Lockhart Smokehouse Plano

Lockhart Smokehouse finally opened up it's long awaited downtown Plano location on February 12th.  I can't remember a Collin County restaurant opening that was more eagerly awaited than this second location of Lockhart Smokehouse.  It was originally supposed to open in the late Fall of 2013 before being pushed back to January of 2014.  January came and went without it opening, but the doors finally opened in February.

Waiting to order smoked meat

I have visited the original Lockhart Smokehouse location in the Bishop Arts District and blogged about how my family had enjoyed the barbecue there.  We tried to dine at this new Plano location on the first Sunday that it was open, but we arrived to a line that was 40 deep outside the restaurant.  Since we had just been to church and had the kids with us, we decided to forgo the wait and ended up dining at another downtown Plano restaurant called Urban Crust.

Bar at Lockhart Smokehouse Plano

On the second weekend it was open, I ended up meeting my brother and a buddy at Lockhart Smokehouse.  We arrived about ten minutes prior to opening, but still found that there were twenty people lined up along the sidewalk awaiting the 11:00 a.m. opening.  Once the restaurant opened, the line moved quickly and the pitmaster, Will Fleischman, even tossed some burnt ends our way so we could sample as we waited to order.  I wanted to sample a variety of items, so I ordered 1/2 pound of brisket, 1/2 pound of ribs, 1/2 pound of turkey, a Kreuz jalapeno cheese sausage link, and the habanero mac n cheese.

Will Fleischman slicing beef

We sat down in upstairs loft area and dug in like wolves on a fresh kill.  The brisket was from the fatty end and full of flavor.  It had an outstanding bark, a nice smoke ring, and melted in your mouth like butter.  The ribs were good as well with a terrific rub on them and a nice smoky flavor.  They were somewhat tough on this visit, but the flavor was right.  The turkey was very moist with a Cajun seasoning used as a rub.  Although I could not taste much smoke on the turkey, it still had a nice flavor to it.  

Kreuz Sausage, Pork Spare Ribs, Brisket, and Turkey

Since most Texans are familiar with the taste of Kreuz sausage, I will just say that the jalapeno cheese link tasted just like you would expect.  The only complaint I have about the sausage at Lockhart Smokehouse is the price, which is $5.25.  You can order the same sausage directly from Kreuz Market and have them shipped to you for $2.20 each.  My brother was kind enough to let me try some of his pork chop that he ordered and it was impressive as well.  Perhaps the biggest surprise in the taste department was the habanero mac n cheese.  When I took the first bite, I thought it was rather mild.  By the time, I took my second bite, the delayed impact of the habanero had hit at full force.  It was very cheesy, but I loved the extra kick the habanero gave it.

Habanero Mac & Cheese

The Bishop Arts location made the Texas Monthly Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas and I would say that the Plano location is almost a carbon copy of the original.  Will Fleischman and his crew turned out some seriously good meat on this visit.  If they continue to turn out meat of this quality, I see Lockhart Smokehouse doing very well in downtown Plano.   I can guarantee you that I will be making a return trip to this barbecue joint.

Smoked Pork Chop

Lockhart Smokehouse-Plano
http://www.lockhartsmokehouse.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating= 4