List invalid by having Austin > Lockhart. Franklin's is awesome; John Mueller is pretty great, but other than that, I haven't been overly impressed by the Austin BBQ locations. Meanwhile, Lockhart has 4 BBQ places and all of them are pretty much heaven.
Salt Lick is fantastic but has gone slightly downhill over the years in taste as it's turned more into a tourist trap. Besides, it's in Driftwood, and I don't count Driftwood as Austin.
St. Louis needs to be on the list somewhere as well. Pappy's and Bogart's are both top-notch.
Hot Springs getting recognition is nice. McClard's is one of my favorite BBQ places anywhere.
Best BBQ restaurant in America is in Memphis - Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ. Central is great too. Rendezvous seems hit or miss. I've had great food there but also some disappointing meals.
Finally, it's criminal that their Kansas City write-up doesn't mention Oklahoma Joe's
(02-17-2015 08:26 PM)CalallenStang Wrote: List invalid by having Austin > Lockhart. Franklin's is awesome; John Mueller is pretty great, but other than that, I haven't been overly impressed by the Austin BBQ locations. Meanwhile, Lockhart has 4 BBQ places and all of them are pretty much heaven.
Salt Lick is fantastic but has gone slightly downhill over the years in taste as it's turned more into a tourist trap. Besides, it's in Driftwood, and I don't count Driftwood as Austin.
St. Louis needs to be on the list somewhere as well. Pappy's and Bogart's are both top-notch.
Hot Springs getting recognition is nice. McClard's is one of my favorite BBQ places anywhere.
Best BBQ restaurant in America is in Memphis - Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ. Central is great too. Rendezvous seems hit or miss. I've had great food there but also some disappointing meals.
Finally, it's criminal that their Kansas City write-up doesn't mention Oklahoma Joe's
It's taken me decades, but once I was able to release my bias of sweet VS mustard or pork VS beef brisket, etc, etc, etc; every area has great BBQ. Just enjoy the moment with good BBQ, forget the regional bias, and suddenly it's almost all good.
(02-17-2015 08:22 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote: The best in the Dallas area is in McKinney, about 35 miles north of downtown Dallas. Hutchins BBQ is wonderful ... all you can eat (including drink) for $20. Just my opinion from being here for 30 years.
Hard Eight in Coppell is almost as good and slightly more expensive.
Austin is still much better than Dallas.
I really gotta get to Hutchins. Unfortunately, when I was in Dallas during the summer, I stayed downtown and then only spent a few days at my friend's house in McKinney. We ended up at Sissy's which was pretty great. Other than that, we ate at a few cheaper places in McKinney because we were with a bunch of people. I did get to Lockhart Smokehouse when I was in Dallas, which was awesome.
(02-17-2015 08:22 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote: The best in the Dallas area is in McKinney, about 35 miles north of downtown Dallas. Hutchins BBQ is wonderful ... all you can eat (including drink) for $20. Just my opinion from being here for 30 years.
Hard Eight in Coppell is almost as good and slightly more expensive.
Austin is still much better than Dallas.
I really gotta get to Hutchins. Unfortunately, when I was in Dallas during the summer, I stayed downtown and then only spent a few days at my friend's house in McKinney. We ended up at Sissy's which was pretty great. Other than that, we ate at a few cheaper places in McKinney because we were with a bunch of people. I did get to Lockhart Smokehouse when I was in Dallas, which was awesome.
Others in Dallas:
Pecan Lodge is great, but not worth the insane line...go at a slightly off-time. Best all-around in Dallas
Slow Bone has fantastic brisket in my opinion, and great sides, but the rest of the meat seems a bit off (at least to me)
Hard Eight in Coppell - mentioned by UConn-SMU above - has some great food.
You mentioned Lockhart Smokehouse - I like it a lot- but the others mentioned here are better so give them a try.
A slightly off-beat experience: Smoke on Fort Worth Avenue. Only BBQ place I've ever been with white table cloths. But the food, while slightly fancy for BBQ, is outstanding.
(02-17-2015 08:22 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote: The best in the Dallas area is in McKinney, about 35 miles north of downtown Dallas. Hutchins BBQ is wonderful ... all you can eat (including drink) for $20. Just my opinion from being here for 30 years.
Hard Eight in Coppell is almost as good and slightly more expensive.
Austin is still much better than Dallas.
I really gotta get to Hutchins. Unfortunately, when I was in Dallas during the summer, I stayed downtown and then only spent a few days at my friend's house in McKinney. We ended up at Sissy's which was pretty great. Other than that, we ate at a few cheaper places in McKinney because we were with a bunch of people. I did get to Lockhart Smokehouse when I was in Dallas, which was awesome.
Others in Dallas:
Pecan Lodge is great, but not worth the insane line...go at a slightly off-time. Best all-around in Dallas
Slow Bone has fantastic brisket in my opinion, and great sides, but the rest of the meat seems a bit off (at least to me)
Hard Eight in Coppell - mentioned by UConn-SMU above - has some great food.
You mentioned Lockhart Smokehouse - I like it a lot- but the others mentioned here are better so give them a try.
A slightly off-beat experience: Smoke on Fort Worth Avenue. Only BBQ place I've ever been with white table cloths. But the food, while slightly fancy for BBQ, is outstanding.
I wanted to go to Pecan Lodge, but it was a Monday and they were closed. I figured the wait would be ridiculous there anyway. I beat the lunch rush at Lockhart. I didn't have a car, so I wasn't going to Uber to Coppell. It was expensive enough taking Uber from the Ritz to the B.A.D. and back.
(02-17-2015 08:22 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote: The best in the Dallas area is in McKinney, about 35 miles north of downtown Dallas. Hutchins BBQ is wonderful ... all you can eat (including drink) for $20. Just my opinion from being here for 30 years.
Hard Eight in Coppell is almost as good and slightly more expensive.
Austin is still much better than Dallas.
I really gotta get to Hutchins. Unfortunately, when I was in Dallas during the summer, I stayed downtown and then only spent a few days at my friend's house in McKinney. We ended up at Sissy's which was pretty great. Other than that, we ate at a few cheaper places in McKinney because we were with a bunch of people. I did get to Lockhart Smokehouse when I was in Dallas, which was awesome.
Others in Dallas:
Pecan Lodge is great, but not worth the insane line...go at a slightly off-time. Best all-around in Dallas
Slow Bone has fantastic brisket in my opinion, and great sides, but the rest of the meat seems a bit off (at least to me)
Hard Eight in Coppell - mentioned by UConn-SMU above - has some great food.
You mentioned Lockhart Smokehouse - I like it a lot- but the others mentioned here are better so give them a try.
A slightly off-beat experience: Smoke on Fort Worth Avenue. Only BBQ place I've ever been with white table cloths. But the food, while slightly fancy for BBQ, is outstanding.
I wanted to go to Pecan Lodge, but it was a Monday and they were closed. I figured the wait would be ridiculous there anyway. I beat the lunch rush at Lockhart. I didn't have a car, so I wasn't going to Uber to Coppell. It was expensive enough taking Uber from the Ritz to the B.A.D. and back.
Yeah, that's gotta be a $25-$30 Uber ride each way. There's a free bus that goes from Uptown to BAD called the D-Link, but I haven't tried it out. Streetcar opening from downtown to Oak Cliff soon, but won't get all the way to BAD.
Think you did pretty well getting to Lockhart. It's certainly not bad at all. I happen to really love it FWIW, but mainly for the Kreuz heritage.
(02-17-2015 08:22 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote: The best in the Dallas area is in McKinney, about 35 miles north of downtown Dallas. Hutchins BBQ is wonderful ... all you can eat (including drink) for $20. Just my opinion from being here for 30 years.
Hard Eight in Coppell is almost as good and slightly more expensive.
Austin is still much better than Dallas.
I really gotta get to Hutchins. Unfortunately, when I was in Dallas during the summer, I stayed downtown and then only spent a few days at my friend's house in McKinney. We ended up at Sissy's which was pretty great. Other than that, we ate at a few cheaper places in McKinney because we were with a bunch of people. I did get to Lockhart Smokehouse when I was in Dallas, which was awesome.
Hutchins is #38 in Texas per Texas Monthly. But that list includes Austin, Houston, San Antonio ... the whole damn state. It's got to be top 5 in Dallas.
(02-17-2015 08:22 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote: The best in the Dallas area is in McKinney, about 35 miles north of downtown Dallas. Hutchins BBQ is wonderful ... all you can eat (including drink) for $20. Just my opinion from being here for 30 years.
Hard Eight in Coppell is almost as good and slightly more expensive.
Austin is still much better than Dallas.
I really gotta get to Hutchins. Unfortunately, when I was in Dallas during the summer, I stayed downtown and then only spent a few days at my friend's house in McKinney. We ended up at Sissy's which was pretty great. Other than that, we ate at a few cheaper places in McKinney because we were with a bunch of people. I did get to Lockhart Smokehouse when I was in Dallas, which was awesome.
Others in Dallas:
Pecan Lodge is great, but not worth the insane line...go at a slightly off-time. Best all-around in Dallas
Slow Bone has fantastic brisket in my opinion, and great sides, but the rest of the meat seems a bit off (at least to me)
Hard Eight in Coppell - mentioned by UConn-SMU above - has some great food.
You mentioned Lockhart Smokehouse - I like it a lot- but the others mentioned here are better so give them a try.
A slightly off-beat experience: Smoke on Fort Worth Avenue. Only BBQ place I've ever been with white table cloths. But the food, while slightly fancy for BBQ, is outstanding.
I wanted to go to Pecan Lodge, but it was a Monday and they were closed. I figured the wait would be ridiculous there anyway. I beat the lunch rush at Lockhart. I didn't have a car, so I wasn't going to Uber to Coppell. It was expensive enough taking Uber from the Ritz to the B.A.D. and back.
Yeah, that's gotta be a $25-$30 Uber ride each way. There's a free bus that goes from Uptown to BAD called the D-Link, but I haven't tried it out. Streetcar opening from downtown to Oak Cliff soon, but won't get all the way to BAD.
Think you did pretty well getting to Lockhart. It's certainly not bad at all. I happen to really love it FWIW, but mainly for the Kreuz heritage.
I think Uber there and back was around $46. I actually thought the sausage was exceedingly mediocre, which disappointed me because it's probably my favorite part of BBQ. It had a weird oatmeal-y texture.
(02-17-2015 08:26 PM)CalallenStang Wrote: List invalid by having Austin > Lockhart. Franklin's is awesome; John Mueller is pretty great, but other than that, I haven't been overly impressed by the Austin BBQ locations. Meanwhile, Lockhart has 4 BBQ places and all of them are pretty much heaven.
Salt Lick is fantastic but has gone slightly downhill over the years in taste as it's turned more into a tourist trap. Besides, it's in Driftwood, and I don't count Driftwood as Austin.
St. Louis needs to be on the list somewhere as well. Pappy's and Bogart's are both top-notch.
Hot Springs getting recognition is nice. McClard's is one of my favorite BBQ places anywhere.
Best BBQ restaurant in America is in Memphis - Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ. Central is great too. Rendezvous seems hit or miss. I've had great food there but also some disappointing meals.
Finally, it's criminal that their Kansas City write-up doesn't mention Oklahoma Joe's
It's taken me decades, but once I was able to release my bias of sweet VS mustard or pork VS beef brisket, etc, etc, etc; every area has great BBQ. Just enjoy the moment with good BBQ, forget the regional bias, and suddenly it's almost all good.
I would actually put Tulsa's Burn Co. On the list of top BBQ I've had. They started right next to TU and have since moved closer to downtown. The open weekdays (except Monday) at 11 and stay open until as long as they have meat left, which usually is until about 2. There's always a line of 25-40 people though so, if you're in Tulsa, get it while you can.
(This post was last modified: 02-18-2015 11:01 AM by invisiblehand.)
(02-18-2015 10:53 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote: BBQ is pulled or chopped pork. It is not a verb. It is not beef or chicken. Texas has a lot of great smoked meats, but it is not BBQ.
Um...no...and most people who actually BBQ don't make that distinction. Why cant people just enjoy good good food without getting into a pissing match. You want to get really exact? Barbacoa is a Taino word which describes the way they smoked meats and fish. So I could just as easily say that if you are not Caribbean then its not BBQ. Enjoy the smoke.
I usually eat BBQ where I go to see UCF play. Austin (both Salt Lick and Iron Works) had the best by far. Salt Lick lived up to the hype and the wait. Sitting outside drinking beer was almost as much fun as eating.
Memphis was the most disappointing.
I agree that E. north Carolina has some good BBQ.
South Carolina mustard based BBQ is disgusting. Having eaten it all over SC I have yet to find one appealing and hope that they have vinegar based sauce as well.
(02-18-2015 10:56 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote: Also, nobody who lives north of the NC/VA state line should be involved in this discussion. Anything VA and up is just slop.
I can understand that sentiment. With all of the regulations in NYC (I can't buy two large sodas?? Good grief), I don't see real BBQ would even be legal.
But here (just across the NC/VA border), we essentially have Eastern NC BBQ ... just not geographically in Eastern NC.
Ever been to Border Station on Hwy 168 (the OBX Hwy)? It is a store/food court/gas station with the state line running through the middle. You can buy lottery tix from both states. And there is BBQ there, but sold only on the NC side of it all. Neat tourist trap.
(02-18-2015 10:56 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote: Also, nobody who lives north of the NC/VA state line should be involved in this discussion. Anything VA and up is just slop.
I can understand that sentiment. With all of the regulations in NYC (I can't buy two large sodas?? Good grief), I don't see real BBQ would even be legal.
But here (just across the NC/VA border), we essentially have Eastern NC BBQ ... just not geographically in Eastern NC.
Ever been to Border Station on Hwy 168 (the OBX Hwy)? It is a store/food court/gas station with the state line running through the middle. You can buy lottery tix from both states. And there is BBQ there, but sold only on the NC side of it all. Neat tourist trap.
The taxes they go through must be a nightmare to sort out
