In Texas, barbecue is a battleground. Plenty of joints sling brisket and ribs, but only a handful deliver the kind of meal that makes you slow down, lean back, and just nod in appreciation. Slow Bone Dallas, in the Design District, is one of those places. It doesn’t just serve meat—it puts on a masterclass in smoke and fire.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
A good Texas-style smoked brisket isn’t just meat—it’s an art form born from patience, smoke, and a respect for simplicity. This isn’t about marinades or glazes or tricky shortcuts. It’s about transforming a tough cut of beef into something tender, juicy, and unforgettable. And at the heart of it all is the commitment to time-honored technique.
First, there’s the meat itself. A true Texas brisket starts with a whole packer cut—both the flat and the point intact. It needs ample marbling to render properly during the cook. Fat is essential, not for flavor alone, but for maintaining moisture during the long, slow smoke. Many pitmasters choose USDA Prime or even American Wagyu for the best results, but in truth, any brisket with generous intramuscular fat and decent size can yield excellent results if treated right.
Continue readingFiled under Steven Doyle
Abel Gonzales built his name on the deep-fried delights of the Texas State Fair—Fried Coke, Deep Fried Butter, and other crispy curiosities that earned him national recognition and cult-like local status. But with AG Texican, his full-service restaurant in West Dallas, Gonzales shows off a different side of his talent: rich, soulful Tex-Mex and Southern cooking rooted in family tradition and elevated by experience.
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by Steven Doyle
Mia Enriquez is one happy gal and she makes what most consider the best brisket tacos in Dallas at her namesake restaurant, Mia’s Tex Mex located on Lemmon Avenue in Dallas. What she also makes is one hell of a great brisket enchilada. When visiting Dallas most tourists make a beeline to Mia’s and join the locals as we sup on amazing Tex-Mex.
Other crave favorites include pinto bean soup, tamales, and beef chile rellenos. The rellenos are particularly delicious and top as some of our very favorite in the Dallas area.
Filed under Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
We recently had a chance to check in and check out Hutchins BBQ located in McKinney (closed temporarily due to fire) and Frisco, Texas recently with some pretty positive results. In this world where BBQ can be an easy sell if you happen to have a smoker and a stacks of meat, perhaps with a kitschy name or theme. Where the big chains fail is on delivery of the goods, and it is unfortunate that many follow their happily played tune. But we know better than all of this.
Hutchins is the real deal BBQ in a land of mediocre. They actually use prime meats, which almost seems like a wasted effort. If you slow cook even the worst cut of beef it will eventually relent to an edible plateau, but why risk it? This effort shines through not only with the brisket, which comes out of a day long bath of post oak and pecan wood smoke with a rich and juicy superior meatiness, but also with their baby back ribs. Continue reading
Filed under Steven Doyle
Brisket Love BBQ will open its first location on Tuesday, March 10th in Legacy Hall, located at 7800 Windrose Ave. in Plano. The barbecue joint will open on the first floor of Legacy Hall across from Velvet Taco and offer top quality smoked meats and classic sides with a focus on sandwiches.
Brisket Love BBQ’s meats are smoked onsite in the Box Garden using Post Oak to develop a deeper, richer flavor profile and prominent smoke ring. Smoked meats include prime grade brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey, and smoked jalapeno cheddar sausage. Individual meats are available for purchase by the quarter and half pound. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle
For the uninitiated, there is something going on at The Swiss Pastry Shop in Fort Worth you might want to know about. They make this insanely good Black Forest Cake that is the mainstay of the business. Entire countries would fall should they stop making this thing. It is so good that they build them in a myriad of sizes from a slice to six steps up to a full sheet pan full of Black Forest goodness. Continue reading
Filed under Crave, Pastry Chef, Steven Doyle
by Alex Gonzalez
With all of the eponymous Kenny Bowers restaurants in DFW (Kenny’s Burgers, Kenny’s Wood-Fired Grill, etc.), it can be hard to keep up. Luckily, Kenny’s Smoke House in The Shops at Legacy is cooking up a whole bunch of new brunch options that won’t soon be forgotten.
Kenny’s Smokehouse has been open in The Shops at Legacy since January of 2013, however, the brick-and-wood barbeque joint didn’t start serving brunch until about a year ago, when they had secretly begun testing out new brunch items that weren’t listed on the menu. Now, every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., guests can choose from six delectable brunch items. Continue reading
Filed under Alex Gonzalez, Crave
