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Duncanville BBQ

epicureasian — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:26:31 +0000

Odom’s Bar-B-Que, Inc

810 Oriole Boulevard
Duncanville, TX 75116
(972) 572-7727‎

A good friend directed us over to Duncanville to try out Odom’s. First good sign: smoke perfumed the small lot next to the tiny shack of a restaurant. Second good sign: walking up to the register, a sign declared that no orders would be accepted while the customer is on the phone.

The fiance and I ordered 1 pound each of ribs and brisket (along with potato salad and beans, the only sides available)–our hostess exclaimed mightily that both of us could not possibly consume that much food. After a few minutes assuring her that we were serious about eating good grub, we grabbed our receipt and a booth.

A few minutes later, we received our tray and two plates of sauced meats, along with white bread and sides. Initially I paused, thinking we should have specified sauce on the side. But I dug in anyway, eager to prove our hostess that we were up to the task of consuming the entire meal. The sauce assaulted the tongue with a sharp and tangy edge, but it didn’t do any justice to the already-bland brisket. Sadly the brisket had no discernible smoke ring, no fat nor spicy crust; it had been sheared of its flavor and relegated to sandwich grade material. The pork ribs, on the other hand, had a sweetness that punched through the sauce, and both of us declared it the winner on the plate. I also enjoyed the potato salad, a mustard-mayo concoction that was both slightly sweet and sour. However the beans missed the mark–tasting canned, having that distinct bean chili flavor that recalled hotdogs on the cheap.

We hadn’t tasted the sausage so we missed out on that 3rd spoke of the bbq wheel, but we’ll be back next time we’re in town to enjoy more ribs and give the links a try.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Dining done right

epicureasian — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:57:42 +0000

Some times when the food gods are generous and the stars and planets converge into harmonious alignment, a regular meal at a restaurant evolves into extraordinary eats. For example, last week’s visit at Hard Eight BBQ produced an unforgettable $19.95 ribeye dinner–perfectly seasoned, perfectly grilled and mouthwateringly good! The accompanying grilled onions and jalapeno elevated the dinner to sublime levels, and they finally got the recipe for sweet creamed corn correct. Our previous ribeye dinner at Hard Eight was less than stellar, overcooked after a long trip around the dining room on a hot plate…but Hard Eight redeemed itself in our next visit. Also not to be upstaged, Big Al’s Smokehouse on Inwood in Dallas is still the best BBQ restaurant in town to find beef ribs served right, outside of a Brazilian steakhouse. We visited their new digs this weekend and indulged on 1.5 pounds of freshly smoked ribs. Any BBQ joint that leaves you smelling of smoke hours later is as authentic as they come.

First half of December reviews

epicureasian — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:30:00 +0000

Hard Eight BBQ

688 Freeport Pkwy
Coppell, TX 75019
(972) 471-5462

Hard Eight wins the trophy when it comes to presentation. How else to woo the undecided patron but with a smoker full of barbecued meats right next to the checkout stand? On several visits, the whole chicken dipped in a lemon-herb butter sauce garnered my undying affection. Hard Eight cooks a good brisket, when one remembers to ask for a nice moist, off-the-point cut, but it doesn’t compare to Rudy’s. As with most BBQ establishments, side dishes–though plentiful–are an afterthought at Hard Eight. Their cornbread salad, while interesting, evoked the dryness of some of their meats. Their jalapeno corn lacked flavor and punch. I am definitely not a fan of their bland barbecue sauce, which tasted more like a brown gravy than anything resembling barbecue sauce. Now…if you like beans, you can stock up all you like at Hard Eight, since it comes free with every meal. Just fill up at the serving station at the other end of the dining room. Speaking of which, Hard Eight’s dining area looks comfortable and clean–with redneck appeal–more than I can say than a lot of hole-in-the-wall joints…but perhaps that’s the chain atmosphere of Hard Eight, since they have 3 locations in North Texas.

Is it the best BBQ in Texas? Not by a long shot. But it’s good enough ‘que in a suburban setting…should the need arise for you to fill your belly with smoked meats. It’s also a great venue to bring your out-of-town guests for an introductory taste of Texas BBQ.

My rating: 3.5 stars

VIP Buffet

1927 E Belt Line Rd
Carrollton, TX 75006
(972) 416-0810

Located in a strip mall competing with Chinese, Vietnamese, and Mexican eateries, VIP Buffet tries to lure the ethnic crowd into its establishment with the promise of diversity and budget dining prices. This however is no guarantee of quality…but buffets usually fall short in this category. So it is with VIP buffet, large variety of dishes: some passable, others poorly executed. Just like Best Buffet, it’s best you steer clear of the chafing dishes sitting around for awhile, untouched–an obvious flag. The sushi cabinet looked unappetizing while the bizarre assortment of fried foods boggled the mind: where else would you find fried mini corn-dogs sitting next to chicken teriyaki and enchiladas? (Did I mention they have jars of salsa on the tables, next to the hot sauce and soy sauce?) On a couple of visits, the garlic crab tended to be consistently good, while the korean short ribs ended up being flavorless and disappointing. VIP Buffet also serves up dim sum on the line, typically pork buns, chicken feet, steamed spare ribs, and assorted dumplings. Again, some were good; others, not so much. But gauging a buffet’s success is the ratio between tummy satisfaction and the hit on wallet. In this case VIP Buffet is cheap and affordable, worth the trip if all you need is filler–it’s not the place for celebrations or a date.

My rating: 2.5 stars

BBQ Tonite

2540 Old Denton Rd
Carrollton, TX 75011
(972) 466-0786

If the cuisine at BBQ Tonite is considered Pakistani, then it differs from Indian food mainly due to the lack of veggies and sharp spicing. The fiance and I went on a dining adventure at BBQ Tonite, attempting to discern the difference between Indian and Pakistani cuisine, and determined that the differences were minimal. Our Indopak experience had no curries, tended toward the mild and buttery–no sharp tantalizing flavors or odors–though represented by many familiar names: such as korma, tandoori, biryani. I personally enjoyed the goat dishes and found the beef stew extremely tender and flavorful. The tandoori chicken surprised me with its juiciness. Instead of a spicy pickle medley, they offered sliced chiles and a bizarre looking spicy condiment, which was later identified as picked mangoes. Some amazing standouts at the buffet were a mashed sweet potato (we assumed it was yams and not pumpkin) dish and their dense creamy custard flan (one of the best flans I’ve ever had).

If the flavor profiles at BBQ Tonite were a bit more daring (i.e. less home-cooking) and spicier, I think I could be persuaded to visit again…however, I’d like to try it during the week, when buffet prices should be more attractive.

My rating: 3.0 stars

Too much salt…

epicureasian — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:47:10 +0000

…can ruin a brisket. As I discovered when we chowed down on some moist, smoky brisket. The rub had too much salt…since I hadn’t had as much salt in the pantry in a long while. Which really wasn’t a big deal since we ended up removing the inedible rind and dug into some really good brisket.

Lessons learned: go easy on the salt and get a bigger cut of brisket next time. Bigger cuts also mean a lot more charcoal, so don’t forget to get more fuel.

Nothing like a brisket you smoked yourself.

Smokin Saturday Brisket

epicureasian — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:34:21 +0000

Today is brisket day. While we were slowed down in getting a fire going, we finally got it down right after 2 hours of playing with the fire. The new Weber kettle is on the task for its first smoking assignment.

I had a 3.5 pound brisket that had thawed out overnight, which I then liberally coated in brown sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper. Sitting beneath it on the grill was a pan of apple juice.

With the cover slightly cracked to let the coals breathe…we were set for the 4 hour journey to brisket nirvana…