Review of Pecan Lodge (Dallas, TX) 

Pecan Lodge Webpage,  Facebook, & Twitter 

October 21st, 2016. Friday. About 1:30pm. In less than 24 hours I'll be participating in the Dallas area Tough Mudder. Given that I'm 47 and not in the greatest shape, where should I have what may be my last meal? Let's try Pecan Lodge.  

Located in what I believe is called the "Deep Ellum" area of downtown Dallas, Pecan Lodge still manages a rustic feel on the inside, as well as a decent-sized outside dining area. You order at one counter and pick up at another, and they also have a separate line for large orders (5 pounds or bigger I believe).

(Scott's Comment: Deep Ellum is actually east of downtown.)

Their smoked meat menu isn't as large as some places, as they offer brisket, beef ribs, pulled pork, pork ribs, and sausage (original and jalapeno). But I do see a sign inside for burnt ends, and they also serve fried chicken. I decide to get a three-meat plate (moist brisket, pulled pork, pork ribs), and add on a link of original sausage.

Sausage: The original sausage is a pork sausage. The casing has an excellent snap, and there is plenty of moisture inside. It has a nice smoky flavor and a touch of heat from the spices. Call it 9.0/10.

Pulled pork: The pulled pork is moist but not greasy. It also has a nice smoke flavor, but there's a touch of sweetness in there, as well as some pepper. It stands quite well on its own without sauce. I give it 9.0/10.

Pork Rib: The rib had a very nice crust, but was still tender inside without being overdone. There's a lot of meat on the one I got. Again, there's a lot of smoke flavor, some nice pepper, that touch of sweetness, and just a bit of heat. This rib is excellent. Call it 9.5/10.

Brisket: The brisket has an excellent bark and is incredibly tender. It has a very strong smoky flavor (always a plus), and a nice strong pepper flavor as well. It practically melts in the mouth. Call it 9.5/10.

I'd heard good things about Pecan Lodge, and it certainly lives up to the hype. It's easily a contender for one of the best places in Texas (and the lunch lines seem to support it). Jeremy (the Pitmaster) is certainly turning out some of the best BBQ in the state.

Is it worth a visit? Absolutely.

Is it worth a trip? Again, absolutely. I'd come to Dallas primarily for the Tough Mudder, but if I'd turned around and gone home after eating here, I'd still have considered it a day well spent.

One thing to note: As near as I can tell, there's no free parking in the area. Plan on paying (I spent $2 in the lot a block over).

-Tom

PS: It wasn't pretty, but yes, I did survive the Tough Mudder.

(Mudder's response: "You survived this time... Next time however...")

Visiting the Gettin' Sauced Festival (Austin, TX - Shady Springs Party Barn) 

Gettin' Sauced Festival Facebook, Twitter, & Webpage  

BBQ Festivals come in all shapes in sizes. At one end you have Texas Monthly’s BBQ festival, which will have 27 participating BBQ joints this year and will have thousands of visitors (with correspondingly long lines). On the other side you have Gettin’ Sauced . 

A smaller and much more laid-back affair, Gettin’ Sauced held their 6th annual festival (and their 5th was held in 2014) this weekend. A grand total of 12 vendors were there, and two of them were sauce only.  

Yes, Gettin’ Sauced is a BBQ sauce festival as much as a BBQ festival, with a sauce judging contest. So we will actually be discussing sauce in this posting.   

You wonder: For a cost of $40 is it worth going to? Well, not only do you get to sample (mostly unlimited) BBQ from some of the better places around, but there was also live music AND free beer. Several breweries including Independence, Middleton, Infamous, and St. Arnold were there, and if you bought a BBQ pass the beer was free. There was free Topo Chico mineral water as well. In short, you actually got a lot of extras for your $40.  

You can see the list of BBQ places on the website above. It should be made clear that there was nothing bad there. Everything ranged from at least good to excellent.

Six of us went to the festival: Myself (Tom), Tish, Scott, Sherrie (whom you may remember from TMBBQ Fest last year), Stephen, and James. What we’ve decided to do is ask each of us what three food items and sauces stood out the most from the festival. (Not everyone replied).  

Tom: For Food, the three items that stood out the most would have to be BBQ Brotherton’s Blackened Shrimp boudin (which was awesome), the pork rib from Milt’s (which had a delightful bit of heat), and the boudin from Tin Roof (which was also excellent)! For sauces it would have to be Mikey V’s Cherry BBQ Sauce (at the BBQ Brotherton table) which has an awesome flavor but would seem to go best with pork, chicken, or seafood;  Louie Mueller’s Mustard -based sauce; and Slab BBQ’s Mustard based sauce.  

 

Tish: For food it was the pork rib and the boudin from Tin Roof BBQ, and the serrano cheese sausage from 2M Smokehouse. For sauce it was Louie Mueller’s Jalapeno sauce, the Mikey V’s Rasberry Reaper, and Tin Roof’s original sauce.  

 

Stephen: Brotherton's had the best overall. This includes meat and sauce. Their raspberry sauce was amazing. Only thing is that if I had a BBQ at home I would still need some other sauce. As good as the raspberry sauce was I don't think I could have eat it with a whole meal. 

Louis Miller had a great mustard sauce. I'm not a huge pulled pork fan. I don't hate it I'm just ambivalent. But that mustard BBQ sauce was the perfect compliment. 

I wasn't particularly impressed with any of the brisket. Maybe I'm spoiled with having Valentina's right down the road but they all could have been rendered a bit more. That said the very first booth (Tin Roof) had some great ribs. But their sauce wasn't good.  It was way too “tomatoie”. I like my BBQ sauce thin. I also like my spaghetti sauce thin and I couldn't tell which of the two this was supposed to be. 

 

Sherrie: (Sherrie only commented on one of each). For sauce it was Slab BBQ’s mustard sauce (hot and tangy without being sweet). . For food it was Louie Mueller’s pulled pork (moist and tangy).  

 

 

I will say that a low key festival like this is really nice. TMBBQ offers more selection, but there’s a lot more to enjoy in a quiet atmosphere like this. We all had a good time and it is definitely something we hope to go to again. 

-Tom (writing on behalf of all of us)

La BBQ Revisited (Austin, TX - Aztec Food Park) 

La BBQ Facebook, Twitter, & Webpage 

 

It has been a little over a year since I visited La BBQ, and in that time they moved from their old location to a new one on East Caesar Chavez. Mike mentioned he and Johnny were going to pick up some BBQ and I headed on down to say “Hi”, pick up some for Tish and myself (and Scott chimed in for some as well), and see what (if anything) had changed.

They are now located in the Aztec Food Park, and lines do start forming early. There were about 15 people ahead of us and another 40 or so behind us at 10:45. When I get to order (more on that at the bottom) I order moist brisket, pork ribs, turkey, sausage, and a beef rib.

Sausage: The sausage is still their hot gut. It had a flavor last time that didn’t quite appeal to me. Not sure what they changed, but this is definitely better. It is still excellently prepared, with a nice snap, and there is some very nice heat in the flavor. Incidentally, if you like savoring the different flavors of your BBQ I’d eat this one last. I’m now scoring this 8.0/10.

 

 

Pork Ribs: They still have a wet rub in the process, but there’s definitely a better crust this time. They have a nice combination of sweet and spice, and are tender without being overcooked. I’m now scoring them 8.5/10.

 

Beef Rib: The beef rib has a nice smoky flavor, and is nice and tender. There’s a lot of good pepper and it isn’t as salty as last time. Call it 9.0/10.

 

Turkey: The turkey is tender and juicy, with a nice amount of pepper in the rub. It has a nice smoke flavor as well. Call it 9.0/10.

 

Brisket: The brisket is as excellent as I remember. It has a nice bark, is moist and smoky, and there’s a nice pepper flavor as well. Still 9.5/10. 

It looks like the move hasn’t hurt La BBQ in terms of quality. Everything was either the same or has improved. They are definitely turning out one of the best smokes in the area, and it is worth checking out if you have the time.  

And if there’s a catch, it is going to be time. In my last write-up, I commented that as a trailer the line seemed to move slower. It sparked a post on perception, as I had been in a line half as long as a Franklin line, but still waited 2 hours. 

But today there were 15 people in front of us, and they weren’t all separate orders. Line started being served at 11:00, and I got my order at 11:58. So basically an hour to serve 18 people (and not 18 orders). I’m not sure what’s slowing things down (although it seems that take-out orders may be part of it) and maybe I just caught them on a really bad day. But be aware that the wait at La BBQ seems to be a lot longer than the norm (even for trailers). 

Is it worth a visit? Absolutely. *

Is it worth a trip? Again, absolutely. * It is some of the best BBQ in the area. 

*With the caveat that the wait may add substantially more to the time than the norm. 

-Tom

Porker's BBQ Review (Naples, FL @ Naples Beach Brewery) 

Porker's BBQ Facebook, Twitter, & Yelp Page (Website is there; but not really up yet)

Naples Beach Brewery 

 

You've heard mention of Al, who lives in Marco Island, Florida and has posted to this blog a few times. Our friend Loni and I went to visit him. While the bulk of the time was spent eating seafood (Loni may live in the Houston area but I live in Austin), we did want to see if there was good BBQ in the area. As luck would have it, we were able to combine the trip with some good beer.

Porker's is not a typical business (at least by Texas standards). As near as I can tell, they are a small trailer only open Friday and Saturday at the Naples Beach Brewery (you were wondering why that was linked above, weren't you?).

(Al's comment: In talking with the guys, it looks like they have a commissary in the same park as the brewery, but that is mostly for the catering side of things.)

 

Despite being small they have a fairly good selection of meats. We hit the brewery about noon on Saturday, and ordered our BBQ about 12:30pm. They do a combo platter for one or two, so we just got it for 3. It consisted of pork belly, pork ribs, brisket, burnt ends, original sausage, and jalapeno-cheddar sausage.

Jalapeno-Cheddar Sausage: Al and Loni tried this one. It is an all-pork sausage. They both felt that while the basic preparation was good (juicy, good snap), the cheese was overpowering. That's one thing I seem to hear a lot about this particular type of sausage. It's hard to strike the balance, and too much cheese can get in the way. They rule it as decent, but not great. Loni gives it 6.0/10. Al gives it 6.5/10.

 

Brisket: Al and I try the brisket. It is tender and moist. Both of us agree that it is a touch heavy on salt, and light on pepper and smoke. There's a decent bark on it, so it is partially the rub and partially the wood. It is definitely on the high end of good, but not quite into great. The burnt ends (they were served separately) don't really change our impression. Al and I both give it 7.0/10.

 

Pork Ribs: The ribs have a good crust on them. There's a nice smoke flavor, and they are definitely tender without being overdone. There's a lot of meat on them. The rub has some nice pepper but also just a touch of sweetness from their sauce. Al and I both give them 8.5/10.

 

Pork Belly: The pork belly has a good smoky flavor. It's very tender and there is a very nice pepper flavor to them. They are a touch sweet as well. Loni gives it 8.0/10. Al and I give it 8.5/10.  

Pulled Pork: Again, there's that touch of sweetness, and an excellent smoky flavor. It's moist without being greasy. It tastes just fine without the sauce, although sauce doesn’t hurt it. Loni gives it 8.0/10. Al and I give it 8.5/10.

Pork Loin: The pork Loin is tender and moist with a nice crust. It has a nice smoky flavor and  a good touch of spice with just a hint of heat. Al and I both give it 8.0/10.

 

Original Sausage: This is also a pork sausage. There's a nice snap in the casing. You can taste smoke, some spice, and just a bit of heat. It's very tender and juicy as well. Al gives it 8.0/10 while Loni and I give it 8.5/10 (and Loni liked it enough that she ordered a second link to nibble on while Al and I were drinking).

The question I asked before I left on this trip was "Could anyone recommend a good BBQ place in South-West Florida"? No one came up with any suggestions. But it looks like we managed to find some anyway. Porker's is definitely turning out some fine quality smoked meats. Nothing scores below good, and everything pork related (except the jalapeno-cheddar sausage) rates as excellent and can hold its own with anything over here.

(Al's comment: It's my oasis in a BBQ desert. :-))

Is it worth a visit? Absolutely.

 

Is it worth a trip? Absolutely, with a disclaimer. To the best of my ability to determine, it is only open on Friday and Saturday at the Naples Beach Brewery. The Brewery is certainly worth a trip in itself, and there are some board games there as well as the usual TVs showing sports, but you may want to consider whether you pack the young kids up for a 60+ mile trip just for the BBQ if the venue doesn't appeal. But then, what's not to like about great BBQ and great beer?
 

-Tom

Brotherton Barbeque & Catering (AKA BBQBrotherton - Pflugerville, TX)

Brotherton's Website, Facebook, Twitter, & Yelp Page 

Those who follow BBQ may know John Brotherton from former locations Hall of Flame BBQ in Pflugerville or Curly’s in Round Rock. Some may also know that he currently runs Brotherton BBQ as a catering business. But he does do the occasional pop-up. On Wed, 7/27/16, he did one at The Growler Bar in Pflugerville? How’d it go? Well, apparently there were long lines and police controlling traffic:

I missed that one (Wednesday and Tuesday aren’t the same day?), so when I heard he was doing another one on Friday 8/26, I figured I needed to swing by. I also thought I’d be smart and show up about 45 minutes before opening. Good call, as I was “only” about 100 people back in line. (Note to self: show up much earlier next time).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The line was a lot like the line at Franklin: very casual with a lot of socializing. The Growler staff was checking on people, and everyone was very willing to hold your place while you went and got a drink or hit the facilities. A lot of people have come out specifically to see John, and I personally recognized Bryan (@BBQ Bryan) as well as Robert from Fullhouse BBQ. They bring by samples of burnt beef belly, which are excellent!

John is extremely friendly, and is spending a lot of time with the crowd chatting about pretty much everything and anything they want. KVUE news shows up and spends some time interviewing John as well as taking some establishing shots of the crowd. He does take a few people (including myself) back behind the trailer and we get some larger than normal samples of brisket while we’re waiting for our order. I end up with a lovely piece of burnt end that is just the right combination of crispy and tender, and I’m suddenly very glad I’ve already ordered or else my wallet might be in trouble.

(Hey... The first taste is free)!

They are serving ribs, pork belly, brisket, turkey, and sausage (mild and jalapeno/cheddar), but run out of ribs just before I order and mild sausage just after I order (but before I get my food), so I’ll be trying brisket, turkey, and pork belly. 

 

Pork Belly: The pork belly is nice and tender without being overcooked or greasy. It has a light smoky flavor, some nice pepper, and a hint of other spices. Don’t worry Charlotte, Wilbur died for a noble cause. I score it 8.5/10.  

Turkey: The turkey is extremely tender and juicy. There’s a medium amount of smoke, and a strong black pepper flavor. I also had an end piece with some skin on it and it was nice and crispy. I’ll score it 9.0/10.

Brisket: The brisket has a very strong smoke flavor (a personal preference of mine) as well as a lot of black pepper. There’s also a touch of sweetness to it I can’t quite place, but accents the pepper nicely. It is a classic example of melt-in-your-mouth. I had a large burnt end in my order, and it showed that the one I got as a sample from John was no fluke. This is brisket done right. Call it 9.5/10.

“How good can it be? It’s just a trailer,” was a comment I did overhear from one person while I was getting a drink and waiting for it to open. This did seem to be someone who was not waiting for the BBQ. It’s always interesting to see how people react to food trailers. Austin seems to enjoy them for the most part while Georgetown seems reluctant to embrace them. Based on the line I saw and the comments from the people around me in line (most of whom were from Pflugerville), there doesn’t seem to be too much problem with the food trailer in that area.

Pflugerville could use some good BBQ on a regular basis, and the BBQ from Brotherton BBQ certainly qualifies. John has indicated in other interviews that he does plan on opening a truck and eventually a brick and mortar place at some point. (A few of us did comment that there’s a nice empty lot next to The Growler  J  ).  But in the meantime we’ll have to be satisfied catching him at the occasional pop-up (unless you have a catering need).

Is it worth a visit? Is it worth a trip? I’m combining these two because with three scores of 8 or higher the answer is obviously “yes” to both. I do have to throw in the disclaimer that because of the nature of his business, you’re either going to have to catch him when he’s working a pop-up or else hire him for catering (I don’t think you’d regret it). Hopefully we’ll see him on a more regular basis sometime in the relatively near future. 

-Tom

Inman's Kitchen Review (Llano, TX) 

Inman's Kitchen Website, Facebook, Instagram, & Yelp Page 

 

 

Working at a contact center like Mike, myself and (until recently) James, you can hear about a lot of different places throughout the state. But someone suggested Inman’s Kitchen to Mike, and added “It’s better than Cooper’s”. Now Mike is a HUGE Cooper’s fan, and I’ve enjoyed my trips out there enough to know that this is a pretty big claim. So Mike, James, Hank (Mike’s brother-in-law) and I drove that way to see how it measured up.  

 

Inman’s is located on HWY 29 in Llano literally about 300 yards past Cooper’s (and there’s another BBQ joint between them). They have a good selection on their menu, but are apparently known for their turkey sausage. I’m looking forward to trying this, since I’ve only tried one previously and I’m not sure what the norms are on texture and snap. But I’ll be trying their turkey sausage, ham, pork ribs, pork tenderloin, turkey, and brisket. The others aren’t as adventurous (or hungry) as I am so they try roughly two things each. I also brought back pork tenderloin, brisket, and jalapeno/cheddar turkey sausage for Scott, and some pork tenderloin for Tish. (So note that Scott’s and Tish’s scores are going to be based on reheats).

Pork Ribs: The pork ribs have an excellent flavor, with some very nice spice and a nice smoky taste. However, they are somewhat tough and chewy. Grant came out and spoke with us, and did say that he had realized their best work. So, flavor is excellent but definitely not the best preparation. Score: Tom 6.5/10.

 

Ham: The ham is tender, and has a light smoky flavor. There’s a hint of pepper and some salt. It’s not overly fatty, which is something I’ve noticed at other places at times. Score: Tom 8.0/10.

Turkey: The turkey is extremely tender and moist. It has a light spicy taste, and a heavier smoke flavor than I find in a lot of other turkeys. It’s really good. Score; Tom 8.5/10.

Turkey Sausage: The sausage has an excellent flavor, with spice and pepper dominating (and some garlic). Unlike my previous adventure at Killen’s, this is definitely a lot more tightly packed and firm. Maybe too firm, as the casing is very tough and a bit difficult to bite through. But the flavor is excellent. Hank tried it as well. He wasn’t as excited about it, but admitted that he had tried a sample of the Jalapeno cheddar, which was much better so he was comparing it to that. Scores: Tom 8.5/10, Hank 6.0/10. Avg: 7.25.

Jalapeno/Cheddar Turkey Sausage: Scott: Has an excellent flavor. It’s not very hot but you can really taste the flavor of the jalapeno. The casing is a bit tough. Score: Hank 8.0/10, Scott 8.5/10. Avg: 8.25.

Brisket: The vast majority of the brisket we were given was lean…. And despite that it was still very tender and moist. It has a very nice smoky flavor and falls apart nicely. There’s noticeable black pepper. No one is disappointed. Scores: Tom 8.0/10, Mike 9.0/10, Hank 8.0/10, James 8.0/10, Scott 8.5/10. Avg: 8.3.

Pork Tenderloin: The pork tenderloin is a nice pink all the way through. Tasting this, I suspect they brine it before smoking (and my wife suggested the same). Whatever they are doing, it works. IT is incredibly tender (I was able to cut an inch-thick piece with a fork), has a lovely smoke flavor, and there’s some nice light spice as well. If I’d come out here and gotten nothing but this, it would have been worth the 60+ mile trip. Scores: Mike 8.5/10, Hank 9.0/10, James 9.0/10, Scott 9.0/10, Tish 10/10, Tom 10/10. Avg: 9.25. 

I have to admit I was skeptical of the “Better than Cooper’s” claim. This was a place I hadn’t heard anything about until Mike learned of it. But it goes to show that you can find excellent BBQ everywhere, sometimes right next door to another excellent BBQ place. Is it better than Cooper’s? That’s a tough call. In truth, when you start dealing with scores of an 8 or higher, you’re dealing with individual preferences in taste. I can certainly see why someone might say this place is better, and I’m not sure I could argue the opposite strongly. They each have their strengths. The true winner is the city of Llano, which has at least two excellent choices for BBQ.

 

Is it worth a visit? Definitely 

Is it worth a trip? Well, it’s 67 miles from my door to their parking lot, and I certainly think it was a day well spent, so yes.  

Mike’s Comments: Cole slaw was dry which I prefer to over mayonnaise versions.  Inman's has homemade bread which is outstanding and several varieties of homemade pies. I took home a cherry pie. The crust was flaky and the pie delicious. Cooper's is still the best! 

-Tom