5 Stars
I've been to many of the oldest and finest Q joints in Texas. Franklin and Pecan Lodge are still on the agenda but those are quite newer. Anyhow, the Mueller name is infamously associated with BBQ. Not only in Texas but nationwide.
After being turned away at Franklin, I was told by a reliable source to head over to JMueller BBQ. It'd been open roughly a year now but has received amazing reviews. I decided yes and my backup plan was Stiles. I got to JMueller only to discover...it was now La Barbeque. Without going into the semantics, John was ousted and his sister LeeAnn took over. This was a remarkably easy transition considering who was manning the pit. John Lewis. Former Franklin pitboss. Not only being mentored by Franklin (who use to work under Mueller) Lewis also learned from Mueller.
When I arrived, they were already out of pulled pork. No biggie to me because I focus on brisket, pork ribs, and sausage. I barely made it in time for the brisket and sausage. I ordered a 1/4 lb. of brisket from the end. Burnt ends were perfect. The amount of fat rang true. I also picked up 2 ribs though Lewis gave me one extra. These had a slightly sweet favor and glistened on the surface. The meat came off the bone with about as much resistance as Santa Anna's army at San Jacinto. And lastly...ah the sausage. Hand made. Hot gut. Grease running down my hand. Perfect flavor with a healthy mix of spice and cheese. The snap wasn't perfect but good enough. All washed down with a Big Red. The BBQ sauces both sweet and tangy were soaked up with a piece of bread. Not bad.
All in all, among the best. Daniel Vaughn brought Anthony Bourdain here when it was still under Mueller and although I didn't eat the Q being put out then, I can imagine nothing or very little change to the method took place when Mueller was dismissed. To those complaining about price...get over it. It's BBQ and done well. If you want a McRib...head to McDonald's.
If you can't get through Franklin's door...do yourself a favor, come here first. Or second. Always have a BBQ backup plan. Always.
2 stars
After knowing of this location for a couple of years and opting for the original in Stephenville first a couple years back...I figured it to be time I make a visit. For all those giving the Coppell location 4 and 5 stars...you obviously don't know BBQ and would probably rate a Dickey's the same. Hell, I would rate Rudy's higher over Coppell Hard Eight. No lie and I've been to many of the best Q joints in TX.
First, stop reading this now and spend the time to head to Stephenville. Second, if you're still reading this, that means you're too lazy to even make the trip for good BBQ. Third, that shows me you would rate Dickey's at a 4 or 5 star level too.
Starting off, great ambiance. Nothing wrong with dead animals hanging from the walls. Got to the pit and everything appeared delicious but as most men in relationships with trophy women know by now...appearances don't always have substance. Kidding. Maybe. Ordered a link of Jalapeno sausage, 1/4 of brisket, and 4 ribs.
Brisket was flat out dry, somewhat hard. Had to moisten it with the sauce which real good BBQ NEVER needs sauce. Alas, this did. There was no burnt edges around it either. Sad. Sausage was not hand made. There is a difference. Hand made has a crisp outer layer and the meat is packed within and often crumbles. And the ribs...small. One rib had no meat. I considered returning said meatless rib but was too lazy. The meat came off the bone well but lacked flavor. More salt and pepper could fix that. There was very minimal smokey flavor to any of it and I barely smelled of smoke myself upon leaving. Not a good sign. The only highlight was the Jalapeno Corn pudding...nicely labeled "Jap Corn", which I found to be humorous. I just chuckled again at that.
So...it would be great to claim that I had a legit Q joint located close to me seeing that I hold the original location in high regard but unfortunately...this is not the case. I'll just stick to Rudy's in Frisco for now.
3 Stars
The only BBQ I ate while living in the beautiful state of Mississippi...in the capitol city of Jackson. I had heard of Lumpkin's many times more than other local BBQ joints so it was time to hit it up. We arrived after the lunch crowd had passed. I was a bit worried because it was set up buffet style, under heat lamps...but here's hoping it's still fresh since the lunch hour just ended.
The brisket was a mix of lean and fatty and there was crust located about. This brisket had a good flavor, no as much smoke as I'd hoped but was rather acceptable. The ribs were rather good, nothing fancy about them. Minimal work to get the meat off and again not too heavy on the smoke. The sauce was pretty good, unfortunately I cannot remember the specifics but I do remember it being above average. Sausage was not to be seen on this day so I dug into some gizzards...which were nothing more than gizzards to me. I don't even know what a gizzard is suppose to taste like! The fried green tomatoes and mac and cheese were pretty tasty. It's soul food and it's pretty hard to mess that up in Mississippi.
There were several BBQ joints in and around Jackson and I do wish I'd taken advantage of this more often than not. I regret not making that trip down to The Shed in Ocean Springs. Maybe another time...
I did however find some of the best BBQ I've ever tasted in New Orleans...The Joint.
