Pecan Lodge
I remember Pecan Lodge back before the long lines, before the Guy Fieri/Triple D endorsements, before they became best in Big D…before they were outrageously famous.
Was it worth the 45 minute wait in line?
For my Dallas Brisket challenge, I pitted Pecan Lodge’s brisket against Lockhart and newcomer Babb Bros to see who’d win top prize in smoked beef.
The moment of unveiling revealed who had the sexiest slabs of beef on the plate. Sweaty and seductive, rimmed with a ribbon of red, and the darkest blackest bark possible–Pecan Lodge won the beauty contest hands down. They were so undeniably gorgeous that it took sheer willpower not to gorge down on them immediately.
The taste test: Pecan Lodge was an auto-firing barrage of flavor in the mouth. It hit all the sweet spots on the front, middle and back of the tongue with equal effect–a balance of smoke and seasoning. This was a finished symphony, full-bodied without being overwhelming…equilibrium approaching nirvana. You can have your beef and smoke flavor too…without the two constantly battling for your approval. For those who find Lockhart’s brisket too aggressive, Pecan Lodge is the right amount of assertiveness without the attitude.
It’s up there in my top 5 list of Dallas ‘que. I know I haven’t gotten around to trying out their Hot Mess or even some of the other meats they offer like Burnt Ends or their Beef Ribs. (Keep an eye on their blackboard so that you know what’s sold out by the time you get to order.). Someday, maybe I’ll get a chance to try them, when I don’t have to fight the crowds.
If you haven’t been to Pecan Lodge yet, give it a try and judge for yourself.
Rating by epicureasian: stars
Babb Bros BBQ and Blues
Babb Bros, I had high hopes for you. When I learned that this new outpost of BBQ in Trinity Groves shared a common pedigree with Rudy’s (my fave “chain” bbq), I was eager to try them out. In fact, from the moment I walked in through the door, I felt a sense of deja vu. The lines, the layout, the big dining hall, and the menu were so uncannily similar that I could easily have mistaken Babb Bros for Rudy’s.
You want your brisket moist or lean? Babb Bros offers both. Jalapeno or regular sausage? Yep, Babb has those too. Basically anything that has clucked, mooed, oinked or gobbled shows up in the meat by the pound section, with the unique inclusion of smoked meatloaf. Babb also offers combo plates, sandwiches and stuffed spuds, plus an array of sides such as creamed corn, cheesy potatoes, slaw, beans, onion straws and collard greens. Where Babb differs from the aforementioned: the menu offers import and domestic beers as well as frozen margaritas. So if you ever wanted adult beverages with your ‘que, Babb will set you up. They even have patio seating so that you can enjoy your bbq and drinks outdoors when weather permits.
Babb Bros was our 2nd stop in our one-day bbq brisket tour of Dallas (pitting Babb against Dallas brisket all-stars Pecan Lodge and Lockhart Smokehouse). We picked up a pound of moist brisket along with a side of creamed corn and collard greens and took it to-go. When it came to the unveiling and taste test, it was evident that the Babb brisket wasn’t going to win any beauty contests: light brown meat, with a pale ribbon of pink, hardly any bark, and the most grievous carving job ever. A crying shame–our carver had cut our brisket ALONG the grain–which guaranteed some stringy mouthfuls of beef.
Another minus was in the taste category. While Babb’s brisket was tender and moist, it lacked serious smoke and required saucing. Babb Bros had furnished us with a mild-flavored light-weight tomatoey bbq sauce…the texture was right but it just didn’t do enough to rescue this brisket. The creamed corn that we had looked forward to all day was a disappointment; Babb opted for a savory recipe that didn’t contrast well with the beef. Collard greens proved to be better; they tasted fresh and not overcooked with a hint of spice and a good mustardy bite.
Maybe I should have gone with something that departed from the Rudy’s formula. If I find myself out this way again, I’ll be sure to try the smoked meatloaf and the onion straws; but Babb Bros needs to improve on their brisket especially since this is beef country. For a restaurant that’s barely a year old, they have time to tweak their recipes, gain experience, and distinguish themselves in this part of Dallas where so few bbq joints rarely go.
Rating by epicureasian: stars
Lockhart Smokehouse
The man and I went on a one-day brisket tour of Dallas with Lockhart Smokehouse being our last stop. Sadly when we had arrived at LS Sunday mid-afternoon, we were met by signage to come back at 4:30. Lockhart was sold out of our fave smoked meats! That’s okay, we had an hour to walk around the Bishop Arts area to burn off some of the calories we would soon be consuming in earnest. We came back 15 till and noshed on some deviled eggs while we camped the dining room along with other patrons. Deviled eggs were still tasty, though I wish they’d let these things age a little more so that the smoke permeated them more thoroughly.
By the time the bell rang, we had already built up an appetite for brisket and some of that famous Kreuz Market sausage. We took a pound of beef and a link to go (remind yourself that butcher paper won’t spare your car upholstery from all that leakage–so get a plastic bag).
When it came time to compare the briskets (Lockhart vs Pecan Lodge vs Babb Bros), Lockhart had to take second place in the looks department. While the brisket slices were thoughtfully sliced in half, neither the bark nor smoke ring were quite as vivid as rival Pecan Lodge. They were still pretty slabs of meat, but not knockout gorgeous.
But in taste, Lockhart was a bull in a china shop…trampling your tastebuds with smoke…heavy heavy smoke. It was intense, it was overpowering…and this is why Lockhart brisket needs no sauce–they had delivered a tactical nuke to my mouth party. Some folks might not take so kindly to such a smokering, but I loved it. This was the no-prisoners approach that made Lockhart the top of my list for brisket love–tender, juicy, and oh-so-smokilicious!
Let me not forget to mention the sausage: this is a beefy sausage in case you were expecting more pork for your buck. Texture is gravelly, tending toward dry (as with any sausage with a low pork/fat content), but the flavor leans toward the beef with a good helping of pepper to liven up the meat. Once you’ve had a bite, you’ll forsake all commercial sausages from here on out.
Rating by epicureasian: stars
