Restaurant Name: Terry Black’s Barbecue Address: 3025 Main Street, Dallas, TX 75226
My first stop on the 2023 BBQ Tour took me to Terry Black’s BBQ in the Deep Elum district of Dallas. Terry Black’s is based out of Austin, TX and has a long history and a strong reputation as being of the best not only in Texas but in the country. For this particular visit, I was able to be joined by my sister Kay, her husband Jesse, and my youngest niece Evie and we enjoyed the spread below of beef brisket, pork spare ribs, smoked sausage, green beans, mac n cheese, and seasoned rice.
The atmosphere of Terry Black’s in Dallas is a modernized industrial space. Open ceilings with a painted exposed structure above with metal siding and sealed concrete floors provide a great look. Lots of signage on the walls and a really neat mixture of strip and pendant lights provide a comfy vibe on the inside. I didn’t sit outside as it was hot but the outside had a patio on the main level and. araised upper level patio/mezzanine which looked really cool. Terry Black’s had an open pit room where you can see their wood stick burner smokers.
Since we eat with our eyes first let me talk a little bit about the appearance of the food. The food comes served on a plastic tray lined with parchment paper. The meats are sliced fresh and in front of you and placed on the paper and sides are put into cardboard boats. A small boat garnish of pickles and red onions are available if you desire. Overall, the look of the tray is amazing! Great colors on the meats and visible smoke rings. The sides that I choose provide great color as well to the tray.
My favorite thing to eat here was the pork spare ribs and the mac n cheese. The pork spare ribs were that perfect tenderness that I like which is a little bit of a tug but still easy to eat. They were packed with a good smokey flavor and that tried & true Texas style BBQ rub that’s heavy in the salt & black pepper. They were so good that I didn’t even need sauce to eat them. The mac & cheese was a nice large elbow macaroni with a super creamy cheese sauce that made it absolutely delicious. The brisket was great and had a solid smoke ring, tenderness, and flavor. The green beans were crisp, buttery, and well seasoned.
My only negatives were the smoked sausage and the seasoned rice. The sausage was a bit dry and the casing didn’t have that “snap” that I always appreciate and look for in a good smoked sausage. It was definitely smoked and had good smokey flavor though. The seasoned rice was just something I didn’t expect from a BBQ restaurant and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen it at any previous BBQ restaurants I’ve been to. Most likely a Texas thing which I get but at the end of the day I had hard time differentiating the seasoned rice to a typical Mexican restaurants seasoned rice.
The annual BBQ Tour took place this past weekend and thrown in the middle of it is my 2nd oldest nieces wedding. Their wedding took place in Texarkana, TX and so for my 10th trip I decided to do a best of Texas tour since I’ll be in Texas for my nieces wedding. Since I was limited on where I could go for this trip, I decided to do the best of Dallas, TX for this BBQ Tour. I’m simply looking for the best overall BBQ experience. When judging “Best Overall BBQ Experience” I take into account (3) criteria: #1 – Appearance of the Food, #2 – Atmosphere of the Restaurant, & #3 – Overall Taste of the food. Traditionally I have others go with me and we do an average score that is weighted based on the (3) criteria but since this trip was just me, I simply did a straight up score out of 10.
My first stop took me to Terry Black’s BBQ in the Deep Elum district of Dallas. Terry Black’s is based out of Austin, TX and has a long history and a strong reputation as being of the best not only in Texas but in the country. For this particular visit, I was able to be joined by my sister Kay, her husband Jesse, and my youngest niece Evie and we enjoyed the spread below of beef brisket, pork spare ribs, smoked sausage, green beans, mac n cheese, and seasoned rice.
The atmosphere of Terry Black’s in Dallas is a modernized industrial space. Open ceilings with a painted exposed structure above with metal siding and sealed concrete floors provide a great look. Lots of signage on the walls and a really neat mixture of strip and pendant lights provide a comfy vibe on the inside. I didn’t sit outside as it was hot but the outside had a patio on the main level and. araised upper level patio/mezzanine which looked really cool. Terry Black’s had an open pit room where you can see their wood stick burner smokers.
Pit RoomSauced Pork Rib Tips
Since we eat with our eyes first let me talk a little bit about the appearance of the food. The food comes served on a plastic tray lined with parchment paper. The meats are sliced fresh and in front of you and placed on the paper and sides are put into cardboard boats. A small boat garnish of pickles and red onions are available if you desire. Overall, the look of the tray is amazing! Great colors on the meats and visible smoke rings. The sides that I choose provide great color as well to the tray.
Green Beans, Seasoned Rice, & Mac n CheeseSmoked Sausage, Beef Brisket, & Pork Spare Ribs
My favorite thing to eat here was the pork spare ribs and the mac n cheese. The pork spare ribs were that perfect tenderness that I like which is a little bit of a tug but still easy to eat. They were packed with a good smokey flavor and that tried & true Texas style BBQ rub that’s heavy in the salt & black pepper. They were so good that I didn’t even need sauce to eat them. The mac & cheese was a nice large elbow macaroni with a super creamy cheese sauce that made it absolutely delicious. The brisket was great and had a solid smoke ring, tenderness, and flavor. The green beans were crisp, buttery, and well seasoned.
My only negatives were the smoked sausage and the seasoned rice. The sausage was a bit dry and the casing didn’t have that “snap” that I always appreciate and look for in a good smoked sausage. It was definitely smoked and had good smokey flavor though. The seasoned rice was just something I didn’t expect from a BBQ restaurant and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen it at any previous BBQ restaurants I’ve been to. Most likely a Texas thing which I get but at the end of the day I had hard time differentiating the seasoned rice to a typical Mexican restaurants seasoned rice.
With all that being said, I’d give Terry Black’s a score of 9.5 out of 10. Some small dings for the smoked sausage and rice but overall still really really good food and definitely the best ribs on this trip.
After eating lunch at Terry Black’s with some of my family, I attempted to burn some of those calories going for a walk but it was too hot and so I went to my hotel and relaxed for a few hours until dinner took me to Ferris Wheeler’s Backyard & BBQ south of Dallas Love Airfield & near Trammell Crow Park. This place didn’t look like much from the outside looking at it from the street but when you get inside AND go to the backyard it’s like a whole new world. Inside the restaurant wasn’t anything fancy but it had a rustic cafeteria vibe which I can appreciate for a BBQ restaurant. Speaks to my laid back, let’s have some fun attitude when it comes to BBQ. The backyard though is when the fun begins! There’s a live band stage area and a wonderful bar area with a great view of the stage. Rope lights strung everywhere provide ample lighting for eating outside. Oh, and did I mention that there’s legitimately a ferris wheel in the backyard?
For this meal I enjoyed a wonderful platter of smoked turkey (what they’re most famous for apparently), beef brisket, campfire beans, and mac n cheese. The food is served to you on a metal tray/platter lined with butcher paper. The sliced turkey is layered nicely allowing you to see the wonderful smoke ring and excellent bark on the outside of the slices. The sliced brisket is kinda just stacked up but it still provides a nice visual smoke ring and the top piece of the brisket was an end piece so you know that bites going to be packed with flavor. The side dishes are served in cardboard boats. The macaroni is actually wheels which is a nice touch and topped with some crumbled up doritos for a little extra crunch. The beans look thick and flavorful and you can see the array of beans used in the mix. Pickles are added to the tray for added garnish along with a serving of their house mustard sauce and house BBQ sauce.
Beef Brisket & Smoked TurkeyCampfire Beans & Mac n CheeseDinner is served!
My favorite things to eat here were surprisingly the smoked turkey and the campfire beans. Turkey,, similar. tochicken, is very difficult to make really good on the smoker. Turkey tends to dry out very easily. Ferris Wheeler’s though did an absolutely awesome job on the turkey as it was moist, tender, smokey, and super flavorful. It had a solid bark showing the dry rub which also added to the overall flavor. The campfire beans were great! You can see the array of beans that they used to make the side dish. The flavors are smokey, peppery, and nice bite of heat. The mac n cheese was good and I appreciated the fact that they used wheels as the macaroni to go with their name of Ferris Wheelers. The cheese sauce was nice and smooth and they crumbled up some chips to add a nice texture similar to that of bread crumbs.
My only negative was sadly on the beef brisket. I know brisket can be fatty and that fat is flavor but there was just too much fat in the slices I got and I really only ate about half of the brisket. Once I got through the excess fat the brisket I did eat was flavorful, moist, but I could tell it was a little over done as it pretty much fell apart on me.
Overall, Ferris Wheeler’s was a nice surprise. The turkey and beans were PHENOMENAL but the brisket did force me to knock it a little bit but still give it a solid 9.4 out of 10.
Day #2 of the BBQ Tour took me back to the Deep Elum district and to a spot from my OG trip in 2013: Pecan Lodge. This go around my parents and my oldest nieces husband Griffin was able to join me for this meal. Pecan Lodge is another BBQ place that is consistently found in lists. asone of the best not only in Texas but also around the country. In a rustic brick building with exposed ceilings and pendent lighting it provides a classic and modernized twist to an industrial building.
When I first visited the Pecan Lodge in 2013 we ordered brisket, beef ribs, spare ribs, and a whole spread of sides to feed a crowd. This go around we were more selective and had meats of smoked turkey, brisket, and smoked sausage. We had sides of mac n cheese, potato salad, and collard greens. All the food gets served on a metal tray with butcher paper and the meats are placed directly on the tray. The sides are served in cardboard boats. A garnish of pickles and onions accompanies every tray and the tray definitely looks full and delicious.
Pecan Lodge was on my OG trip in 2013 for a reason and even though I tried different meats this go around they were still really good all around. The smoked sausage and collard greens definitely steal the show for me. The smoked sausage is smoked perfectly, has some jalapeno inside, and has an excellent snap when it comes to the casing which I absolutely love in smoked sausage. The collard greens are sweet…not traditional for collard greens but it is a very pleasant surprise and they taste amazing. The mac n cheese with bacon was tasty and a classic good side dish along with the potato salad. The turkey was moist and tender but didn’t quite have the smokey flavor that I was hoping for. The brisket looked amazing and had a solid smoke ring but it was thick cut which means that it was a bit too tender for my liking and it was a tad fatty and greasy. It did taste good though…fat is flavor!
Mac n Cheese w/ Bacon & Collard GreensPotato Salad, Brisket, Turkey, & Smoked Sausage
The Pecan Lodge is a staple place for me to visit everytime I visit Dallas because they are consistently really good. This visit was no different as the food, atmosphere, and platters were all really good. Small ding for the fatty and greasy brisket puts the Pecan Lodge at a solid 9.5 out of 10 on this trip.
After a day and a half of not eating BBQ because my niece Ember decided to get married I made one final stop on my BBQ tour before flying back to Indy and it was to Heim Barbecue. Heim Barbecue is a little bit of the “new kid on the block” when it comes to BBQ in the Dallas area with their first location opening in 2016. The location I went to is their newest one right next to Dallas Love Airfield. The building looked fresh and newly renovated (being a construction guy I can notice these things). Nice vaulted exposed ceilings with sealed/polished concrete floors on. the inside and a nice covered patio with picnic tables offers a cozy outdoor seating area.
The food is served on a metal tray with butcher paper. The meats are placed directly on it and the side dishes are served in cardboard boats. For my final BBQ meal of this tour I had beef brisket, bacon burnt ends, coleslaw and green chile mac n cheese.
Beef Brisket, Bacon Burnt Ends, Cole Slaw, & Green Chile Mac n CheeseGreen Chile Mac n CheeseBeef Brisket & Bacon Burnt EndsCole Slaw
I’ve ate A LOT of BBQ over the years and ever since I’ve started this food blog I’ve always been balanced in my reviews and I’m always one to be able to find a critique or something that I would do differently or prefer vs. what was done. I can officially say that this platter was pretty much the MOST COMPLETE BBQ plate I’ve ever had! Literally everything on this plate was top notch, excellent, & delicious. Let me start with the bacon burnt ends. Also called pork belly burnt ends, these nuggets of joy were sweet and smokey and sticky and tender and absolutely wonderful to eat. The beef brisket was super thick so I was expecting them to be too tender and fall apart but they pulled really well (maybe just maybe a slight tug) and they had a solid smoke ring and flavor. The crust owas top notch and flavorful and it was delicious. The green chile mac n cheese was AWESOME! My friend Krista has traditionally made the best mac n cheese I’ve ever had and sadly, the throne has been taken over (sorry Krista!). The green chile’s add such a great flavor and it was very balanced in the amount of heat, smoke, and earthiness to the well cooked macaroni and creamy smooth cheese sauce. The cole slaw was simple…red cabbage, carrots, and a cream based sauce but it was so fresh and crisp that it would cleanse the pallette every time you ate it.
The photo above says it all! I can’t give them a perfect score so a 9.9 out of 10 will have to do!
As I’m writing this blog post the US in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. During my time stuck in my house, I figured I’d dig up some old BBQ adventures of mine that I haven’t written about yet. This post is about the Pecan Lodge in Dallas, TX.
The Pecan Lodge sits in Deep Ellum district of downtown Dallas. My first experience with the Pecan Lodge was when my boss from work brought back some BBQ from here when we had a job site in Dallas nearly 10 years ago. Since then I’ve been to the Pecan Lodge twice…once was on my very first BBQ Tour in 2014 and then most recently for a work trip and a day of vacation. Here’s their awesome menu board:
On this particular day, which was vacation, I had just wrapped up a pretty successful round of sporting clays so I rewarded myself for my lunch before heading back to Indy. My lunch consisted of a pork sausage link, beef brisket burnt ends, collard greens, mac ‘n cheese, and peach cobbler.
When my name got called this tray was waiting for me and I about passed out in the glorious view of my lunch. Everything looked absolutely delicious! Most appealing to my eye is probably the amount of bacon in the mac n cheese. The sausage link and the brisket burnt ends had a great color and I could tell they were legitimately smoked. The mac n cheese also screams CREAMY and it most definitely was. The collard greens looked fresh and it was a good size serving. I will admit that I barely finished this platter for my lunch but of course I did finish it LOL. Here’s some closeups of the individual items I got.
Brisket Burnt Ends
Peach Cobbler
Collard Greens
Pork Sausage
Potato Salad, Turkey, Brisket & Sausage
Let’s talk about the flavor experience that Pecan Lodge is. Traditional Texas style BBQ is beef, salt, & pepper. The brisket burnt ends match that pretty much perfectly. Paired with a sweet sauce though it was off the charts delicious. It was super tender…almost fork apart tender. The pork sausage was a good spicy with good hints of smoke. The casing had a solid snap when you cut into it AND bit into which is a texture I really like in smoked sausages.
Of the two sides and dessert that I had the mac n cheese was definitely my favorite. The greens and peach cobbler were delicious but the mac n cheese took this meal completely over the top. The macaroni noodles were super soft, the cheese sauce was super creamy, and the fresh chopped up bacon on top was a delicious salty delicacy that makes all tastebuds put a cowboy hat on and say “Yeehaa!”. The collard greens had a great smokey flavor as they had some pulled pork in it and it was very balanced with onions as well. The peach cobbler was a great finish to the meal and probably put me close to gluttony but not quite. It was warm, smooth, and the crust was solid.
Very tough to find a true “negative” at the Pecan Lodge. The burnt ends may have been a bit too tender for me as I do enjoy a good chew. Ice cream would’ve been nice to have on the cobbler but I guess you can’t expect them to be excellent at everything.
SUMMARY
The Pecan Lodge in Dallas, TX is an absolute must visit if you’re in Dallas area. GET THERE EARLY! There is always a line usually wrapped around the building just to get in to the building…you still have about another 100 feet or so to go before you actually get to the counter to place an order but I 100% GUARANTEE you the food will be worth the wait and worth the money.
Restaurant Name: Bombers BBQ Address: 435 Ridge Road, Suite F, Munster, IN 46321 FACEBOOK / WEBSITE
In 2017, I did my annual BBQ Tour Trip and focused on just the state of Indiana. Visited six of the highest rated places outside of Indianapolis (my hometown) and the winner was Bombers BBQ in northwest Indiana in Munster. I didn’t have the food blog back then so I didn’t write about the winner, but I recently revisited this place coming back from the Chicago Auto Show with some college students from MyChurch Indy.
Bombers BBQ recently moved. I will admit that when I pulled up to their original location and saw a bunch of white paper signs posted on the glass I thought the worst had happened and the health department shut them down. I was very relieved when I walked up to the signs to see them simply say they’ve moved just down the street. Inside the restaurant it’s got a great open concept and cafeteria style tables so you can sit with new people and enjoy BBQ together! The exposed ceiling with pendant lighting is on point and really provides a warm feel to the place. The wall decorations showcase the Air Force and has a few jackets from past wars and some neat articles. The dining area has views into the kitchen where they assemble all the food so that’s cool.
Top Left: Baby Back Ribs & Fries
Top Right Top: Alligator Eggs = Deep Fried Oreos
Top Right Bottom: Beef Brisket, Coleslaw, & Mac & Cheese
Bottom: Brisket Burnt Ends, Mac & Cheese, & Fries
Brisket Burnt End Sandwich with smoked beans
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
The three students I took with me on this trip each ordered a good array of BBQ. One student ordered a full rack of baby back ribs. They were super tender (too tender for competition) and flavorful with a good amount of smoke. The beef brisket just melted in your mouth. It was super tender as well (too tender for competition again using the tug method) and had a very solid smoke ring. The burnt ends were delicious. I’m used to them being sweeter so they needed a little bit of sauce but if you’re a fan of just straight salt & pepper flavor on your beef then Bombers burnt ends are on point. The sides were good. Mac & Cheese was the guys favorite and it was good. Creamy and I liked the fact that they used shells vs. macaroni…always a nice unique twist to the dish.
I ordered the brisket burnt end sandwich with beans and the bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers. Let me start this review talking about the appearance and the plating of the food. The food comes out on metal tray on plastic paper so that’s a good middle of the road plating. The bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers looked AWESOME! I could tell that the bacon was crispy which is an absolute must for me.
Having been at this place before, I set the bar pretty high and Bombers BBQ met it and in the grand scheme of the overall BBQ experience exceeded it. Sticking to just the review of the food I had, the burnt end sandwich was EXCELLENTLY done. The burnt ends as I mentioned earlier are simple (salt & pepper & smoke) and really allows the beef to do the talking. The burnt end chunks are a little larger than I typically see on a sandwich which caused a few pieces to fall off the sandwich. No biggie, as I got to eat those individually later.
The sandwich is served on a pretzel bun which is GENIUS! Past burnt end or brisket sandwiches I see a standard bun and if it’s not at least toasted some always makes the last few bites of the sandwich soggy. The pretzel bun, even though it wasn’t toasted any or at least didn’t appear to have been toasted any, held up very well to the moist brisket burnt ends.
The beans were good and had some of the pulled pork in it so it provided a good smokey flavor. The beans used were a little larger than I typically see for BBQ beans or baked beans which was a nice twist and they even provided a better texture as the beans were a little “meatier” so to say. The bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers weren’t nearly as spicy as I thought they’d be. Perhaps too much cheese? Regardless, it still tasted phenomenal and the bacon on the outside was SUPER CRISPY which is always a plus.
The only negative I’d have to say about the food is just the appearance and plating of the sandwich. The plate had too much “dead space” and made the sandwich look a little small. I think some red onion and pickle slices would’ve been a nice touch to the plate that could simply be used as garnish or could be used on the sandwich. It’d also provide some color that pops out to the eye.
SUMMARY
Bombers BBQ in Munster, IN won the BBQ Tour in 2017 for a reason and it didn’t disappoint again. It’s a great overall BBQ experience that everyone should try if they’re passing through Chicago area. The place is a few miles off of the interstate so it’d be a good detour well worth it.
Restaurant Name: Late Harvest Kitchen Address: 8605 River Crossing Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46240 FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / WEBSITE
Pork Chop – May 3, 2018
Earlier this week, my parents came down to Indy to celebrate my birthday. I always enjoy a nice fancy type of dinner every now and then and especially for my birthday so I got my folks and I a reservation to Late Harvest Kitchen. Tucked near the Keystone at the Crossing and Fashion Mall area, this restaurant is a little bit hidden, but quite the gem of a place.
Potatoes Minneapolis
Korean Fried Broccolini
Salmon Dinner
Bread Spread
General Tso’s Pork Belly
My mom ordered the General Tso’s Pork Belly over a bed of stir fry vegetables. My dad got the salmon. We shared sides of “Potatoes Minneapolis” and the Korean Fried Broccolini. Both sides tasted fabulous. The deep fried broccoli was super crispy which made the dish AWESOME! You won’t hear me say that too often about a vegetable, but it was really good. The bread was great and had a really nice garlic butter to go with the wide array of breads.
Pork Chop with Baked Beans, Vinegar Peppers, Bacon Marmalade, & House Kraut
My main dish was the pork chop. The pork chop was accompanied with some baked beans, vinegar peppers, bacon marmalade, and a house kraut. When the dish comes out it looks very complex. You see beans, you see the pork chop, some kraut, the mound of bacon marmalade, and a pool of pork chop juices and it can be difficult to decide where to begin.
Let me start with the accessories to the pork chop. All were complimentary and tasty by themselves, but the bacon marmalade was my definite favorite. I would take a slice of the chop and put some of the marmalade on it and it was like a pork on pork explosion which was mighty tasty. The beans, peppers, and kraut were good on the eye and unique on the tastebuds. Complimentary but not outstanding individually.
The pork chop itself was grilled PERFECTLY! A slight bit of pink in the center which for pork is acceptable to me. I want to tip the hat to the chef as their grill mark game was SPOT ON! The meat was tender but not fork apart tender which was good. It had a simple rub and traditional pork chop flavor and really allowed you to utilize the accessory foods for a fun array of flavors. Salty and sweet with the kraut, salty and heat with the peppers, salty and smokey with the baked beans. All delicious adventures for the taste buds.
The only “negative” about the dish would be maybe too much pork chop juice can make the plate look a little messy and disorganized. Some brighter colors to make the dish pop some I think would also be a nice addition. The green chives are good and all, but don’t quite pop as what maybe some red onion would.
SUMMARY
Overall, this plate was great. Full of flavor and easy to eat. A fun adventure of flavor with the array of complimentary sides on the pork chop. Definitely a must try if you visit Late Harvest Kitchen.
IndyBBQGuru 