James Brown Backroom BBQ

DALLAS: James Brown Backroom BBQ at the Dallasite
4822 Bryan Street
Dallas, TX 75204
214-826-3670
Open M-Sat 10-2am, Sun 12-2am
www.dallasiteclub.com

Update: This joint is CLOSED. The Dallasite is still there, but no BBQ is coming out of the back room.

2010: Potential is so fleeting. On my first trip to the Dallasite, the 'cue showed so much promise, but on this follow-up visit, the meat was dull, and covered in a thick, sweet sauce.



You'll notice in the photo that the three meats are visibly indistinguishable, and they were about the same on the palate. The pulled pork was the best meat, and went well with the sauce. It's flavor barely stood up to the sauce, but it was tender and moist. The ribs were simply mush. They fell from the bone, and had very little flavor on their own. Brisket was the worst with a chewy texture, and absolutely no flavor that could stand up to that sweet sauce. Potato salad tasted like it was straight from the Sysco truck, and the beans were plain and flavorless. So much for potential.

Rating **

02/2009: I just heard about this joint from a few sources (thanks Nancy and Reid) and was so excited to try it, I headed over after having lunch with my wife. When I told her about the place she reminded me that I had announced a month-long BBQ hiatus to her only a few days before. As I parked the car next to the fuming barrel smoker in the parking lot, I heard a voice from the street. She had followed me just to humorously chastise me, but I had to try it.



The Dallasite took over this former Asian pool hall caddy corner from Jimmy's after their former building on Ross was leveled. This is primarily a bar and their food offerings include a number of bar food favorites, but the back of the paper menu is full of their new BBQ offerings. I went with the rib sandwich and the sliced beef sandwich.



Both sandwiches were packed with meat. There were six good sized ribs on two slices of white bread. Although a thick bark had not developed, the ribs were smokey. They were lacking some flavor due to very little seasoning, but the ribs were well cooked, and needed just a tug to release from the bone. Brisket slices were piled high on a grilled bun, but all fat had been trimmed away. What remained was a well formed crust and a nice smoke ring. Bites away from the crust lacked the intense smokiness, and the slices were a bit dry, but the overall flavor was good. These boys have just set things up here, and they're off to a good start. I'll stop by again after they've been around for a few weeks.