BBQ Headlines

Texas barbeque has been making headlines in the past month, especially in the Dallas area. Nancy Nichols got a conversation started asking folks to weigh in on their preference bewteen beef and pork ribs. In the readers' opinion, pork was the big winner, and I have to agree.

Texas Monthly's Pat Sharpe announced that the London Observer had placed Snow's BBQ at #10 in their list of the fifty best things to eat in the world...yes the world.

Andy Ivey over at Metroplex BBQ has gotten back into the game serving up two new reviews this week for Sonny Bryan's and Off the Bone in Dallas. We agree on Off the Bone, but he must have hit SB's on a great day.

The Dallas Observer has gome out their way to feature some good BBQ. A good review of the new guy, Dr. Bell's, in downtown was coupled with a profile of the owners of Smoke, although the article had little to say about 'cue. In their Best of Dallas edition, they liked Off the Bone much more than either Metroplex BBQ or the BBQ Snob. Then on Wednesday, they did a great profile of Corey Toney at CT's Real Deal Bar-B-Que along with some good pics. They ate some great 'cue and had a good conversation with Toney who's frustrated with South Dallas politics.

Altogether, BBQ is making some headlines.

- BBQ Snob

Bluebonnet Bar-B-Q

DALLAS: Bluebonnet Bar-B-Q (Whole Foods)
2118 Abrams Road
Dallas, TX 75214
214-824-1744
Open Daily 8-10
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/lakewood/

Update: A quick trip to grab some groceries quickly turned into a smoked meat feast when I passed by the Bluebonnet Bar-B-Q counter inside Whole Foods. A variety of smoked meats from their Southern Pride smoker are available at this counter, and as I waited for my order, I noticed the other delicacies at the seafood counter that are also smoked in house.

Hungry for beef, I started with the brisket. Each slice was thick and loaded with poorly rendered fat. A full third of each slice found its way to the trash, but what remained was very good. A black crust surrounded richly flavored smokey meat, It could have been more tender, but the flavor was great.



Monstrously thick beef ribs are also well smoked. While the smokey flavor didn't penetrate the full thickness, it was evident in the meat just beneath the crust. That crust had gotten a bit tough from too much time under the heat lamp, but the meat inside was tender, moist and bursting with beefy flavor.



I can't ever get enough smoked protein, so I opted for three choices from the seafood counter. "Smoked Green Chili Habanero Salmon Jerky" was dry as expected with a concentrated fishiness that wasn't pleasing. Their was lingering heat, but nothing could stand up against that fishy flavor. Smoking brought out a more mild flavor in the oysters which were meltingly tender despite their looks.



The best option from the seafood counter had to be the "Smoked Salmon Candy". Thick filet of salmon had been smoked with a thick sugary rub. The fishiness was more mild, and the sweet and smokey flavor complimented this tender fish well.



Given the plethora of quality smoked meat options at this Whole Foods location, it's not just a place for groceries anymore.

Rating ***

March 2009: The newest Whole Foods Market has opened in the Lakewood Neighborhood of Dallas, and inside they offer 'cue in their Bluebonnet BBQ Smokehouse. The meat is smoked with hickory on the premises, and they offer quite a variety.



On the day I visited, I could choose from sliced and chopped brisket, beef ribs, baby back pork ribs, St. Louis pork ribs, pulled pork, and sausage. I ordered a three meat plate with the sliced brisket, beef ribs and St. Louis ribs alongside cole slaw and beans. The server was not quite comfortable wielding the carving knife, but I have to cut him some slack given that the store has now been open for two days. He inexplicably removed the bone from my beef ribs and sliced it. I prefer to use the bone as a handle rather than eating my ribs with a knife and fork. The pork rib bones were left intact. The brisket was sliced from the point, so they were loaded with fat. I asked for some crusty edge slices that were a bit leaner.

The best and freshest meat on the plate were the deboned beef ribs. Moist and tender meat was hidden below an excellent crust from the salt and black pepper rub, and the fat that remained was well rendered. The pork ribs held little smoke flavor, and had dried out a bit under the heat lamp. The rub added a good peppery flavor, but the crust had not held up well during storage. All the fat had been trimmed from the meat, so it also lacked the moistness that liquid collagen can add. Crust was trimmed from the slices of fatty brisket, so the smokiness was completely missing. The fat was not well rendered, and there was just too much to work around. The leaner crusty slices were a bit smokier, but these briskets needed more time being bathed in hickory smoke. For those who like sauce, Whole Foods has chosen wisely. Each of the meats benefited greatly from a slather of Austin's Own brand sauce that was served on the side. The cole slaw was an sweet and tangy variety with fresh cabbage, carrots and onions. The beans tasted more like you'd expect from a Mexican restaurant than from a BBQ joint. This may not be the best 'cue in town, but it's nice to have a solid option just down the street.

Rating **

Ohio BBQ

A trip to visit family in Ohio was the perfect excuse to get some meat smoking done. A big pile of protien always brings the family together, so my brother and I decided on a wide menu. In addition to the requisite brisket we tried a pork shoulder, baby back ribs, various cuts of chicken, venison roasts and sausage.

My sister's hungry gaze.


My brother has a barrel smoker with a detached firebox and a big pile of cherry wood. I got into town after midnight on a Friday night, so he got things started on his own. Leaves on the ground and smoke in the air greeted me as I drove up to check on the brisket at 9:30.



We quickly got some chicken and sausage on for lunch. I'm now convinced that chicken thighs are the best option for smoking. With plenty of fat, the thighs stayed moist while taking on plenty of smokey flavor. They would have been perfect if I hadn't overseasoned them.



In the evening it was time to start pulling the pork. After a rub of vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, salt and pepper along with 8 hours of smoking, this pork came apart with ease. The only downside was that too much fat had been trimmed off by the butcher, so it was bit dry, but very flavorful. The smallish shoulder allowed for plenty of surface area for a good crust to meat mixture in the final product.



Smoked chicken breasts were also good, but are just so hard to keep moist. Those in the crowd not favoring beef, were happy they were included.



These baby back ribs had plenty of meat left on the bone and a thin layer of fat. After slow smoking the fat had rendered perfectly and the meat was tender and moist. The flavor from the brown sugar rub created a nice crust on the meat. The venison roasts got a layer of bacon over them while smoking since they have almost no fat. This gamey meat was tamed by the smoke, but like the chicken, dryness was an issue. The flavor was better than expected by everyone in the crowd familiar with venison.



Of course the brisket was really why my brother got a fire going at 6:30. Slicing into it, I could tell that it needed a little more time on the smoker, and a little longer time resting. We took it off the fire an hour before serving, then wrapped it in foil and placed it in a cooler. The residual heat continued to cook it slowly, but didn't really allow it to rest. Precious juice spilled out with every slice, but we all ate it immediately so it wasn't allowed to dry out. The slices had a good smoke ring with plenty of thick black crust. Each bite was moist, but the flat could have been a little more tender. The point was the better portion with very well rendered fat within the meat. It wasn't the best brisket I've had, but it ranks right up there. It just goes to show how much has to go right to get this most challenging of meats smoked perfectly. No matter the final product, an excuse to be outside drinking High Life all day is good enough for me. the fine smoked meat was just a good way to end it.

- BBQ Snob