Cobb Switch BBQ

DALLAS: Cobb Switch BBQ
2625 Old Denton Rd. #700
Carrollton, TX 75006
214-483-3600
Open Sun-Thur 11-10, F-Sat 11-11

Update: This joint is CLOSED.

07/2009: I decided to head back to this joint now that's it's been open for about six weeks. Based on the many comments I've received from other folks' experiences, I was braced for the worst. On this Saturday visit I stayed away from the hot dog like sausage options, and went back for the brisket, ribs and pulled pork...and pie.

Chunks of brisket that were once slices were piled high on the plate. These nearly fat free morsels were a bit dry from overcooking, but were tender with a good smoky crust, while the meat beneath the crust held a decent amount of smoke. The ribs were also a bit beyond their prime showing some signs of being stored for a while. However, the flavor of the crust was still smoky, and the meat was tender and moist with well rendered fat throughout. These were good ribs.



The pulled pork was lacking the complexity that it had on the previous visit, and the addition of sauce didn't help. The sauce is actually closer to marinara than bbq sauce. It tasted as if someone thought ketchup was below use in their recipe, and instead they started with tomatoes. It was lacking any sweetness or spice. The sides of green beans and potato casserole, and the key lime pie for dessert were again stellar. If the meats were all as good, the overall rating would surely be higher, but despite all of the naysayers the three stars remain intact. Maybe they're just better on Saturdays.

Rating ***

05/2009: Phil Cobb, Janet Cobb, Blair Black, Chris Andrews, Dotty Griffith...I've never seen so many names associated with one BBQ joint, but this joint is definitely getting some free buzz with that lineup. No telling how many of those cooks really inhabit the kitchen. This place just opened on Monday, but it seems the cooking has hit its groove. The efficient service may have helped by the fact that we had the only occupied table at 1:00 on a Saturday, but the staff was friendly and helpful.

Six hickory smoked meats are slow smoked in a Southern Pride smoker, and I tried them all. The standout was the St. Louis style ribs with a salty and subtly sweet rub. Ruby red meat hid below the deep black smoky crust. Brisket lacked a robust smokiness, but the moist slices were tender, with a well flavored crust.



Pulled pork had a good balance of moist meat, smoky crust and bits of silky fat, while the turkey (an actual turkey breast) was a bit dry with little smokiness. The big disappointment was the jalapeno cheese sausage which will take you back to childhood days of cheese filled hot dogs. Better was the black pepper flecked original sausage, which could have used a boost of smoke flavor. Management has confirmed that chicken will soon be added given to customer demand. I guess those adventurous suburbanites don't realize that turkey is also poultry.



The side items could not have been better. cole slaw and potato salad were well above the bar for typical BBQ joint fare, and the unsoggy green beans had actual flavor. Pinto beans were well cooked with good flavor, and the potato casserole was oozing with cheesiness, and flecked with bacon and onion. I attempted to order a fried pie, but was convinced that I should go with banana pudding while being basically forced to order the key lime pie in addition. The pie ended up being so good that I took a slice home for my wife. The butterscotch banana pudding had good flavor profile with addition of the butterscotch, but the consistency was incredible soupy.



Given the relative infancy of this place, I have to give them credit for churning out quality grub across the board. Even if none of the meats stood out as fantastic, this was a solid dining experience with few negatives beyond the cheesy frankfurters and banana soup. I'll definitely be back.