Fat Cow BBQ

1 Star

www.fatcowbbq.com

With a quick search of BBQ joints around the Lake Lewisville corridor of I-35 - I found this little spot on the corner of a small strip center off Valley Ridge Blvd. A heavy scent from Mesquite sat in the stiff air from the smoker located around back - maybe a good sign. I walked in and ordered a three meat plate with a mix of fatty and lean brisket when much to my surprise, "We don't serve sliced brisket here," said the young female cashier. I peered around the corner and asked who the cutter was and a very jovial man emerged who happen to be the Pitmaster/Owner.

He explained his method for brisket and reasons. Catching all the brisket juice in a pan from the smoker, he then removes the brisket, chops it up and lets it soak in the juice. "Why?" I asked. "Simple," he began. "I don't believe in serving garbage to customers so I don't use fatty brisket. I cut off all fat and throw it away because it's not good." I stood puzzled and replied that fat adds to the flavor and he quipped, "Not with my brisket".

I could tell I would get nowhere fast in this conversation. I asked if he had tried sliced fatty brisket from Pecan Lodge or Lockhart Smokehouse and he scoffed while dodging the question because this was his place and that stuff - brisket with fat - is garbage. He became more prideful and boisterous as he went on. Trying to stay on his side of the conversation within reason, I mentioned his similarities to the East Texas style. He didn't pick up on that and answered back with "I make $8,000 a month and this is what my customers like." Liking and not knowing better are different.

The three meat plate with chopped brisket was ordered. "So are the ribs sauce free?" I asked. "No. We have to sauce them to keep them moist or they dry out in no-time when we pull them off because of the rub." I asked whether the sausage was handmade because Lewisville local, Old Town Market, hand makes sausage and maybe they supply. With another black eye to BBQ traditionalists he stated, "There's no reason to waste time making sausage when you can get commercial grade on the same level." The sausage was Sysco and it took two weeks of taste testing before he chose the best. The sides were made in house and as he told me where the sauce was, I interrupted with a smile that I let the meat speak for itself. "Now you're talking my language," he said as I then wanted to reference back to why he feels the need to sauce the ribs.

The plate was served, I dug in. Sausage was first and maybe he should've taken a couple more weeks of taste testing or just allow Old Town Market to be an asset to his business. The chopped brisket was equal to pot roast but with a light smoky flavor. The ribs - with no crust - slid meat from bone after one bite. The texture seemed as though they were cooked in the oven. The homemade sides were excellent but after watching him deliver food to an elderly group using baby talk, I couldn't take it anymore. From the subtly aggressive claims as king of the local BBQ world - he may have created his owned BBQ category of "Most Delusional Pitmaster". Toward the end I was eating out of hunger and wanted to search the dumpster for the fatty brisket scraps.

It's hard to compare to the top in Texas if you've completely ignored what's in your own backyard. Maybe in his grandiose BBQ world - Texas Monthly doesn't exist and he missed the May Top 50 issue. Not to take away from his friendliness, trying to steer away from painstakingly honest reviews and really hating to ask so many questions - it's better to know "If you want sliced brisket - you won't get that here," than lead unassuming folks into a money suck. If anyone wants to add some competition to a bustling location and deal stellar BBQ - the Lewisville area has plenty of room.