I had a question about Franklin's. I was planning on heading up there during the week. Is there still a long line on like a Wednesday or Thursday? Do I need cash?
I was in Luling, TX today and ate at City Market. Wow, great brisket! Liked the sauce, too Kinda creepy going into their pit "chamber room" in the back, though
I went there on a weekend, so I'm not sure about weekdays, but I believe when I went, I used a credit card.
If anybody's in the DFW area, head up to Frisco and check out the new 3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House. Best BBQ I've had in the DFW area. The ribs were awesome and the brisket was pretty damn good. They also have beef ribs. The pitmaster is Trace Arnold aka, "The Rib Whisperer" off of History Channel's show "Cross-Country Cookout". http://www.3stacksbbq.com/
Been there twice, one of these days I will try something else but I always get the ribs. May be a sliced beef to go.
Have you been to Pecan Lodge at the Dallas Farmer's market? The brisket is amazing. The only complaint is that it's EXPENSIVE...and you have to get there at 10 in the morning to stand in line. http://www.pecanlodge.com/ If you get there too late, just head over to the Old World Sausage Company and get a polish or itlaian beef. Regardless, forget the dessert offerings at either place and get a cake from Ain't No Mo' Butter Cakes next door.
Went to Saltlick BBQ in Driftwood, Tx this past weekend...Eh...The atmosphere is good, live music, BYOB... I tried the ribs, chicken, brisket, sausage and turkey...The Ribs were very good, oh and the cobbler was legit...other stuff, wasn't blown away, I was hoping their brisket was awesome and it wasn't...
I've always wanted to try Pecan Lodge since it's considered by many to be the best bbq in the DFW area, but for some reason, I never go. I really need to make some time to head down to the farmers market and try it out. Getting there at 10 is no problem. I drove from DFW to Lexington to get there at 6am and beat the rush for Snow's BBQ. lol. BTW, 3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House is kinda pricey, too.
Latest BBQ restaurant visits/reviews: Pappa's BBQ - unimpressed Red River BBQ (League City) - Terrible Charlie Virgo's Rendezvous (Memphis) - Amazing ribs!
Pecan Lodge is amazing. The brisket is up there with Snows, but the line is insane if you're not there early. Living up in Dallas the past couple of years, and I agree that Lockhart and Pecan Lodge are the best in town. Snows is still my all time #1.
I drove up to Memphis a couple of years ago to check out Charlie Vergos' ribs. The spices and sauce were great, but the ribs weren't really bbq'd and were overcooked/kind of tough. They "steam"/cook them in a brick oven from what I remember. It was a pretty big disappointment after all the hype. I'll take Franklin or 3 Stacks ribs over Vergos any day. I'll probably be heading up there again sometime this year and may stop off at Vergos to give them a 2nd shot.
Try 3 Stacks Smoke & Tap House. Especially if you like ribs. I tried Lockhart about 3 times and each time, the brisket tasted different. The first time it was almost as good as anything I've tried in Central Texas, the next couple of times, it wasn't as great. They seem to be inconsistent. Maybe they've got it down now that they've been around a while.
I can now confirm the long ass wait at Franklin. Went up there yesterday, got there at about 10:20 and got served at about 12:45. Huge ass line already when we showed up, fortunately I brought a chair. It was definitely the most tender brisket I've ever had. The ribs were also good but they had some type of rub on the outside that was surprisingly a little spicy. The folks there are incredibly nice and friendly. I was talking to the guy at the counter and he says they make between 900 and 1200 pounds of brisket daily and they sell out by 2:30. Apparently they've never had a day when they haven't sold out. At $16 a pound they must be hugely profitable.
Thanks for the tip! Will try that out for my next bbq craving. Lockhart definitely has some consistency issues. Sometimes when I go there the food is out of this world, and others its eh, pretty good.
Tried 3 Stacks for lunch yesterday. Brisket was good (not enough smoke and a little tough), but the sausage was excellent. Sides were really good as well. It'll be the new go-to when I don't wanna drive downtown and wait an hour and a half.