrap-around ordering line set up in anticipation of large crowds. Even at 3:00, there was a steady stream of customers coming through the door. You could also see Jack Perkins cruising around, keeping tabs on his new baby.

I was pretty hungry by this point, so I ordered a 3 Meat Platter: brisket, St. Louis ribs, and jalapeno bratwurst. For my sides, I settled on sweet potato casserole and mac n' cheese. They were also kind enough to toss on a few hush puppies for good measure.

Their sweet potato casserole was absolutely delicious: creamy whipped sweet potatoes with a streusel-like crust mixed in. It was more like a dessert than anything, so I decided to leave the rest until the end of my meal. My mac n' cheese was covered in several varieties of gooey cheese. The chives and other goodies mixed in reminded me of a loaded baked potato. This was much better than the average macaroni, and definitely didn't come from a box. The hush puppies were nice and flaky, with a cornbread-esque interior. There wasn't as much spice as I was expecting, but they were still very tasty.

The brisket looked amazing, and had a very pronounced black crust. I dug in, and it was like manna from heaven! Great seasoning, perfectly rendered fat, and plenty of smoke. Every bite was juicy and tender. Their trays come with a special compartment to house your personal pool of barbecue sauce, but there was no reason to add sauce here. I found it very hard to stop eating once I got rolling. This was easily some of the best brisket I've had in the Big D, or anywhere else for that matter.

Once I broke free from my brisket trance, I moved on to the jalapeno bratwurst. There were big visible chunks of jalapeno throughout each slice. The casings had a good amount of snap to them, and a nice smoky flavor just below. It had a decent level of heat, but not so much that it masked the other flavors. There was also a noticeable amount of black pepper dancing on my taste buds. Spiciness aside, the bratwurst left an interesting, sweet aftertaste. Beautifully done.

Already thoroughly stuffed, I finished things off with the ribs. These were big, meaty St. Louis ribs, so two was probably sufficient. They were cooked perfectly, and I got a good hit of spices with every bite. The meat had lots of staying power, none of this "falling off the bone" nonsense. I could taste plenty of smoke, although it's hard to say the ribs had a smoke ring when the red hue goes all the way to the bone.

I could easily eat their food by the truckload, and there wasn't a scrap of meat left by the time I was done. The Slow Bone is on the fast track to becoming the new top dog of Dallas barbecue.

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The Slow Bone
2234 Irving Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 377-7727
http://www.facebook.com/TheSlowBone