Peggy Sue BBQ

DALLAS: Peggy Sue BBQ
6600 Snider Plaza
Dallas, TX 75205
214-987-9188
Open Sun-Thur 11-9, F-Sat 11-10
www.peggysuebbq.com

Update 2009: I felt like ribs, so the rib platter at Peggy Sue was just the ticket. A healthy portion of both spare ribs and baby backs come piled high together with your choice of two great sides. I always have a hard time deciding between all of the excellent side dishes, but on this day I opted for the chunky potato salad and the unique hoppin' john. The potato salad is rich with mayo and big chunk of well seasoned red skin potatoes. Hoppin' john is a soothing concoction of black-eyed peas, peppers, onions, rice, and bacon. It was nearly hearty enough for a meal all alone.



Three large spare ribs come alongside five baby backs. The spare ribs had a decent smokiness and very well rendered fat, but that's to be expected if they're as overcooked as these were. The texture was of braised rather than smoked meat. Some readers might call this sacrilegious for the BBQ Snob, but I prefer the presauced baby backs on this plate to the spare ribs. These ribs are covered in a generous layer of Peggy Sue's own homemade spicy sauce. This sauce has some real heft along with plenty of black pepper and none of the candy sweetness often found in inferior sauces. The ribs are also well smoked, with the smokiness shining through to marry well with the sauce. Unlike the spare ribs, these baby backs were not overcooked and had a pleasant level of tenderness. Next time I'll just stick with the baby backs and the hoppin' john, and I'll be a satisfied diner.

Rating **

2008: I normally do not review BBQ restaurants with waiters, cloth napkins, and such a wide menu, but I've been going to Peggy Sue BBQ since I've lived in Dallas, and I thought I should include it anyways. The sides here are what shine. Steamed spinach, skin-on mashed potatoes, squash casserole...they're all good. The meat, however, lacks the depth of flavor that the sides provide. The brisket here is sliced thin with no fat. A good black crust and well defined smoke line create only a fleeting smoke flavor that does not travel to the center of each slice. The lack of fat also creates a dry slice, that needs sauce to make it enjoyable. Not to worry, the sauce here is excellent. This thick smoky concoction is served warm, and it has just the kick that the brisket needs. Both spare ribs and baby backs are served here. The spare ribs equal the appearance and dryness of the brisket, but the flavor is more pronounced. The baby backs arrived sauced. Their lack of adhesion to the bone made me think parboiled, and the lack of smoke flavor confirmed it. These are tasty, tender, flavorful ribs, but they're not real BBQ.