Dallas Food - DFW Quest for 'Cue (Part 11)

South Lancaster Road appeared to be a fertile stretch for barbecue based on some of my research. And while some of that information proved to be out of date, the conclusion wasn’t far off the mark. A trio of barbecue joints lies along the southbound lanes of Lancaster, with a fourth much farther down. The first two, heading south, were Record’s Old Fashioned Bar-B-Que and Hardeman’s Bar-B-Q. On to the food...

Record’s Old Fashioned Bar-B-Que, at 2325 S. Lancaster.

In the last days of the Johnson administration, Record’s Old Fashioned Bar-B-Que opened for business. The place doesn’t look or feel “contemporary.” (When it comes to barbecue, that’s already getting off on the right foot.) From the metal awnings, it appears the building was originally designed as a drive-in. And two small interior tables are all that keep Record’s from being carryout only. The menu is typical of South Dallas (with the exception of OBKS, which were described as “brownies”--the crispy, crusty bits of various meats, chopped together; I need to go back and try these). Most of the cooking is done with pecan; and in asking about that, I heard more complaints about the cost of hickory these days. As always, I ordered brisket, sausage, and ribs.

Record’s brisket came thinly sliced. As the photos reveal, the meat was rather dry. Smokiness was light. Barely sandwich-grade.

The lengthwise-sliced sausage was from Smokey Denmark’s (as previously encountered at Hickory Stick). Light on smoke and somewhat dry, this was an unexceptional hot link. Still, I’ll take an average hot link over the fatty, salty, supermarket-grade sausages peddled in many Dallas-area barbecue joints.

Record’s did much better with the short-end ribs, which had pretty good bark and smokiness, nice texture, and good flavor. This was solid B performance (in a town where the curve falls rather low).

Record’s Old Fashioned Bar-B-Que scores high in character and in the rib category. But undistinguished hot links and barely passable brisket take them down a notch. Worth a visit, but they’re not among the better of the South Dallas barbecue joints I’ve tried.

Hardeman’s Bar-B-Q, at 2901 S. Lancaster.

Hardeman’s Bar-B-Q is a third-generation family business with a few South Dallas locations. Inside the restaurant, there are two counters to choose from: one for barbecue and one for soul food. The barbecue counter is easy to spot due to the smoke drifting in from the pit visible through a door to the side. Another old-school all-wood pit. (I’ve seen more all-wood barbecue in a few weeks of South Dallas exploration than in all my prior Dallas-Fort Worth experience.) From the standard barbecue line-up, I ordered brisket, hot links, and short-end ribs.

Hardeman’s brisket doesn’t look like much. And, indeed, it wasn’t “eating brisket.” But it was very good sandwich material. Thinly sliced, a little roast-beefy, but not too dry and with good smoke flavor that was more noticeable when it came out of the fridge for sandwiches later in the day. It was so good for sandwiches that I’d consider ordering some on a repeat visit just for that purpose.

Hardeman’s hot links didn’t have much spiciness and were a bit dry (which can be seen in the wrinkled casing). But with good smokiness, they were slightly above average.

The ribs made a strong showing. Great bark (apart from a few leathery patches), excellent texture, deep smokiness, and very good pork flavor.

Hardeman’s has a pleasant, laid-back vibe. I appreciated having the soul food options in addition to the barbecue. And though the brisket and links were decent, the ribs were enough to guarantee a return visit. If the ribs on this visit were no fluke, I could become a regular.

Caveats and Conclusions
All the standard caveats apply. These impressions are of particular cuts of meat on a particular day. Though the holy trinity of brisket, sausage, and ribs may be a good measure of a barbecue spot, 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 Dallas-Fort Worth, is doing work that can compare with the best Texas has to offer.

Noteworthy Meats. The short-end ribs from Hardeman’s were quite tasty. I just hope they’re this good the next time I go back. And the time after that.