Luckie's Smokehouse

DALLAS: Luckie's Smokehouse
1300 W. Davis St.
Dallas, TX 75208
214-943-2300
Open ?

Update: This joint is CLOSED, and will reopen as OC Smokehouse.

2011: After a very disappointing trip to their original location, I was interested to see what these guys could do in a new Oak Cliff location. They gave out some pretty impressive samples at this past summer's Oak Cliff BBQ competition, and I'd been keeping an eye on their progress over the past few months. The place now looks great with a huge covered patio, a large bar area and a big dining room complete with mural. The menu is much wider than BBQ, and includes burgers, salads and the like. One curious menu limitation is that you cannot get ribs on a combo plate. They are only offered as a full or half rack plate. When I asked if they could charge me a few bucks more to add ribs to a combo plate with brisket, I was told they'd make an exception but they didn't want anyone to overhear because "Everyone is asking for it". Hey guys, if all of your customers are asking for something you can easily provide, put it on the menu.



The plate comes with a crunchy, lightly dressed slaw and two sides of your choosing. My server suggested the soupy and overly rich creamed spinach, and I chose a bowl of the too-sweet baked beans. There was a healthy portion of sliced beef and two very large spare ribs on the plate. Three sauce options were provided on the side, and the ribs needed the additional flavor. The meat was mushy from being overcooked, and any crust that may have formed was eliminated in the warmer. The meat had decent seasoning, but lacked smokiness. They weren't really worth the menu hassles. Brisket was a pretty good version of roast beef. They had a nice mix of lean and fatty beef, but most of the bark had been trimmed away on all of them. The meat that remained needed more seasoning and more smoke. Sadly, none of the three sauces (sweet, spicy and vinegary) complimented the brisket slices very well. At least they all went nicely with the buttery Texas toast.

Rating **