Dallas Food - DFW Quest for 'Cue (Part 3)

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DFW Quest for 'Cue (Part 3)
Posted on Wednesday, November 24 @ 16:39:16 PST
Topic: Barbecue

In the last report, we visited some far flung Metroplex spots, turning up one unexpected gem. This time, we're back in Dallas for some more familiar names: Baker's Ribs, Peggy Sue BBQ, and Holy Smokes. On to the food...

The first stop was Baker's Ribs, in Deep Ellum.

The Baker's Ribs location in Deep Ellum is consistent with the neighborhood's vibe--a sort of "cluttered cool." Meats are available in sandwiches, plates, or by the pound. Press clippings and certificates on the walls proclaim them the best this or that in Dallas, suggesting that they should be one of the players.

As always, I ordered brisket, sausage, and ribs.

A word on brisket. We're all familiar with the distinction between "eating chocolate" and "baking chocolate," or "drinking wine" and "cooking wine." We recognize that, for some applications lower grade ingredients are acceptable, while in other situations only the best will do. I'm starting to think of brisket along those lines.

The highest gradation would be eating brisket. "Eating brisket," exemplified by the best output from the Lockhart legends, is moist (but not soggy), tender, with a rich beef flavor and strong smokiness. It is so compelling that it renders sides, sauce, utensils, and a "to go" box unnecessary or even unthinkable.

A step down the ladder takes us to sandwich-grade brisket. As the name suggests, this brisket comes up short in one or more categories. Maybe it's a bit on the dry side. Maybe the smokiness isn't as evident as one would like. But if you squint your eyes just right, you can almost persuade yourself that it's a pretty good piece of brisket--especially if you throw in some distractions, like sauce or a bun. And when you pull it out of the fridge the next day and slap a couple slices of bread around it, it'll give you the low-key buzz you expect from "comfort food."

Falling further down the scale is inlaws/dog-grade brisket. This is simply not fit for human consumption--bone dry (sometimes burnt), blandly flavored, tough, and devoid of smokiness. It's not a joy to eat in any form. No sauce or sides can conceal its flaws.

With a little practice, you can grade most brisket at a glance. And Baker's brisket was solidly sandwich-grade. Middling moistness, with little crust or smoke ring. But it did have pretty good flavor. Dipped in some sauce, it was no chore to eat. The supermarket-grade sausage, however, was a waste of calories and fat grams. Smooth, generic-tasting, and not at all smoky. They should do themselves a favor and walk up the street to Rudolph's for their sausage supply.

But, hey, they didn't call themselves "Baker's Brisket & Sausage." So how were the ribs? Very good. They were short on smokiness (parboiled?) and bark, but had a good flavor and were meaty and at just the right point of tenderness. Well above average for the Dallas market.

Overall, Baker's did slightly better than I had expected them to, based on prior experiences. Above average ribs, slightly above average brisket, but forgettable sausage. I'm interested in going back a couple of times to check out their consistency.

Next up was Peggy Sue BBQ, in Snider Plaza.

Peggy Sue's, across Hillcrest from SMU, is known for (a) quality vegetables and (b) trimming their meats to keep them as lean as possible. That reputation alone is enough to send up red flags for many barbecue fans. But how bad could it really be?

The brisket was incredibly, inedibly bad. I don't know whether it was the "lean" philosophy or a heat lamp that produced meat this dry, but it doesn't really matter. There was almost no detectable smoke (or any other redeeming) flavor, making it a mere exercise in chewing. The sausage, a peppery kielbasa, was much more interesting. But it, too, was short on smoke. Barbecuing the sausage should impart character that can't be found in a deli case.

Peggy Sue's ribs were large, at about a quarter pound each. In biting into them, they felt and tasted as if they'd been braised, not barbecued. The meat was mushy, fall-off-the-bone tender, and somewhat greasy. Almost no smoke flavor and, with the thinnest of browned surface, no bark to speak of. Unpleasant.

As you can see from the pictures in these reports, I'm often buying meat by the pound for off-site consumption. Some barbecue will have my car smelling of smoky meat for more than a day, unless I drive with the windows down to air it out. One pound of meat from Peggy Sue's sat in my car for about an hour in the evening. The next morning, surprisingly, there was no odor in the car at all, even though the meats hadn't been foil-wrapped and my windows were rolled up all the way. Peggy Sue BBQ claims that they use oak in their pits, which would be a nice contrast to the hickory that's so dominant in this area. But, whatever wood they're using, they're not using much of it. Some people really love Peggy Sue's. But, as much as I might like their veggies and fried pies, I seem to strike out on their barbecue every time, this being no exception.

Last stop was Holy Smokes, just north of Northwest Highway on Hillcrest.

Holy Smokes has only been around for a couple of years, but has already developed a reputation as one of the leading lights in Dallas barbecue. But many of their strengths, such as barbecue Frito pie, pulled pork, and good sides (including okra and green tomatoes fried ala minute), have to be filtered out for our purposes here.

Since I was eating alone, I made two trips. In the first, I had a brisket and sausage plate. The brisket was solidly sandwich-grade. It was only mildly smoky, but had good flavor, a peppery crust, and wasn't too dry. The sausage, from Rudolph's, was above average for Dallas. Peppery and with a bit of texture, but still light on the smoke. (My camera battery died before I could get a good picture. I'll plug one in later.)

On the second trip, I ordered a half rack of baby back ribs (also pictured at the top of this article). Unfortunately, Holy Smokes doesn't serve spare ribs, which would allow for a more "apples to apples" comparison. But it's some consolation that their baby backs are usually excellent, as they were on this visit.

The ribs had good flavor, a pretty good bark, and the perfect degree of tenderness. And, with baby back ribs, the ratio of meat to bone is much more favorable (which appeals to my lazy side). They served an agreeable, conventional barbecue sauce on the side. But, apart from a tablespoon or so that I accidentally sloshed onto the ribs while carrying the tray, the sauce remained on the side. The ribs were good enough to stand on their own merits.

Stripping away the frills, Holy Smokes still holds up well, with brisket, ribs, and sausage all above average for the Dallas market. Despite many visits, I've never gotten "eating brisket" at Holy Smokes, leading me to believe that their best potential is with pork. But, with all the little things they do well, they're a great addition to the Dallas barbecue scene. Still, I'd really like to see them do spare ribs.

Summary of Results
All the standard caveats apply. These impressions are of particular cuts of meat on a particular day. And though the holy trinity of brisket, sausage, and ribs may be a good measure of a barbecue joint, it doesn't tell the whole story. But, for my purposes here, I'm honing in on the backbone of barbecue--the smoking of meat to perfection. I'm trying to find out if anyone, anywhere in or around the Metroplex, is doing work that can compare with the best Texas has to offer.

Best Overall. Holy Smokes tops this week's list with very good sausage, above average brisket, and terrific baby back ribs. Second place goes to Baker's Ribs, which had above average brisket and some very good spare ribs. Bringing up the rear is Peggy Sue BBQ, which had an interesting sausage, but little else to commend it.

Best Atmosphere. First Place: Peggy Sue BBQ, with its retro styling. Second Place: Baker's Ribs, with a funky feel. Third Place: Holy Smokes, which is very clean and functional, but that's about it.

Best Sausage. First Place: Holy Smokes. Second Place: Peggy Sue BBQ. (Note that Holy Smokes gets its sausage from the same supplier as last week's third place winner, North Main BBQ, though that was a particularly good line-up for sausage.)
Best Ribs. First Place: Holy Smokes. Second Place: Baker's Ribs.

Best Cut of Meat in any Category. First Place: Holy Smokes baby back ribs. Second Place: Baker's Ribs spare ribs. Third Place: Holy Smokes sausage.