Colter's Bar-B-Q & Grill

DALLAS: Colter's Bar-B-Q & Grill
3904 W Camp Wisdom Rd
Dallas, TX 75237
972-298-3335
Open M-Thu 11-9:30, F 11-10, Sat 11-10, Sun 11-9:30
www.coltersbbq.com

Colter's is a Dallas born chain that has fallen on hard times recently. I noticed a few months back while researching their oldest surviving locations that they had about eight in total. Now they are down to four, and the oldest one is near Executive Airport in South Dallas. There was a crowd on a Thursday at lunch so this one must still be around for a reason.



A standard stack of plastic cafeteria trays greets you upon entry, and ordering is done in the cafeteria line, although the meat is not within view. I opted for the three meat plate, and added sliced pork, a rarity here in Dallas, to the familiar pork ribs and brisket. Potato casserole on the side was covered in cheese that had been melted at some point, but was now the spackle that held the potatoes together. They had been in the warmer so long that they had taken on the texture of bread pudding, which was unsettling. The stew was a flavorless concoction of leftovers with tomatoes and potatoes added for filler.

The meats looked more promising. The brisket had good bark, a bit of rendered fat attached to each slice, and a decent smokiness. The lean slices were still tender with above average flavor. My fork then made an unfortunate turn towards the pork. The meat was so dry and devoid of flavor, I don't think I could have identified it as pork without the advantage of knowing that's what I ordered. Ribs were a bit better. Large meaty spare ribs had little smokiness and no bark, but the flavor wasn't off-putting. The meat was a bit dry and chewy, and a splash of their marinara like sauce didn't help. Looking back, it's surprising that the brisket was worth eating given the poor quality of the other meats, but I guess it's a safe choice if you stop in.

Rating **