I spent the week in Fort Worth on business. While there I had the opportunity to eat at three different barbecue restaurants in the North Texas area.
On Monday, I had lunch at Lockhart Smokehouse in Plano, Texas. I was driving down from North East Oklahoma, so it was about a 4 hours drive. I decided to stop at the Lockhart location in Plano since the Dallas location was an extra half hour away and I wanted to make sure that I got some of the good stuff. Lockhart Smokehouse (the Dallas location) is ranked as the 14th best barbecue restaurant in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine.
You order everything by the pound. They don't have combo plates, or sandwiches, etc..)
I ordered a half pound of moist brisket and a regular sausage link, potato salad and coleslaw, which is my standard order at pretty much every barbecue restaurant.
They have some sauces available, and also plastic wear. But, everything is served on butcher paper. No plates to be seen. And yes, I ate my meat without the aid of forks or sauces. I did use a fork for the coleslaw and potato salad, because, well it would just be uncivilized to use your fingers. I was lucky and got the last cup of potato salad they had.
The meat:
While I was standing in line the guy ahead of me ordered a pound of shoulder clod, which is located above the brisket and is a little more tender naturally. The cutter gave me a sample. It had a deep beefy and smoky flavor, different from brisket and very tasty.
The sausage is the German-Czech recipe brought over from the old country more than 100 years ago and is made at Kreuz Market in Lockhart, TX. It was very good. It wasn't bratwurst or regular smoked sausage. It was something completely different. It had spices in it, but wasn't spicy. I loved it.
The brisket was some of the best I have ever had. Knowing what I was after, I ordered the moist brisket. Some might call it greasy or fatty, but I like to call it rich. It had a thick, very sticky bark that was just as tasty by itself. A deep, mild smoky flavor. It was not as peppery as I had anticipated. But yes, it was greasy enough that it soaked through two pieces of butcher paper and made it translucent.
Sides:
The coleslaw was kind of spicy. Not too bad and didn't have an overwhelming vinegar flavor that a lot of places make.
The potato salad was something else though. It has a cool, creamy flavor that complimented the sausage and brisket perfectly. It has actual chunks of potatoes rather being being mostly mashed or whipped like most places make it. This was probably the best potato salad I have ever had.
Drink:
Not pictured here, but an honorable mention goes to the Big Red soda. We have recently started getting Big Red here in Oklahoma and my local favorite, Albert G's Barbecue in Tulsa now serves it. I have started to love this stuff and I get it every chance I can. It's the perfect soft drink for barbecue.
Next up: Cousin's Barbecue in Fort Worth and Pecan Lodge in Dallas.
On Monday, I had lunch at Lockhart Smokehouse in Plano, Texas. I was driving down from North East Oklahoma, so it was about a 4 hours drive. I decided to stop at the Lockhart location in Plano since the Dallas location was an extra half hour away and I wanted to make sure that I got some of the good stuff. Lockhart Smokehouse (the Dallas location) is ranked as the 14th best barbecue restaurant in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine.
You order everything by the pound. They don't have combo plates, or sandwiches, etc..)
I ordered a half pound of moist brisket and a regular sausage link, potato salad and coleslaw, which is my standard order at pretty much every barbecue restaurant.
They have some sauces available, and also plastic wear. But, everything is served on butcher paper. No plates to be seen. And yes, I ate my meat without the aid of forks or sauces. I did use a fork for the coleslaw and potato salad, because, well it would just be uncivilized to use your fingers. I was lucky and got the last cup of potato salad they had.
The meat:
While I was standing in line the guy ahead of me ordered a pound of shoulder clod, which is located above the brisket and is a little more tender naturally. The cutter gave me a sample. It had a deep beefy and smoky flavor, different from brisket and very tasty.
The sausage is the German-Czech recipe brought over from the old country more than 100 years ago and is made at Kreuz Market in Lockhart, TX. It was very good. It wasn't bratwurst or regular smoked sausage. It was something completely different. It had spices in it, but wasn't spicy. I loved it.
The brisket was some of the best I have ever had. Knowing what I was after, I ordered the moist brisket. Some might call it greasy or fatty, but I like to call it rich. It had a thick, very sticky bark that was just as tasty by itself. A deep, mild smoky flavor. It was not as peppery as I had anticipated. But yes, it was greasy enough that it soaked through two pieces of butcher paper and made it translucent.
Sides:
The coleslaw was kind of spicy. Not too bad and didn't have an overwhelming vinegar flavor that a lot of places make.
The potato salad was something else though. It has a cool, creamy flavor that complimented the sausage and brisket perfectly. It has actual chunks of potatoes rather being being mostly mashed or whipped like most places make it. This was probably the best potato salad I have ever had.
Drink:
Not pictured here, but an honorable mention goes to the Big Red soda. We have recently started getting Big Red here in Oklahoma and my local favorite, Albert G's Barbecue in Tulsa now serves it. I have started to love this stuff and I get it every chance I can. It's the perfect soft drink for barbecue.
Next up: Cousin's Barbecue in Fort Worth and Pecan Lodge in Dallas.
Last edited:
