Hutchins BBQ-Frisco

One of my favorite DFW barbecue joints and Texas Monthly Top 50 Barbecue Joint, Hutchins BBQ, recently opened up a second location in Frisco.  A couple of months ago, the restaurant opened it's doors on Preston Road in the space that previously housed Randy White's Hall of Fame Barbecue.  I have been eating at the McKinney location of Hutchins for over 6 years and I have previously blogged about it's greatness.   Unlike the McKinney location which is open for lunch and dinner, the Frisco location is only open on Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. till 3:00 p.m. (or until sold out).

Brisket 

St. Louis Style Ribs

On the day I first dined at the Frisco location, I ordered 1/2 pound of brisket, 1/2 pound of St. Louis style pork ribs, and and order of fries.  I chose lean brisket on this visit and couldn't have been happier.  The brisket had an excellent smoke ring, a thin layer of fat that kept the meat moist, and a bark that was so tasty that I might have closed my eyes and made involuntary moans.  St. Louis style ribs might be my favorite cut of ribs and the ones at Hutchins were terrific.  They had an excellent rub applied to them and the meat easily pulled off the bone with each bite.  Although I only bought two meats on this visit, a co-worker let me try their smoked turkey and it was fantastic as well.

Smoked Turkey 

Jalapeño Corn Muffins and Fresh Cut Fries

Sides are usually of little concern to me when eating quality barbecue, but I absolutely love the hand cut fries at Hutchins.  They are always freshly cooked and cut to just the right thickness (in my opinion).  Most burger joints could learn a thing or two about cooking fries from Hutchins.  This restaurant also offers free bread (hot rolls or jalapeño corn muffins) and free dessert (peach cobbler or banana pudding) for dine-in customers.  You can't go wrong with either bread, but I love the jalapeño corn muffins.  I am also a fan of the light and flavorful banana pudding, but many of my co-workers absolutely love the peach cobbler.

Banana Pudding

I was very pleased that the smoked meats were every bit as good as the McKinney location.  If you haven't been to either location of Hutchins barbecue, I recommend that you give them a try.  The barbecue is top notch, most of the sides are great, and the dessert is free.  It is really hard to beat a combination like that.  The new Frisco location is only a five minute drive from my work, so I see frequent forays in my near future.

Hutchins BBQ
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Louie Mueller Barbecue

I recently had the opportunity to eat at Louie Mueller Barbecue for the first time.  The legendary purveyor of smoked meats is located in Taylor, Texas and opened it's doors in 1949.   This barbecue joint has been critically acclaimed for years and last year it was ranked in the top 4 in Texas Monthly's Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas.  Although I have not been to this barbecue joint before, I have several friends that claim it is one of their favorites.  Louie Mueller's grandson, Wayne Mueller, now owns the place and mans the pits.  Having sampled the good at his sibling's barbecue joints (John Mueller Meat Co. and La Barbecue), I had high expectations for Louie Mueller Barbecue. 

Anxiously waiting in line

I arrived in Taylor right as Louie Mueller's was opening and was among the first in line.  Most barbecue joints have anywhere between five to seven different types of meat that they smoke and sell.  Louie Mueller's has a much larger selection than most: included three different types of beef sausage (original, jalapeño, and chipotle) and three different types of ribs (their famous beef ribs, baby back ribs, and pork spare ribs).  On this particular visit, I ordered brisket, turkey, original sausage, and the baby back ribs.  

Louie Mueller's was packed for a weekday

As I usually do, I started with the brisket.  It had a decent bark that was covered in black pepper.  The brisket had an excellent smoky flavor and the fatty slices were extremely moist with perfectly rendered fat.  Even the lean slices were surprisingly moist and had great flavor.  

Close-up of the peppery rub on the bark of the brisket

The turkey was also heavily peppered and was smoked well.  It didn't have as much pepper as the brisket, but it had just enough to add to the outstanding flavor of the turkey.  Most smoked turkey is very dry since it is a finicky meat to smoke, but the turkey here was perfectly moist.

Ribs rival brisket as my favorite smoked meat.  Since most places don't sell baby back ribs, I decided to give them a shot.  The baby back ribs here were some of the best baby back ribs I have ever had.  The meat easily pulled off the bone, they were smoked perfectly, and they were bursting with flavor.  One thing that impressed me with these ribs was the fact that they were thick cut and had about twice the meat you would normally get on baby back ribs.  I regretted that I had only ordered a half rack.  Although I certainly did not have buyers remorse with the baby back ribs, I really wished I would have ordered one of their famous beef ribs as well.

Clockwise from top left-baby back ribs, turkey, sauce, bread, brisket, original sausage, and pinto beans

The original sausage was fantastic too.  It was one of the top three beef sausages I have ever had.  Beef sausage often dries out quicker than pork sausage, but the sausage at Louie Mueller's was extremely moist.  All three of their sausage are house-made and I will be trying the other two varieties on my next visit.

The only side I ordered were the beans.  They were outstanding and had chunks of pork in it, but this side couldn't hold a candle to the barbecue.  Sauce is an afterthought when you have great barbecue, but the sauce here is very different.  Unlike most barbecue sauces which are thick, the sauce at this establishment is a very thin tomato based sauce with onions and pepper in it.  More like a soup than a sauce, it was much better than I expected upon first looking at it.

When I was leaving Louie Mueller Barbecue, the crowd for lunch was lined up along the wall and out the door.  I left Taylor, Texas feeling very content.  Although I still had a three hour drive to get home, I was glad I made the trip.  It is very easy to see why this place is so well liked by everyone, including the food critics.  I had ordered about three pounds of meat so I could take some home for my wife to try.  Sadly, she only got to sample one slice of brisket, one slice of turkey, and a sausage link.  

Louie Mueller Barbecue
http://louiemuellerbarbecue.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

La Barbecue

I absolutely love the food scene in Austin, Texas.  It seems that everywhere you turn, there is either a restaurant or food truck around.  The city has also become a hotbed for quality barbecue in the last few years and La Barbecue has been getting a lot of buzz lately.  Pitmaster, John Lewis, helped work the pits for Aaron Franklin at Franklin Barbecue prior to coming to work for Leann Mueller at La Barbecue.  With the pedigree of the pitmaster and the owner (sister of Wayne and John Mueller), I had La Barbecue set as my #1 dining destination while I was in Austin.

Last year, La Barbecue made the Texas Monthly list of the Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas and recently the Austin American Statesman rated it number one on their list of The Best Barbecue in Austin.  Another blog I follow, Fed Man Walking, also ranked La Barbecue as the best in Austin.  Considering the outstanding quality of barbecue in Austin,  this is high praise indeed.

View of the line of people  waiting to eat at La Barbecue

A friend and I arrived at La Barbecue fifteen minutes prior to it opening and found that more than fifty people had already formed a line to eat barbecue.  When La Barbecue finally opened at 11:00 a.m., the line began to move at a steady pace.  In recent years, I have waited in a lot of lines that now seem a requirement to eat great barbecue.  Smelling smoked meats and getting to see other people eat barbecue can be torture.  If I am ever sent to a dark cell to be tortured, my captors should forget waterboarding or extracting fingernails.  All they would need to do is just sit there and eat barbecue in front of me.  I would not be able to take it and give them all the information they needed in seconds.

Close up of the terrific bark and smoke ring on the brisket at La Barbecue

We finally arrived at the window, where I placed an order for brisket, turkey, pork ribs, and hot guts (La Barbecue's housemade beef sausage).  It was starting to get a little warm, so we found a nice spot on a picnic table in the shade.  I tried the brisket first and it was simply outstanding.  The brisket had some of the best bark I have ever tasted and every piece was like eating a little bit of smoked heaven.  Both the lean slices and the moist slices melted in your mouth and had great smoke rings. 

I don't always get turkey at barbecue restaurants, but I will try it occasionally.  The turkey was outstanding at La Barbecue and was extremely moist.  Turkey tends to dry out quickly on the smoker, so I am not sure how John Lewis keeps his turkey so moist while also getting the great smoke flavor I tasted in each bite. 

Clockwise from top left-Turkey, Brisket, Spare Ribs, and "Hot Guts", a.k.a. sausage

The ribs were commendable as well.  Although I didn't taste as much smoke on the ribs as I did in the brisket and turkey, the flavor was good and the meat easily pulled off the bone.  The hot guts sausage was the only menu item that I was somewhat disappointed with.  I generally like a little kick to my sausage, but I didn't care for the unusual flavor of this sausage.   Taste in sausage can be very subjective and others I have spoken to absolutely love this sausage.

Still a lengthy line as we were finishing up

My buddy and I both enjoyed our visit to La Barbecue.  Even after waiting in line for an hour, I felt that the barbecue was worth the wait.  The brisket was fantastic and the turkey was some of the best I have ever had.  I personally don't think La Barbecue is the best barbecue in Austin, but it is certainly in my top four Austin barbecue joints I have visited thus far.

La Barbecue
http://labarbecue.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Lamberts Downtown Barbecue

On a recent trip to Austin, I found some time to dine at Lamberts Downtown Barbecue.  Lamberts has been on my barbecue destination"wishlist" ever since Texas Monthly included it in it's Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas.  In the new barbecue capital of Texas, Lamberts is quite a bit different from many of the other barbecue joints in Austin and is said to serve "fancy barbecue."  Lamberts was only a half mile from my hotel, so some work colleagues and I took a short stroll to see what the restaurant had to offer.

Trio of Barbecue Sauces

Our group arrived hungry and we started with a trio of appetizers that included Crispy Wild Boar Ribs, Broiled Oysters, and Deviled Eggs.  The ribs were much smaller than I had anticipated but had excellent flavor that reminded me somewhat of buffalo wings.  They were basted in honey and sambal, which gave it both a nice kick and a sweet aftertaste.  I did not try the deviled eggs, but the oysters were fantastic.  I am not usually a fan of oysters, but these were exceptionally good.  The restaurant also gives each table a plate of jalapeno corn muffins and butter, which were quickly devoured by our group.

Clockwise from top left-Crispy Wild Boar Ribs, Broiled Gulf Oysters, Deviled Eggs, and Jalapeño Corn Muffins

Our waitress told us that Lamberts was well known for their steaks, but I was here to eat barbecue.  I ordered the Black Angus Brisket with pickled escabeche.  Other members of my party also ordered the brisket and one person ordered the ribeye  The brisket plate included both lean and fatty slices.  I was impressed with the quality and flavor of the bark, but I found the brisket lacking in the smoke department.  The member of our group that ordered the ribeye said it had terrific flavor, but was cooked closer to medium rather than the rare steak he ordered.

Brisket with pickled escabeche

For sides, our table ordered the baked mac and cheese, the mashed potatoes, and the fried okra with spicy remoulade.  All the sides were good, but the mac and cheese was outstanding.  The fried okra and remoulade was also worthy of praise.  The okra was long cut and had a fantastic batter.  

Baked Mac n Cheese and Mashed Potatoes

Even though I was unsure if I could take another bite, I went ahead and ordered the banana bourbon pudding for dessert.  The pudding was above average, but I was unable to finish it because the portion was larger than I expected.  Two other members of our group shared the coconut cream pie and they both gave it a thumbs up.

Banana Bourbon Pudding

We all enjoyed our visit to Lamberts and the service was outstanding.  I really wished they would have had a three meat plate available on the dinner menu, because I would have liked to have sampled some of the other smoked meats as well.  Although the brisket had decent flavor, I was much more impressed with the appetizers and sides at Lamberts.  If you are going to dine at Lamberts, I recommend that you make reservations because it tends to get packed quickly at dinner time.

Lamberts Downtown Babecue

http://www.lambertsaustin.com

Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Pecan Lodge-Deep Ellum

I do not usually have multiple blog posts about the same restaurant, but I decided to make an exception for Pecan Lodge.   The restaurant was recently forced out of it's location in the Farmers Market and had re-opened this past Friday in Deep Ellum.  My first visit to Pecan lodge was blogged about in 2013.  In that blog post, I declared that Pecan Lodge was the best barbecue in Dallas.  Texas Monthly later agreed with me and voted it the #2 ranked barbecue joint in Texas behind Franklin Barbecue in Austin.  Pecan Lodge has also been praised by several other publications and featured on more than a few TV shows, so pitmaster/owner Justin Fourton continues to be one of the busiest guys in the barbecue business.

By 11:00 a.m. the line was getting long

My brother and I arrived at the Deep Ellum location at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday and we were surprised that there were only thirty or so people in line.  By the time the restaurant opened at 11:00 a.m., the line was easily over 150 people and snaked around the block.  Once again, I felt like we timed our arrival just right.  When the restaurant opened, the line moved fairly quickly and we were able to order by 11:20.  

Pecan Lodge Bar and Dining Area

The new restaurant features ample dining space and a bar that serves local craft beer.  It also has an outdoor patio area with additional space for patrons to dine.  Although I am usually nostalgic about original restaurant locations, I immediately saw that the move from the Farmers Market to Deep Ellum was a good one.

The Menu

On this visit, I ordered brisket, pork ribs, jalapeño and cheddar sausage, and the daily special of burnt ends.  Since I needed something to offset the massive amounts of meat, I ordered some fried okra because it had been fantastic on a previous visit.  The slow-cooked brisket was excellent and just as good as it had been on my previous visits.  My slices were smoked to perfection and the fatty slices almost melted in my mouth.  The house made sausage was also delicious, but plays second fiddle to many of the other meats.

Burnt ends are my favorite barbecue item and I order them every time I see that someone has them on the menu.  I have had some great burnt ends in my life, but the ones at Pecan Lodge are out-of-this-world amazing.  When I looked back and tried to remember all the great burnt ends I have sampled, I honestly can't remember any that I have had that were as good as the ones I tried on this visit to Pecan Lodge.

Amazing Burnt Ends, Jalapeño and Cheddar Sausage Link, and Fried Okra

During my previous visits to Pecan Lodge, they had ran out of pork ribs prior to my arrival at the counter.  I was pleased that I finally got to sample the pork ribs and I was was blown away with this menu item as well.  They had an excellent smoky flavor, easily pulled off the bone, and even had an excellent bark on them.  

Considering the fact that this was only the second day that Pecan Lodge was open at this new location, Justin Fourton deserves kudos for the consistency and quality of the meat.  There is little doubt in my mind that the new location in Deep Ellum will be an even bigger attraction than the previous location.  One of my best friends got hitched a couple of weeks after this visit and we took him to Pecan Lodge for his last meal as a free man (picture below of what the four of us shared).  This place keeps getting better with every visit and is peerless in the DFW area.

Meal we had two weeks after this first visit-Burnt Ends, Sausage, Pork Ribs, Beef Ribs, Brisket, Okra, Mac n' Cheese, and Cole Slaw

Pecan Lodge

http://www.pecanlodge.com

Livin the good Life Rating =5

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

Hutchins BBQ

Hutchins BBQ in McKinney, Texas is the barbecue restaurant I frequent the most.  It also made the 2013 list of Texas Monthly's Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas.  Since moving to McKinney five years ago, we average eating here at least once a month.   Hutchins is very close to our church and it is a perfect place to have Sunday lunch.

Menu board

Even thought I had eaten barbecue the previous day, I accepted my father-in-laws invitation to go to Hutchins after church on Sunday.  
This was the first time I had been to Hutchins since early May and I noticed there was a much larger crowd than usual at 11:15 a.m.  It looks like the review in Texas Monthly has caused their business to pick up considerably.  Hutchins has a large variety of meats and sides to choose from, so I always have a tough time deciding.  On this particular day, I got the two meat plate with brisket and St. Louis style ribs.  For my sides, I got mac n' cheese and pinto beans.  I also got one of their cornbread muffins, which are always delicious.  Everything I had was very good, but I was particularly impressed with the ribs on this visit.  They had a great glaze, a smoky flavor, and easily pulled off the bone.  The mac n' cheese was a little different from previous visits because they had added bacon to it.  I really liked this change.

Brisket and Ribs Plate

Beans and bacon mac n' cheese

My wife got the smoked chicken with mac n' cheese, green beans, and a roll.  She said it was very good and also liked the change to the mac n' cheese.  I rarely get smoked chicken at barbecue restaurants, but I occasionally make an exception at Hutchins.  They have the best smoked chicken I have ever had.  I don't know what they do with their yard birds, but they do it very well. 

My wife's smoked chicken and sides

Unlike most barbecue joins, they also have a good kids menu.  My daughter got the kid's chicken nugget basket and consumed it all, with the exception of a few fries that I stole from her.  If you aren't interested in your typical barbecue joint sides, they have some killer fries and okra.

There is one more thing that I really like about Hutchins; their free dessert bar.  Patrons who dine-in get access to free ice cream, peach cobbler, and banana pudding.  My daughter absolutely loves the ice cream with sprinkles, but my wife and I are very partial to the banana pudding. 

Free Banana Pudding

Hutchins has great quality barbecue for a decent price.  The staff is always friendly and anxious to please.  If you haven't been to Hutchins yet, I highly recommend it.  Although I have tried, I have not found better barbecue in Collin County and their are only a couple of places in the entire Metroplex that I like better than Hutchins. 

Hutchins BBQ
http://www.hutchinsbbq.net/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 4

Bartley's BBQ

Ever since Texas Monthly came out with their most recent ratings of the Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas, I have been anxious to try Bartley's BBQ in Grapevine.  When the issue of Texas Monthly first came out, I was surprised to see it on the list because I thought I knew of all the highly touted barbecue joints in the Metroplex.  After doing a little research, I also found that D Magazine also had it ranked # 7 on their list of The Best Barbecue in Dallas (That's Not Really in Dallas).  My brother and I usually meet up and eat lunch at least one Saturday a month.  Since neither of us had ever been to this joint, we decided we would try Bartley's this past weekend.

We arrived at Bartley's just a couple of minutes after they opened.  The restaurant is located in strip mall and doesn't have the ambiance of your typical barbecue joint.  I ordered the three meat plate with sliced brisket, turkey, and hot links.  For my sides, I got pinto beans and green beans.  I also picked up some pecan cobbler, which happens to be one of my favorite desserts when cooked well.

3 Meat Plate with Brisket, Turkey, and Hot Links

The brisket had a nice crust and a noticeable smoke ring, but it was really chewy and dry.  I usually like going for barbecue right when a joint opens because the barbecue is usually right off the smoker and hasn't been sitting around long.  The flip side of going early is that you also run the risk of getting served yesterday's meats that were not sold.  I am afraid that the brisket on this day may have been the latter.  The turkey had a nice Cajun rub on it, but I didn't taste a hint of smoke and it was also dry.  The hot links and sides were both pretty unremarkable and very bland.  I was also served a hot roll with my meal that tasted great and was much better than the meats.

Unremarkable Green Beans and Pinto Beans

My brother got the rib plate and gave me one of them.  They had a sweet glaze to them and a were very flavorful.  The problem with them was that they were very tough and hard to get off the bone.  Toughness aside, they were the best meat I had at Bartley's.

Since I was disappointed with my meal, I didn't have high expectations for the dessert.  After the first bite of pecan cobbler, I knew that I had nothing to worry about.  The pecan cobbler was absolutely perfect and was some of the best I have ever had.

Pecan Cobbler

Despite the greatness of the dessert, I was very disappointed in this joint.  For the life of me, I will never understand how this place made the Texas Monthly Top 50 Barbecue Joints and a place like Smitty's did not make the list.  In my opinion, this place is highly overrated by Texas Monthly.  If you have eaten here and disagree, please feel free to comment on this post.

Bartley's BBQ
http://www.bartleysbbq.com/
Livin The Good Life Rating = 1