Ben & Al's BBQ

COPPELL: Ben & Al's BBQ
171 N Denton Tap Rd, #600
Coppell, TX 75019
972-471-4200
Open M-F 11-9, Sat 11-5

Update: This joint is CLOSED.

05/2009: Walking into this strip mall storefront just 15 minutes before closing during a rain storm didn't bode well for the possible protein related outcomes, but the wash of smokiness that came over my nostrils as I passed through the glass door got my tastebuds working. To-go was my only real option at this late hour, so I sat in the front seat of my car alone with the seductively scented styrofoam container. Inside it, I found mediocre green beans and better than average sweetened mustard potato salad. Also included were dark crusted ribs and tender slices of brisket.



According to the owner (presumably "McCoy" from the available business cards) the meats are seasoned only with thick hickory smoke. Smoky they were. The ribs were deeply smoky with a nice crust. The moist meat could have more tender with better rendered fat, but I'd definitely eat them again. The brisket wasn't quite as smoky, but this meat was both moist and tender. Bites outside of the crust were slightly roast-beefy, but this was good 'cue. I think both meats would benefit from a light rub given that they both lacked the bold flavor that the mixture of smoke and salt can provide. I look forward to trying what this joint can do during a lunch rush when their meat as at its peak.

Rating ***

Dueling Sausages

Update: So I fired up the smoker on Memorial Day, and threw on some sausage. Included in the lineup were Earl Campbell's Hot Links, Vince Young's Smoked Links, and my favorite commercial polish sausage from Rudolph's. I smoked all of the links for about an hour over lump mesquite charcoal and soaked mesquite chunks.

Earl Campbell's on the left, Vince Young's on the right


One noticeable difference was how wrinkled VY's became compared to EC's telling me that more filler (fat) might be present in VY's. From a flavor standpoint, EC's soaked up the smoke flavor more efficiently than VY's but was much more salty. Flecks of black pepper in VY's were a positive flavor addition issing in EC's, and provided a nice balance to the salty meat.

Earl Campbell's on the left, Vince Young's on the right


Rudolph's Polish Sausage


The Rudolph's sausage also took the smoke flavor quite well, and seemed to have less filler spewing out the sides than either EC's or VY's. The flavor profile was missing a distinct black pepper flavor, and the meat was just as salty as the others. What stood out with this entrant was the presence of other spices that provided a flavor profile with more depth.

Rudolph's Polish Sausage


In the battle of the UT stars, Vince Young came out on top, but neither star could tackle Rudolph's quality.

Previous Entry: You may have noticed the dueling sausages from your favorite University of Texas football alumni at the local grocery store. It seems that Vince Young is trying to steal some market share from Earl Campbell. Earl's hot links have been around for quite some time, and are a favorite in many joints around the state.



Vince's offering is a newcomer to this smoked meat genre, but both sausages are given equal shelf space at my local Kroger. Although the packaging and labeling is similar, they are made by different companies. Vince Young Foods is in Yoakum, Texas, while Earl's are made by Earl Campbell Meat Products in Austin, Texas. I'll have to give them a head-to-head tasting to see who measures up best, but for now Texas fans are going to have to decide if they want to opt for new school or old school.

- BBQ Snob

BBQ Book Review - BBQ Joints

Title: BBQ Joints
Author: David Gelin
Published: 2008 by Gibbs Smith Publisher

With a similar scope to the previously reviewed America's Best BBQ, this book covers the author's 60 favorite BBQ joints in the south. New ground isn't really broken with brief histories of each joint and an attached recipe sometimes and sometimes not from the associated restaurant. The stories generally focus on the genesis of each joint, and provide a nice glimpse into their formative histories, but the author doesn't provide much back-up for why we should care about his BBQ opinions. I will give him credit for not including all of the obvious cast of characters that many feel compelled to include lest they be judged negatively by the Lockhart sycophants (which includes this reviewer), so seeing a place like Stanley's in Tyler included rather than Sonny Bryan's in Dallas is refreshing. I do look forward to trying many of his chosen few from the Lone Star State, but the book doesn't really provide enough mouthwatering detail to get me beating down doors to get started.

-BBQ Snob

For those interested Texans out there, here's a list of all the Texas BBQ joints included in the book:

Austin's BBQ, Eagle Lake
Beans N Things Bar-B-Que, Amarillo
Big O's Barbecue, Valera
City Market, Luling
Cooper's Bar-B-Q, Mason
Iron Works Barbecue, Austin
Louie Mueller Barbecue, Taylor
Sam's Bar-B-Que, Midland
Stanley's Famous Pit Bar-B-Q, Tyler