Pecan Lodge - Dallas,TX

Holy Trinity at Pecan Lodge

Pecan Lodge

Located in Shed #2 at the Dallas Farmers' Market, Pecan Lodge, is a Dallas barbecue hot spot. This place has also been included in Texas Monthly magazine as one of the top 50 barbecue places in Texas.  The tricky thing about getting barbecue here is they are only open Wednesday through Sunday and they start serving at 11 AM until sold out which usually means before 2 PM.  They even have a cut off sign which they give to the lucky person who will be more than likely the last one served to hold.  Those unlucky souls standing behind this person may or may not get to taste some of their damn good barbecue. I would suggest getting there early.  Early being about 10:30 AM, not as early as the one to two hours required to get into Franklin Barbecue in Austin.

I ordered my usual sampling of ribs, sausage, and brisket.  It's all good here and it's all done right, you wont be disappointed. The ribs were smoky and the meat came off the bone easily with each bite.  Sausage is made onsite with a nice natural casing and a good blend of cuts ground into a medium coarse grind with just the right amount of smoke. I leave the brisket for last.  It has the perfect seasoning of salt and pepper, great bark, and it's very tender.  I suggest ordering the "moist" cut for the most enjoyment of one of the top three briskets you can find in Dallas. Lockhart Smokehouse and Hutchins have the other "best" Dallas brisket. I highly recommend this Pecan Lodge just remember to get there early, they sell out fast!

Pecan Lodge

Dallas Farmers Market Shed #2

920 South Harwood

Dallas, TX 75201

214-748-8900

Open Wednesday - Sunday

11 AM - 3 PM (or until sold out)

http://www.pecanlodge.com/

I'm heading to Austin this weekend to check out Stiles Switch BBQ and Schmidt Family Barbecue (just opened last month and it's a new place of the Lockhart Schmidts). I will report back on these two BBQ joints in future posts.  I'm taking the week of Thanksgiving off from the blog but will post my opinion of Mike Anderson's BBQ in Dallas in my next post.  So until then BBQ fans!!

Hutchins BBQ McKinney, TX

McKinney, TX located about thirty minutes north of Dallas this suburb is currently the second fastest growing city in the U.S. and according to CNN Money the second best place to live in the country.  It also houses a great barbecue joint that not many people even know of including yours truly and a lot of the locals.  It popped up on my radar when I read last May's Texas Monthly magazine's barbecue edition.  Hutchins placed in the top 50 and this November took part in Texas Monthly's BBQ Fest in Austin.  I've been three or four times since last May and will continue to go back. If you live in the DFW area it's worth the drive. So, with that being said you know my opinion on this place will be favorable.

Chopping block is where you start

As you walk in the smell of smoked meat permeates the air and if the smell makes you lose your bearings, the line starts to your right. The serving pit is to the pitmaster's right and two smoking pits are to his left.  They don't claim to cook barbecue the central Texas way but they use brick-lined floor pits that you find in any place in Lockhart, TX and you can taste central Texas in their brisket. So you start at the chopping block and place your meat order which is similar to a lot of places in the Dallas area but that is where the similarity ends. Next onto the hot side steam table and then to the cold table for your cold sides and by the way their sides are way above par of most other places.  You don't hear me say this often but don't skip on the sides.

Sausage and brisket (most recent visit)

After being rung up at the register the drink station and relish bar are in the next room to the right. Relish bar has the usual complement of pickles, jalapenos, onions, etc. but take a 180 degree turn and this place has another surprise in for you.  Yes, your often present soft serve ice cream machine is here but with a complement of sundae toppings and one to two cobbler choices included in the price of your meal, oh and banana pudding too. So how is the barbecue?

Second visit

Although, I ordered ribs, brisket, and sausage on my first visit I failed to take a photo so I've included some foodie pics from my follow-up visits.  The ribs are very good and I highly recommend them but I've always been an overall bigger fan of sausage and brisket.  The sausage is above store quality and they offer mild, jalapeno, and hot link varieties, but the brisket! The brisket is Lockhart, TX quality.  You can even order lean or moist and it is seasoned perfectly with just a simple salt and pepper rub.  The bark, smoke ring, and fat rendering create a smoky melody of perfection, I mean just look at the pictures.  Hutchins brisket is right there with Pecan Lodge and Lockhart Smokehouse when it comes to metroplex barbecue so take the drive to McKinney and get yourself some!

Texas Monthly knows it's good!

Hutchins BBQ

Phone: 972-548-2629

Sun-Thur 11 AM - 9 PM
Fri, Sat 11 AM - 9:30 PM

http://www.hutchinsbbq.net/

Next week, Pecan Lodge in Dallas, until then!

Lockhart Smokehouse Dallas,TX

Lockhart Smokehouse

400 W. Davis St
Dallas,TX 75208
214-944-5521

Open everyday 11 AM until we're done!

http://www.lockhartsmokehouse.com/

(Thursday - Sunday) they have extended bar hours and usually throw more meat on the pit)

I actually discovered this place when watching a barbecue contest on some obscure cable TV channel. When they did the back story on Jeff one of the pitmasters at Lockhart they referred to Lockhart Smokehouse so I had to try it.  Jeff and Jill Bergus own Lockhart Smokehouse and Jill is the granddaughter of Edgar "Papa" Schmidt of Kreuz Market now Smitty's Market or "both" depending on what side of the family you're on.

My bounty and the Holy Trinity

So onto my first visit of many.  Located in the Bishop Arts District south of the Trinity River (catty-corner from Hatties for you locals) this place brings Central Texas barbecue to Big "D".  The Schmidt family connection helps to procure Kreuz Market sausage which is smoked here and helps to continue the legacy of the German meat market style of barbecue.  Yes they even sell chunks of cheddar cheese just like at Smitty's and Kreuz Market in Lockhart. On my first visit I ordered ribs, brisket, and sausage with sides of pinto beans and Lockhart slaw (a spicy version of coleslaw - it's great).  The brisket is solid and has been on follow-up visits, simple salt & pepper rub with great bark and very moist.  The ribs were also very good but have been a bit hit and miss on other visits. The Kreuz Market sausage is always good but can be too greasy for some folks but I always like it. The barbecue overall is excellent and accurately represents Central Texas barbecue that one can find in Lockhart, TX. However, what sets this place apart from many other barbecue joints is head Pitmaster Tim McLaughlin and the meats he offers outside the usual realm of ribs, brisket, and sausage.  I will admit I have not tried these other cuts but I will and based off of the culinary skill of Tim and his crew they sound great.  Just an example of choices offered outside of the Holy Trinity are habanero glazed chicken, turkey, burnt ends (Thursdays only), porchetta just to name a few. These of course are offered on certain days and a great way to know what's on the menu is to 'Like" their Facebook page.  They are great about posting daily on what's on the menu and what other events may be coming up. They also have a good bar scene on top of great barbecue.

Memorial Day lunch with family

Another quality that set Lockhart Smokehouse apart from the rest continues with the emphasis on culinary arts and quality food.  The meat is great but the sides are not to be missed.  Let me repeat myself, don't pass up on the sides! I don't say this lightly because all I really care about is the meat. So, the sides vary from day to day but here's a list of a few.  Baked beans, pinto beans, habanero macaroni and cheese, blue cheese coleslaw, spicy Lockhart coleslaw, deviled eggs, potato salad, and the occasionally blue cheese bacon hominy (the hominy is ridiculously good). Also, the relish bar with various pickles, jalapenos, and onions all pickled and cured onsite is something not always found at other barbecue places.  You can taste the culinary experience through everything offered. I highly recommend a trip to Lockhart Smokehouse and for those of you living in DFW it beats driving 200+ miles for Lockhart, TX barbecue when you can find it just south of the Trinity.

I leave you this week with some more pictures from Lockhart Smokehouse.  Next week,  Hutchins Barbecue McKinney, TX...until then!

Burnt ends (on the left Thursdays only)

Blue cheese bacon hominy far right lower corner

Another visit

Photo courtesy of Mike Hiller's page "escape hatch dallas"

The Texas Barbecue Trail (Middle to Southern Half)

Elgin, TX

The Texas Barbecue Trail (Lexington, Taylor, Elgin, Lockhart, and Luling)
This week's post includes the rest of the places I've been to on the Texas Barbecue Trail excluding Snow's in Lexington.  I'm still working on getting my schedule worked out for that one since it's only opened on Saturdays.
However, we start this trip with a visit to Southside Market in Elgin. This place is set-up cafeteria style where you go through a line, pick how much meat and then what sides you want. It reminds me a lot of Dickey's in Dallas as far as the set up but the meat is much better.
I got my usual, ribs, brisket, and sausage. The sausage had really good flavor and is processed onsite. Ribs were perfectly cooked with the expected aldente firmness but with meat easily leaving the bone when bitten into the rib.  The brisket was very good.  Take a look at the picture below at the pronounced smoke ring and thick bark, it was delicious.

Dining room

So my overall opinion is it's worth a visit not only for the barbecue but to also to put a notch in your belt to check-off one of the places on the Texas Barbecue Trail.

Southside Market

1212 HWY 290 E
Elgin, TX 78621

512-281-4650

Monday-Thursday 8 AM - 8 PM
Friday, Saturday 8 AM - 9 PM
Sunday 9 AM - 8 PM

http://southsidemarket.com/

City Market (Luling)
Prior to my visit I've heard a lot of great things about this place from many people.  Some even saying it's the best in Texas. So, I left Austin, drove straight through Lockhart, and arrived in Luling just after 11 AM. When you walk in you pass by the counter and continue towards the back of the store to the smokehouse. Once you walk into the smoke house the smell of smoke and meat hit your nose.  You place your order for your meat and then walk back into the store to the counter for sides and to pay.

 

 I'm going to give this place another try just because I've heard such great things but the brisket was dry and the sausage had too much smokey flavor for my taste.  The ribs were good but I really like just a simple salt & pepper rub and not so much a cooked on sauce glaze.  Give it a try, I think I hit them on a bad day.

City Market 

 633 E Davis St, Luling, TX 78648

(830) 875-9019

Monday - Saturday 7 AM - 6 PM

Sunday Closed

  

Next week...Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas!