Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse (Dallas, TX)

Today I had a long lunch break in between court hearings, so I wandered over to Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse to grab a quick bite. Their West End location is only a few blocks from the courthouse, so it's a perfect lunch spot for me.

Sonny Bryan's isn't anything fancy, but then again barbecue isn't meant to be fancy, just smoky and delicious. Here you'll find a few neon beer signs scattered throughout, as well as framed newspaper and magazine articles detailing their many accolades. The only menu is the big one mounted on the wall, so just place your order at the counter and wait for your name to be called.

I didn't want to risk getting globs of barbecue sauce on my suit, so I opted for a fork-and-knife selection. I went with their special Smokehouse Sampler: smoked sausage and jalapeno sausage with a honey mustard dipping sauce. I also added a side of potato salad, as well as a small container of their barbecue sauce for my added dipping pleasure.

The potato salad was good and mustardy, and was a nice combination of both creamy and chunky. There was also a nice crunch from the veggies mixed in. Maybe the potato salad needed a little pepper or paprika for some additional spice, but other than that it was perfect. The dinner roll was nice and buttery with a hint of sweetness to it too (honey perhaps?). While I was eating, the staff would frequently come around offering additional rolls, and I would have taken them up on the offer but I had meat to concentrate on.

I started with the regular sausage to get a baseline on the heat level. It had a decent amount of pepper to it, although not too much to be overpowering. Then I moved on to the jalapeno sausage, which didn't vary too much in terms of overall taste, but the jalapenos definitely added some heat. The kick from the jalapenos slowly intensified in my mouth while I chewed. I was happy to find a clear distinction between the two sausages, which is how it should be but I'm always a little skeptical. It's also worth noting that, even though the sausage came pre-sliced, the casings still had a good snap.

As usual, I tried the sausage both with and without my duo of dipping sauces. The honey mustard added a nice sweetness to the smoke. It went perfectly with the jalapeno sausage, but was good with the regular sausage too. This was a nice change from the usual array of barbecue sauces, but it probably only works paired with the sausage. The barbecue sauce, on the other hand, was a little disappointing. I was glad the sauce wasn't overly sweet, but it really didn't add much in terms of flavor.

The Bryan family has been dishing out their smoky delights in Dallas for over 100 years, and it shows. Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse has locations scattered across the DFW metroplex (there are also a few in Utah if you're so inclined), and has even been featured on the Travel Channel's Man vs. Food Nation. If Sonny Bryan's barbecue is good enough to impress Adam Richman and his bottomless stomach, you know it's good.

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Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse
302 N. Market Street
Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 744-1610
http://www.sonnybryans.com

Red, Hot & Blue (Dallas, TX)

I generally dislike working on Sundays, and today was no exception. I decided to cruise on over to Red, Hot  & Blue for a barbecue pick-me-up.

I caught the delicious smell of smoke as soon as I stepped out of my truck, which was a good sign. When I walked in, there was some old school blues pumping through the speakers, and the walls were full of guitars, records, and photographs of all the legendary artists. This looked like just the place for a hip cat like myself.

I was eating alone, so I took a seat at the bar. Service was a little slow, which was surprising because it was 3:30 in the afternoon and they weren't really that busy. I ordered some sweet tea, and it was a giant portion that came in its own miniature pitcher. Then I picked the Five Meat Treat barbecue sampler: Ribs (I picked Memphis-style dry ribs over or the wet or sweet options), pulled pork, pulled chicken, sausage, beef brisket, bbq beans, and hush puppies (instead of the coleslaw).

The hush puppies were really good. They had a nice crisp batter. I was initially worried that they might be dry, but they weren't at all. These pups were slightly sweet and had a nice kick to them too. The bbq beans had pulled pork mixed right in. I'm not sure if the beans themselves were canned or not, but they had good flavor regardless. Maybe a little more pepper and they'd be better.

The sausage was nice and lean and had a good amount of pepper to it. I wish the casings had more snap to them though. I tried the sausage both with and without the sauce that came with my plate. The sauce added some sweetness and some heat, but I actually enjoyed the sausage more by itself. Their brisket on the other hand was pretty dry and way too lean of a cut. The slices were also really thick, which probably added to the dryness of it. I definitely needed the sauce with this one. I got some good edges on my slices, but there was no char at all. This was certainly not Texas-style brisket. "If you're gonna play in Texas, you gotta have a fiddle in the band," and you also gotta cook your brisket properly.

I moved on to the pulled chicken and pulled pork, but I honestly had a hard time figuring out which was which by the look of them on my plate. I dug in and discovered that they both kind of tasted the same too. The chicken was tender and juicy, but the pork was almost as dry as the brisket. The few pieces of chicken skin I got were tasty, but this wasn't enough to save it.

As for the ribs, on second thought maybe I should have picked wet or sweet. The ribs should have been dry rubbed and finished on the grill, but they looked like the dry rub had been added after they put the ribs on my plate. The fact that I could brush the rub right off suggested that I was right. My ribs were really dry too, and I had a pretty difficult time even cutting them apart with a knife. The rub tasted good, but the flavor pretty much ended at the crust.

After my smorgasbord of dry meat I needed something to get that taste out of my mouth, so I ordered a mini banana pudding for dessert. This was a sampler-size portion, which was perfect. There was a big mound of whipped cream on top, as well as a nice combination of both whole and crumbled 'nilla wafers. The pudding tasted good, but it was too runny.

All in all I was pretty disappointed with Red, Hot & Blue. My "five meat treat" was anything but, and the only meat I ended up finishing was the sausage. The hush puppies were my clear favorite, but it's not worth going back just for them. I took my leftovers with me to be polite, and I threw them away as soon as I got home. I thought about taking my in-laws here once before, but I'm glad I didn't.

Red, Hot & Blue is Memphis-style barbecue, founded in Virginia, and located in Texas. I guess this is just too many degrees of separation for it to be any good.

UPDATE (January 19, 2013): After posting a review of my disappointing experience on Yelp.com, I was contacted by Red, Hot & Blue's Director of Operations. He apologized for "missing the mark," and sent me a $30.00 gift certificate. I certainly appreciate a restaurant that takes pride in their food and tries to make things right when it isn't up to par. I'll definitely give Red, Hot & Blue another try, and hopefully my next visit will be better than the last.

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Red, Hot & Blue
9810 N. Central Expressway
Suite #600
Dallas, TX 75231
(214) 368-7427
http://www.rhnb.com

Hoffbrau Steaks (Dallas, TX)

Today my wife and I went to the Dallas Safari Club's annual convention near the West End, so I was understandably craving something that had been killed and butchered. We weren't quite dressed up enough for the Y.O. Ranch, so we settled on Hoffbrau instead.

Hoffbrau is pretty much your average steakhouse, but the atmosphere and the service could have been better. The hostess seated us at a small table wedged into a corner right next to the kitchen and restrooms, so it didn't exactly scream romance. We could also hear the constant screech of chairs on the second floor above us.

We started with an order of fried pickles that my wife had her eye on, and then I decided on a half-rack of their Texas Pork Ribs, substituting steak fries for corn on the cob.

The fried pickles were really good, except they were a tad too salty. The batter had just the right consistency to it. I especially liked that the pickles were cut a little thicker, which kept them from becoming flimsy or limp. Now for the ribs

When I ordered the "Texas Pork Rib Rack," naturally I was expecting Texas-style barbecue, but the 1/4-inch of sauce slathered on top definitely reminded me more of Memphis or St. Louis style than anything else. Maybe the name just meant that the pork itself was from Texas, but I digress. According to the menu, this was a Dr. Pepper-based sauce. It certainly had a pleasantly-sweet flavor to it, but it wasn't one that I would readily identify as Dr. Pepper. As my wife put it, "If Dr. Pepper had been the secret ingredient on Iron Chef and the judges couldn't taste the Dr. Pepper, they'd definitely lose." Despite all of this, the ribs were pretty juicy and tender without being overcooked.

It was nice to come in out of the cold for a little bit, but other than that Hoffbrau Steaks was kind of a letdown. The food wasn't bad or inedible, but there was certainly no wow factor. My wife and I both agreed that there was reason to go back. Maybe their steaks are better than their ribs, but the fact that D Magazine only gave Hoffbrau props for their chicken fried steak doesn't lend much confidence.

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Hoffbrau Steaks
311 N. Market Street
Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 742-4663
http://www.hoffbrausteaks.com

Peggy Sue BBQ (Dallas, TX)

My first day back at work after a long Christmas holiday was an exceptionally stressful one, so I was in need of some serious barbecue therapy. Peggy Sue BBQ was on my route home, so I stopped by to pick up some good smoked meat.

Peggy Sue's is located in Snider Plaza, just a block or two from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The restaurant is fairly small as far as seating goes, but that's pretty typical for most restaurants in the Plaza. The inside is decorated with a spot-on cowboy motif: old black and white photos, assorted western and cowboy decor, and even a Henry rifle mounted over the salad bar. You also end up with a great smoke smell from the pit.

I hadn't eaten all day, so I ordered up an immense meat feast. I ended up with a three-meat Full Meal with fatty sliced brisket (I had the option for lean or fatty, so not really a tough decision), sausage, and pulled pork, with Sweet Potater Tots and Hoppin' John on the side. I also added some gooey peach cobbler for dessert to round things off. I got my order to go, and the smell of delicious smoke had me salivating the whole drive home.

Let's start with some descriptions just so everyone is on the same page. The Sweet Potater Tots are just what they sound like: tater tots made from sweet potatoes. My tots were crispy and sweet, with just the right amount of salt for seasoning. The Hoppin' John, however, needs a little more explanation. The menu lists this side as "an old south favorite of black eyed peas and seasoned rice," but that really doesn't do the Hoppin' John justice. Essentially, you've got black eyed peas, rice, and celery in a broth, which made it almost like a black eyed pea gumbo. These two were a surprisingly tasty change from the usual barbecue sides, and I was definitely in need of black eyed peas to give me good luck in the new year.

As for the meat, I started my chow down with the sausage. It was smokey and full of spice, and the casing had a great snap to it. There were nice big peppercorns visible in each slice, and there was plenty of flavor to go around. The pulled pork was just a little dry and didn't have too much flavor, so this is where Peggy Sue's homemade bbq sauce came in handy. The sauce had a tangy vinegar base, which I usually prefer to some of other overly-sweet sauces out there. It also had a nice kick on the back end. The brisket was spectacularly juicy and tender, probably because I selected a fatty cut over the lean. I must have gotten mine sliced from the center of the brisket though, so I missed out on having any charred edges.

I was pretty full by this point, but I had already committed myself to the peach cobbler, and I wasn't going down without a fight. It was warm and gooey and just what I needed on a cold winter day. I wish there had been a little bit of streusel mixed in or sprinkled on top to give it a little texture change, but all in all the peach cobbler was an excellent palate cleanser.

If you're in the neighborhood, or if you're a coed in need of a study break, Peggy Sue's is a great place to score some tasty barbecue.

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Peggy Sue BBQ
6600 Snider Plaza
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 987-9188
http://www.peggysuebbq.com

Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill (Thackerville, OK)

My wife and I drove up to the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma for a Little Big Town concert. Despite being heralded as the second largest casino in the world, the WinStar has slim pickens as far as restaurants go. In keeping with our country music theme for the evening, we decided to try out Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill for dinner.

The decor is exactly what you would expect from Toby Keith: American flags, truck tailgates, neon beer signs, and a full-size Ford F-150 on the wall. There isn't much for ambiance here though despite all of the assorted redneck nick-nacks. The restaurant itself is a huge space, but there really aren't that many tables for the immense size.

Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill isn't what you would consider a true barbecue joint, but they did have ribs on the menu, so I thought it was worth a review. We started with an order of Tater Skins for an appetizer, and then I ordered a full rack of St. Louis Ribs, with Freedom Fries, Cowboy Beans, and cornbread on the side.

The Tater Skins were fantastic. They were big, crispy, covered in cheese and bacon, and came with both ranch and sour cream for dipping. How could you go wrong with that?

The Freedom Fries, however, were a different story. The fries were pretty limp and soggy, so I'm guessing they hadn't been cooked to order. They had some nice seasoning, but I couldn't get past the texture enough to eat more than 3. The Cowboy Beans were pretty disappointing too. They were bland and in desperate need of salt. Not even the big chunks of bacon could save them. A big part of me suspects they came from a can. Of my sides, the cornbread was the clear winner. It had a good sweet flavor, but it would have been nice if it was a little flakier and a little less grainy.

My St. Louis Ribs came to the table drowning in sauce, which is what I assumed their version of St. Louis-style barbecue would look like. The sauce had a nice sweet taste, but could have used a little more kick to it, even just some black pepper. The ribs were almost too tender, to the point that all the meat pulled off the bone in one bite. I would guess that they been cooking for several hours longer than needed, and then probably steamed themselves to death for another hour or two waiting for me to order them. It was almost like eating pulled pork, and the bone was just there so that you knew they were supposed to be ribs.

I wasn't expecting much from Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill, which is good because they didn't have much to give. If we ever go back to the WinStar for another concert, I'd probably try a burger instead.

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Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill
WinStar World Casino
777 Casino Ave. #1
Thackerville, OK 73459
(580) 276-9966
http://www.tobykeithsbar.com

Recipe: South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup yellow mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Whisk the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, white vinegar, brown sugar, and pepper in a bowl until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Courtesy Food Network Magazine
June 2012 - Volume 5, Issue 5
Photograph by Andrew Purcell

Back Country Bar-B-Q (Dallas, TX)

Today I decided to check out Back Country Bar-B-Q for no reason other than that I was starving and in need of meat. Back Country isn't too far from my apartment, so it was a good choice for a lunch run.

The name "Back Country" fits this place perfectly. The walls aren't painted or lined with wallpaper, just old cedar-style planks of wood, and the decor consists of assorted trophy mounts (moose, whitetail, buffalo) and collegiate flags. I was surprised, yet happy, to see they even had a flag for my alma mater Vanderbilt. I'm not sure where they keep the pits and smokers, but I couldn't smell much inside.

I decided to step a little outside of my usual meats and sides this round. I ordered the Three Meat Combo with ribs, hot links, bbq chicken, potato salad (ok, so not too far outside the box), fried okra, and Texas toast.

My fried okra came straight out of the fryer, and had a nice crispy batter to it. You can imagine my disappointment when I bit in and realized that the okra was pretty much devoid of any flavor whatsoever. Dipping the okra in ranch was the only way to make it palatable, but even a little salt would have helped. The potato salad had a great mustard flavor. Oddly, the potatoes were very finely diced, so the consistency was much more like egg salad. Since the potato salad seemed sandwich-ready for some reason, I made an open-faced sandwich with it and my Texas toast, and it worked perfectly.

When I first looked at my combo plate, I was a little upset that it only came with two small ribs. Although, after I started eating them, I decided that they had probably given me two too many. The ribs had a good crust on them, but there wasn't much smoke and they were a little on the dry side.

The bbq chicken was cooked perfectly. It had a nice crisp skin on it, and was juicy all the way through. I opted for dark meat, so that probably helped. My only complaint is that both the leg and thigh were pretty small.

My favorite meat of the trio was definitely the hot links. They had a nice char on the outside, so there was a good snap to the casing. The links were peppery and slightly spicy, but not enough to set your tongue on fire. They were great with Back Country's Original Smokehouse BBQ Sauce, which was a good mix of tangy and sweet. Here again though, the portion was pretty small.

On my way out the door, I noticed a small sign advertising "Mick Mick's Homemade Banana Pudding" that I really wish I had seen on my way in. I'm not sure who Mick Mick is, but I'm sure the banana pudding is fantastic. Oh well, something to think about for next time.

Aside from the small portions of meat, I would definitely give Back Country Bar-B-Q another try.

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Back Country Bar-B-Q
6940 Greenville Ave.
Dallas, TX 75231
(214) 696-6940
http://www.backcountrybarbq.com

3B Texas Spice Co (Saginaw, TX)

Let me start by saying that 3B Texas Spice Co. is not an actual restaurant, but rather a purveyor of phenomenal rubs, seasonings, and spice blends. My co-worker Karen Baylor and her husband Wayne (two of the three B's) hosted a barbecue at their house, and I was lucky enough to be on the invite list.

Tonight's menu included ribs and strip steaks, as well as a motley assortment of sides and desserts brought by the other guests. I've had their 3B-spiced brisket, chicken, and pinto beans on other occasions, but I guess I'll just have to settle for ribs and steak this time around.

The ribs were fantastic! They were tender and juicy, and I was happy to see that each tiny rib bone was supporting almost an inch of solid meat on top. A light slathering of sauce added to the already delicious flavor of the 3B Rib rub. The sauce was sweet with a nice kick on the back end. I was initially told that there would be enough ribs for each guest to have 3. Luckily for me, this was not a hard-and-fast rule, because I easily ate 15 ribs myself. I probably would have eaten more, but I wanted to leave a little room for the steak that was still to come.

Wayne's pit spent the whole night covered in thick, magnificent Angus strip steaks loaded with their 3B Steak and Chophouse rub. The steaks had a nice char on the outside, and were cooked to a perfect medium on the inside. The 3B rub flavor was seared nicely to the steaks, so there was no need for added sauce here. Sadly, I had eaten far too many ribs to finish my whole steak, but at least I gave it a valiant effort.

Along with their cousin Brock (the third B), Karen and Wayne use their hand-crafted spice blends to compete in barbecue competitions across the state. They frequently place (if not win) in every category they enter, and once you try their spice blends you'll understand why. I highly recommend checking out their website to buy a few. There are also several different sets that are "ready for gifting" if you have a barbecue lover in the family.

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3B Texas Spice Co.
http://www.3btexasspices.com

Baker's Ribs (Dallas, TX)

Despite living within minutes of Baker's Ribs for over 6 years now, somehow I've never actually eaten here. Well, today I finally slapped some sense into myself and swung by for lunch. I'm glad I did.

The outside of the building doesn't look very fancy at all, and frankly neither does the inside. That usually means they concentrate on the food, so I was optimistic. Baker's is set up cafeteria style, so you can just slide yourself along until they've loaded enough deliciousness onto your plate. Be careful not to drink too much sweet tea though, since there are no public restrooms.

When a place has "ribs" right in their name, it's hubris to leave them off of your order. I got the 2 Meat Combo with ribs, sliced brisket, pinto beans, and potato salad.

I'm always worried that I'll end up with canned beans just spooned out onto my platter, but these beans were great and clearly homemade. They could have used a little more salt, but I probably need to watch my blood pressure anyway. The potato salad was creamy and full of dill and pepper. I usually don't like a lot of dill, but it gave the potato salad a nice sweetness. It was also a nice change of pace from the usual mustard potato salad.

The ribs were everything I hoped they would be: tender and juicy, and a little sweet on the meat side. I'm guessing they got a healthy dose of sauce while cooking. My only complaint is that my combo plate only came with three. The brisket, on the other hand, was a little disappointing. It had a nice char on the edge, but it was way too lean. It wasn't wholly inedible, but definitely too dry to get five stars. The flavor was good though, I must have just gotten a bad cut.

At the last minute, I decided to add peach cobbler to my order. It was spectacular. Not as good as my grandma's, but then again that's a pretty high standard to match. The cobbler had nice big chunks of peaches and warm gooey crust. I was pretty full after my main course, but I happily scarfed this cobbler down with a smile on my face.

Baker's Ribs has locations all across the DFW metroplex, and even one in Minneapolis for no apparent reason. I highly recommend stopping by to rip some rib meat off the bone.

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Baker's Ribs
4844 Greenville Ave.
Dallas, TX 75226
(214) 373-0082
http://www.bakersribs.com

Cousin's (Fort Worth, TX)

I commute to Fort Worth for work almost every day, but I rarely eat there outside of fast food joints close to my office. A co-worker told me that Cousin's had some awesome 'que, so today I took a short road trip for lunch. I was surprised to see that they had a drive-thru, which I took advantage of since I was planning on getting my food to-go anyway. Even from the drive-thru window I could smell the smoky aroma wafting from inside this local legend.

I ordered the Two Meat Combination platter with pulled pork and smoked German sausage (surprise, surprise) and got mustard potato salad and macaroni and cheese on the side.

For some reason I always start my review with the side dishes. I guess that's because I'd rather get them out of the way and focus on the meaty goodness. Oh well. The mac and cheese tasted like Easy Mac, but that's ok since I happen to like quasi-edible macaroni. The potato salad was actually really good and had a decent amount of spice to it. There seemed to be a little paprika or chili powder or something sprinkled on top, which added a nice kick at the end of each bite.

The sausage had a nice smoky flavor and plenty of pepper to boot. It was sliced thin, which I think helped keep each piece moist while sitting in its own juices. But the real star here was the pulled pork. It was magnificently tender and had a small load of sauce mixed right it. I usually don't add sauce to my meat if I can avoid it, but this worked really well and didn't detract from the meat's natural flavors at all. I completely annihilated the pulled pork in under a minute, so that should tell you something.

My order came with a small container of sauce on the side, which really wasn't needed for this meal given the sausage's natural flavor and the sauce pre-mixed into the pulled pork. I tend to think adding sauce is a way to mask a pitmaster's inability to cook flavor into the meat directly, but Cousin's definitely didn't have that problem.

If you're ever in southwest Fort Worth, this place is worth a stop.

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Cousin's Bar-B-Q
5125 Bryant Irvin Rd.
Fort Worth, TX 76132
(817) 346-3999
http://www.cousinsbbq.com