Lockhart Smokehouse

4/11/13 6:30pm - Was in Dallas for a convention and search Yelp for a good BBQ joint. A fellow meat-head on yelp gave a good review. It was also rated high on the Full Gospel BBQ blog. Good enough for me.

I scored Lockhart Smokehouse an 89 out of 100. This is Reserve Grand Champion Barbecue. Borderline Grand Champion, the sausage hurt the score.

Smoke: Hickory. Real wood fired pit BBQ. Behind the counter is a custom made pit with internal fire fire box like an Olyer. Racks looked stationary. They proudly opened the fire box door and I saw the orange hot glowing Hickory.

Brisket: Excellent. Best slice of brisket I have had since Luling. A masterpiece of near perfection. A respectable 5/16in smoke ring with rich black crunchy bark. Snap apart tender, no knife needed. Full intense smoke flavor. I could still smell it on my finger tips the next morning. A nice salt and pepper rub to make you smile. No sauce needed or recommended.

Ribs: Very Good. One very large spare rib. Cake soft tender at the bone and little tearing at the knuckle. Full smoke flavor. A salt, pepper, and sugar rub to give it that extra flavor boost. No sauce needed.

Sausage: Fair. It resembled the fresh loose packed hot sausage in Central Texas but it did not taste like it. It had a strong strange herb flavor like oregano or sage. It was mushy. I did not finish it. So disappointed. If you go rouge on flavor, you have to hit a home run. This was a foul bunt. Use the sauce or skip all together.

Sauce: My first thought is this KC Masterpiece. My second thought is its KC Masterpiece jazzed up. A ketchup, molasses, lemon, with strong coffee flavor. It was a little overpowering so use it sparingly.

PS: the parking and potato salad are both horrific.