Woodshed Smokehouse

2/4/12 Ft. Worth, TX So this place just opened up near the TCU campus in Ft. Worth right on the Trinity River. It's a hip place, right on the bike trail which would be a great stop after a long ride. I mean why not, right? Get all that spandex and helmet on and then stop for a rack of ribs. Sounds far fetched, but that's exactly what some folks were doing! Woodshed Smokehouse is not your typical BBQ joint. It's a full throttle, gourmet, BBQ experiment (experience? ok both). Just go to the website to see the menu as I would likely misspell half the items on there. I got the Bahn Mi, which is apparently pork with a coke and Makers Mark marinade. The pork was very tender, but way too fatty for my taste. Once I pushed the gobs of fat off to side, I threw the pork in some corn tortillas and had what resembles tacos. I'd definitely get it again, but next time I gotta go traditional and just get some ribs. You can get all sorts of unique BBQ here including beef ribs and smoked fish. It's pricey, $50 for two people, but you get hip points PLUS tasty food and you just can't buy that. Oh wait, the $50, right. Anyway, variety is the name of the game here so think outside the smoker. It's double awesome if the weather is nice because you can sit outside next to the river. Oh, you can also follow the pitmaster... er I mean chef, on Twitter and he will tell you the animal of the day that is being smoked (again, go to the website to find the Twit info).

Soulman's Bar-B-Que

1/28/12 Dallas, TX So I gave blood. Yeah, I'm a fkn' saint. Believe it or not, this fact is very relevant to this review. It happend to be near Soulman's BBQ so I stopped by to check it out. Very helpful and informative dude behind the counter recommended ribs. There's a pig wearing sunglasses on the sign out front, so of course I'm getting the ribs. I order a to-go plate with some St. Louis style ribs, then spicy beans, and some spicy cabbage/onion thing on the side. You get your self-serve onions and pickles, of course, but you can also get self-serve pico, fresh jalapinos, banana peppers, etc. Way cool. They're into spicy here.

Anyway, I take the BBQ back to my vehicle and get on my way. As I get on the freeway I start wondering if I'm light-headed from giving away half the blood in my body, or if I was just hungry. Seemed counter productive to drive down the freeway only to pass out and wreck, especially before even trying the ribs sitting in the passenger seat. So, I figure the responsible thing to do is chow down on a rib, just to clear my head. The next thing I know, I'm taking down these ribs one after the other. It was a little messy, and it was sometimes hard staying in my lane, but it's not like I was texting or using the cell phone or anything irresponsible. It must have been quite a sight for the folks behind me though, what with bones flying out of my window and all. Don't get all preachy to me about littering. People and animals have been leaving bones all over the earth for like hundreds or millions of years. At 70 mph they probably ended up in the grassy right-of-way anyway. And don't get all preachy about distracted driving either. The blood I just gave will probably save the life of someone who got in a wreck anyway, so I am more or less getting a free pass in causing at least a few. But I digress...

The ribs were good. They had a nice thick smoke ring and were tender enough to pull the bone right out! A little greasy (I prefer a "louder" bark hehe), but most everything here seemed a little greasy. That's just how they roll, and it's perfectly ok. The beans had chunks of sausage and japs in there and were very good. The greasy spicy cabbage thing was not bad, if you're into cabbage that is. It's atypical to see this side at a BBQ joint, so I definitely give them points for creativity. All in all, Soulman's gets a B++. Sometimes you want BBQ that's a little different from the norm, and Soulman's comes through with flying rib bones, er, that is to say "flying colors". Until next time, pedal to the metal!

North Main BBQ

8/7/11 Euless, TX BEST BBQ IN D/FW. $17 for a three meat plate (to go) and worth every penny. I believe it's $15 for an all you can eat deal. Brisket is tender and smokey, ribs are fantastic so just eat 'em, and the sausage is pretty good as well. Don't take that as a bad thing, the sausage would be stellar at most places, but it can't comptete with sausage from central Texas. Regardless, the ribs and brisket would hold their own against the top 1%. It's that good. It should be on the register for historic places or something.

It's good to see the staff getting nice and surley too, like alot of good BBQ places, customer service just seems to go out the window. I say who cares. I'm not there for smiles and tea refills, I'm there for smoked meats, period.<-Period.

Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse

8/5/11 Las Colinas, TX There's a "Pig Out Platter" that's very tender and tasty. It's on special every Friday for $10 which is pretty good timing since you've been eating vegetables and Cheerios all week (yeah right).

On this last visit, I hit the 2 meat plate with brisket and ribs. The ribs were ok, but not worth getting again really. The brisket was good and tender, not much complexity to the taste, just good and tender. Recommend going with the Pig Out Platter. I don't really remember the sides too much, but I'm sure they were fine. This place is pretty good for a chain.

Hard 8

7/22/11 Coppel, TX. Just don't get side items. They're good, but you won't have room for them. Yes, that's chicken in the pic. Figured it's time to start branching out. This world wasn't made on brisket and ribs alone was it? Anyway when you're at Hard 8 just resist the temptation to get ANY sides and here's why. First off, you will get a bunch of meat. That's just how it is when they stick everything under the sun in that big metal pit for you before you even get inside. Next, the beans are free. Well, you've already paid for them, and they're in a big pot in the back with fully jalapinos and bacon strips floating around like Cracker Jack prizes. The last and most important reason for no sides is this. The banana pudding is second to none, and must be consumed regardless of belly condition at the end of the meal.

The chicken was good. I missed the more standard BBQ fare, but hey, another day. Nicely seasoned and good smoke flavor. The white meat was a little drier than I... ahem.... usually cook in my Weber bullet, but the dark meat was just as good. You have to get the 1/2 chicken as they wouldn't sell me a 1/4 like I asked. "Well, they sell me 1/4 at Boston Market" was not a response to that denial that produced results. In any case, this place packes 'em in at lunch and there's a reason for it. Good BBQ, good atmosphere, and fantastic banana pudding.

Bartley's

7/15/11 Grapevine, TX. The best BBQ business in Grapevine is Bartley's. Though North Main BBQ and Hard 8 are not too far away, Bartley's rules the land within the well defended borders of Da 'Vine. I always order too much at Bartley's. A two meat plate is a heck of alot of food, mostly because the sides are self-serve. Have you ever seen a grown man make a tower of potato salad? I'm a &$#^% architecht. This place has been around forever, which should tell you something. And that something is this:

Must haves: Ribs. "Fall off the bone" is overrated and the ribs at Bartley's have just the right consistancy to get you where you want to be. They are the smaller, St. Louis style with just the right amount of bark and smoke flavor. Sweet tea. It's good and since it's Texas, having sweet tea always scores bonus points. The sides are pretty good as well, with two different types of beans. They have a traditional style and a sweet style. They also have good potato salad AND macaroni salad. It's really a good selection, one you would expect at a medeocre chain restaurant. Chains always seem to have hundreds of sides, perhaps to make up for dry-ass rubber brisket, which leads me to....

Must Run Away Froms: Brisket. 2 parts dry & 1 part bland. Just don't bother.

There are also 2 types of sausage (one is good, the other is not but I forget which is which), pork chops, turkey, and I want to say bologna. Will have to verify that last one next time. Don't knock it 'till you try it. Until next time, smoke it if you got it.

Lockhart Smokehouse

6/19/11 Oak Cliff, TX Are you kidding me? Kreutz has a BBQ place in Oak Cliff, they just opened it and it's going to be the same delicious BBQ you get in the real Lockhart! I'm totally convinced that Dallas has a BBQ saviour and it has opened in Oak Cliff! Well guess what, Lockhart Smokehouse is no Smitty's, it's no Blacks, and it's only loosely connected to Kreutz. Married daughter's son's brother's dentist or something. The customer service was excellent and they know how to treat people from the door to the counter, but you can't put "Lockhart" in the name of the business and sell brisket like that.

The irony is that this place has good BBQ. The ribs are fairly good, the sausage is solid (sent from the orig Kreutz in Lockhart), and the jalapeno beans were fantastic. However, the brisket is bland and dry. I brought my own sauce, and it damn needed it. This brisket would be good at Colter's or something at a sporting event, but you can't put the name Lockhart in the name and sell that to people. It just isn't right. So if you go here, dial your expectations down and realize that their marketing is total bullshit. It's good BBQ, mostly, but traditional it 'aint. Welcome to Dallas where as long as we all agree it's a traditional BBQ joint, then it is. Now enjoy a margarita and lucky you, it's 25 cent wings night and you don't need a fork for that!... Think I'm joking? Go to their website...