Terry Black's, Dallas 3/31/25

 

https://terryblacksbbq.com/dallas/

Sampled around 2 pm

I had eaten at Terry's in Austin a couple of times and in Lockhart once, so I figured the Q would be good, but not great.  Yup.  I got a half pound fatty burnt end off a fresh brisket but there was not a hint of smoke flavor to be found.  It was tender and moist, the fat was well rendered, but none of the smoke flavor made it into the meat.  The ribs were well cooked and had a perfect bite mark and the sausage had lots of cheese, but not much jalapeno flavor.  I've got to say that the $21 two meat plate I had at the food truck on Saturday was better.  Our lunch was $101 for two of us.  Even the pudding cup (which looked a bit like Dayne's Chocolate Lasagna) was good, but not up to Dayne's quality.  They were doing a brisk business, even at 2 pm on a Monday.

They have a big dining room, a smaller room off to the side, and a rooftop patio.  They even have their own parking lot, which is a good thing to have in Deep Ellum.  

The Rollin' Smokehouse, Weatherford 3/29/25

 

https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Rollin-Smokehouse/100091467036797/#

sampled about 2 pm

The Mrs wanted to see a band and visit a winery near Weatherford today and there just happened to be a BBQ truck at the gig.  I was not expecting much, but it was surprisingly good.  The brisket was moist and tender with loads of smoke flavor.  The jalapeno cheese sausage was also very good and had good smoke flavor, too.  I wish they'd had some ribs to try, but not today.  The brisket was so good my Mrs went back and got the chopped brisket nachos.  Unfortunately they used Cheeze Whiz instead of real cheese, and that just kills nachos for me.  

Brisket smoke 3/13/25

 

The day after having a Texas Trinity (plus) at Dayne's we put this 12 lb brisket on our little bullet smoker.  As usual, we had to cut it in half to fit with the point on the top rack and the flat on the lower rack.  The only seasoning was our usual Green's All N 1.  After 6 hours of heavy smoking with pecan and oak from the trees in our yard, the two halves went into a big cooking bag and into the oven at 250 for 3 more hours.

The internal temperature was a perfect 202 when we pulled it from the oven and it went onto a cooler lined with towels to rest overnight (the Vencil Mares method).  In the morning it was still warm and perfect for slicing.  

Was it as good as Dayne's?  Maybe.  If not it was darned close.  It was definitely cheaper and I didn't miss the sitting in construction traffic on I-30 part.  Now if I could just perfect that chocolate lasagna recipe...

Dayne's Craft BBQ, Aledo 3/12/25

 

https://daynescraftbarbecue.com/

sampled around 11 am

I had a friend who wanted to go eat some BBQ and he had never been to Dayne's, so off we went.  Twice in less than 2 weeks for me.  Yay!  Everything was awesome, as always.  I'll be very surprised if they don't rank top 10 in the next Texas Monthly top 50.  

A travel tip.  I-30 is becoming a real construction disaster going west from 820 so be sure to go down to I-20 and go west from there.  It's just a couple of miles south on 820 and it joins I-30 just before the Aledo exit heading west and misses all the construction.  

I had not noticed this sign in the restroom before.  It made me grin, but I don't think any of Dayne's employees are ever crying.  :)

Dayne's Craft BBQ, Aledo 3/1/25

 

https://daynescraftbarbecue.com/

sampled around 2:30 pm

The great nephews wanted to visit the Mineral Wells Fossil Park and I agreed to go if I could choose the lunch spot.  Any excuse to go visit Dayne's is a good excuse!

The Original Roy Hutchin's Barbecue, Trophy Club 2/13/25

 

https://www.royhutchinsbbq.com/

sampled around 1:30 pm

Scott wanted to "meat up" for a late lunch and chose Roy's pricey joint up in Trophy Club.  Everything was excellent, as always, with the exception of the ribs which were a bit undercooked. Scott got his from a different rack and said his were great.  So it goes.  I grabbed a couple of extra twinkies for later.  Their well trained staff always makes for a nice visit.  

Hurtado BBQ, Arlington 2/11/25

 

https://hurtadobbq.com/

Sampled around 11 am

I had a friend who wanted some good BBQ on a Tuesday so we met up at Hurtado in Arlington.  The brisket was a bit overcooked, but everything else was spot on, as usual.  I got a bit extra to heat up and enjoy for dinner on Wednesday.