thanks for the info... ill have to try Opie's.... Ill be down there soon. And Ill have to bite the bullet and try Salt Lick too.... I always go to Mueller's when im out that way

4Weight, thanks brotha

I finally made it to Opie's yesterday evening. Sure glad I did. I walked in the door to be welcomed by good lookin young gal's... one of em sliced my brisket for me and slapped it down on a freshly washed tray. It was very very good. I would put it just a notch below Mueller's... as mentioned, it was thick sliced but still buttery tender... great salty peppery bark... smoked on oak. I'll be back.

I need a Rick of Post Oak and a Rick of Pecan wood for smoking! Any one know where in the McKinney Area I can get some? May have to travel to get Post Oak and that is OK!

I have a buddy that sells wood from his house. i believe it is oak and some pecan. I cannot remember. He is at stacey and old stacey (Small house on the corner).

Finally made it to Meshak's in Garland Tuesday. The people were super nice. I think I must have caught em on a bad day b/c the brisket was undercooked and cut with the grain. I ordered a pound and I'd say that a quarter pound of it was above avg. the rest was marginal. Ill give em another try next time I'm out that way.

Thanks

I stopped at the Salt Lick in Round Rock Friday and I don't get the hype. Maybe I was expecting to much but the brisket was pretty middle of the road in the flavor department. Pork ribs were good and so was the sausage but not special.

From the owners of Maple and Motor comes Slow Bone BBQ on the corner of Wycliff and Irving Blvd.

I'm not much of a reviewer/writer so I will cut to the chase.

Very very good brisket, the only thing they need a little more work on is their bark, nice amount of smoke and very moist.
Ribs were good even though I got the end pieces, I prefer middle of the rack.
Jalapeno Brats very good, however I prefer brat type sausage more grilled than smoked.
Bread choices are cornbread and hushpuppies, I went cornbread, pretty good.
Side options
Greens, cole slaw, mac n cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, cauliflower casserole, fried okra.....I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
I went with mac n cheese and green bean casserole, both very good.
The bread and butter pickles on the relish bar are excellent. I will absolutely be going back, this is my new favorite BBQ joint in DFW over Pecan Lodge. Excellent service from all of the staff as well.

Funny side story, the guy slicing the brisket assumed I wanted it from the point(which I did) but Jack the owner walks up and asks him if he asked me if I wanted lean or moist. He says no, so Jack looks at me and says "Do you want lean or moist", now if you know me you know I'm big ol boy, so I look down at my gut and look back at him and say "CMON MAN, did you really just ask me that". We all started laughing.

I like the Slow Bone. I have only been there once, but it was really good. Great brisket, ribs, and sausage. Don't care much for the sauce, but their meat is so good you don't need it. I really liked the smoked cilantro sausage. Great fried okra as well.

I agree on the sauce, but I try not to use sauce.

I stopped by there Friday on my way into Austin about 1:30 or so. May have seen you as there wasn't many people there.
I agree with you.

I've spoken with Jack several times at Maple & Motor. He seems like a real good dude.

Agree with you. Good barbecue doesn't need sauce!

without the sauce you don't have BBQ, you have smoked meat.

I have to disagree with your sir. I am a firm believer that good barbecue and good steaks don't need any sauce. Bad barbecue and bad steaks need sauce. I am always suspect of places that slather their meat in sauce. I usually ask for my sauce on the side, just in case I need it. Just my

Sauce is for dipping and on the side only.

I always order sauce on the side. Sometimes the BBQ needs it, but usually it doesn't if the meat is properly cooked. I like to savor the sauce by dipping white bread into it. It's
a dawaba thang.

LOL.... funny stuff... .thanks for the review. I need to check this place out. Dallas needs more good quality places like this with the looooooong line at Pecan Lodge.

I went to the Silver Saddle Smokehouse in Bellville TX down South of College Station.... I have been there several times. It's usually good but this time it sucked. Hard to determine why... I guess they just had an off day. They smoke on Bodark wood (wtf?) b/c they have a 1800 acre ranch and that's what's on the ranch. It cooks fast like mesquite. They would be much better off with oak or pecan... even hickory.

Here's my updated list of top Texas BBQ joints for the record:

Louie Mueller in Taylor
Snow's in Lexington
Opie's in Spicewood
Kreuz Market in Lockhart
Blue Moon outside of Hearn
Buzzie's in Kerrville
Stanley's in Tyler
Rudy's in Round Rock (it's the best Rudy's... ive been to just about all of them)
Cooper's in Llano
Post Mountain in Burnet

I haven't been to Franklin's..... The places on my radar screen that I will be visiting soon are: John Mueller's and his sister's place LaBarbecue - both in Austin. Stiles Switch and Freedman's bar - both courtesy of THF member NDN98.... also, Hashknife on the Chisholm b/c it's on the Texas Monthly list as a 4.0 out of 5... and it's close to my home!

I just now read that the pit boss at Stiles Switch is Lance Kirkpatrick, who is the former pit boss at Louie Mueller's in Taylor.... he took over for Bobby there when he passed away.... I think Im going to hit Stiles tomorrow... can't wait... thanks NDN98

Sounds like a primal, artery-hardening experience. Tough job, but somebody has to be the THF culinary critic! Be sure and report. We were at John Mueller's last Saturday....the dark prince was personally handing out free beer. Great brisket and sausage...

My son lives in Spicewood and we go to Opie's on all trips.

The butterbeans are a meal by themselves. Also, try their smoked pork and the turkey too.

He's an Oklahoma State fan and he likes beans in his chili, he is not to be trusted.

btw... are they using prison trays there???? lol

kind of looks like one, at least from what i've seen in the movies

I did go to Stiles Switch today in Austin on Lamar street. I ordered a half pound of moist brisket, jalapeno cheese sausage and a pork rib.

The pork rib was maybe the best i've had. The flavor really mixed well with the smoke and it was good and tender without being over cooked.

The brisket was dry.... I was really disappointed. I mean, this is Lance Kirkpatrick of Louie Mueller fame.

I did get to go back and chew the fat with Lance and his understudies for a while. That was a real treat.

The sausage was a bit above average.

I suppose I just got a bad brisket... Ill go back for the ribs and to give the brisket another chance.