Off the Bone Barbeque — Restaurant in Dallas

I stopped into Off the Bone Barbeque today just South of Downtown Dallas for lunch.

I have stopped here one time before but did not try the pork ribs. After posting reviews online recently of other BBQ restaurants in the area there were several recommendations for the ribs so I decided to try them.

I remembered from my last visit that the place was very clean and tidy and has an exceptional look with the stark white and black building. It is a contrast to the surrounding old and new buildings of many colors as well as consistent construction in the growing area.

Ordering is at a small counter with a menu overhead. Portioning takes place behind the counter out of view where they are quickly making in restaurant as well as take out orders.

My plan was to try the ribs, I looked through photos to see what I had tried last time and saw that it was sliced brisket, sausage and peach cobbler. My memory was that each item was good enough to try again so I decided to try the brisket and sausage and skip the carbs for the meal.

Baby back pork ribs: with this cut it is simple- meat and a bone with each rib. There are no tendons to pick through and the meat can be consistent from end to end. The two that I tried were soft enough to pull from the bone easily but also allowed a first bite in the middle without removing all of the meat from the bone. They were cooked well from end to end with all of the fat rendered enough and all of the meat moist enough to eat without having dry areas. They were sauced lightly after portioning and prior to serving so sauce was not needed when eating.

Sliced brisket: I asked for a portion of lean and a portion of moist. It looked like they separated the flat from the point prior to smoking or warming so all of the slices I had were similar with plenty of bark and an obvious 1/4" fat cap that was rendered well. The smoke ring was tough to find near the bark so the smoke flavor was limited mostly to the bark vs throughout each slice. The lean toward the middle of the brisket was moist enough to pull apart where the slices toward the edge were dry and would require sauce if I tried more than a small bite. The moist was better than the lean mostly due to it not being partly dry.

Sausage: Smooth and consistent with great flavor similar to a pre packaged smoked sausage found in a grocery store. No sauce needed.

Bread: This is complimentary and looked lke it would be good with its sweet butter glaze, I opted to not eat it to save myself from a carb coma after having a pancake with breakfast.

I saved the remaining pieces for leftovers and know that there is a place on the South side of downtown with a good pork rib option that is in an area that is seeing many improvements. #offthebonebarbecue #texasbbq #smokedbrisket #smokedporkribs #smokedsausage...

Well I have eaten here twice before even reading the first review. I read a really long bad and a really long good one. So being in the area I wanted to give them another shot and see if I can spot some of the things in the two reviews. I'm a truck driver and I tend to get around. And I may not have the most discerning palate but this is what I think. The service was okay, but the woman behind the counter seemed a little short. The food was okay, if I had to choose between McDonald's and this, they win hands-down. But the food did seem to be missing something from the first two times I went. I had noticed the first two times that they really don't have a selection of drinks that are nonalcoholic. They had Pepsi diet Pepsi and Canada dry. Considering it was out of a can and sitting in a refrigerator you would think they would have other choices. But they had plenty of beer, unfortunately I don't drink and I'm not that fond of Pepsi. I saw what one of the reviews meant about the side's didn't really taste homemade. But I did think the beans were doctored up quite well. The potato salad was really missing something though. I had the chopped brisket. It wasn't dry it was moist enough and heavy on the barbecue sauce. The links were tasty although a little salty. The customers there were really nice and quick to start up conversations. But the one reviewer was right they could do with a bit less chairs due to the space being a bit tight. Other than that I think this is a small business with heart and it looks like the kind of place where the service can go up and down the scale on a daily basis. It really does seem like a small family run operation. I say if you're in the area you should go. It is definitely a one time experience that could grow into a lifelong favorite place. But for now I can just say...

The fried okra was delicious, but with that said, Are these reviews paid for? There's no way this many people are oblivious to what good brisket actually tastes like. When a supposed 4 star bbq place doesn't know the difference between moist and lean, you have a big issue. Lean is the flat side of the brisket and moist is the thick end commonly referred to as the point. There, brisket 101. So when I order lean, don't cut the bark and fat off of the moist side and pretend you did something.

The brisket was dry, devoid of any smoke ring or flavor. It was tough, dry and I barely made it through it. The coleslaw I had hopes for but who puts feta cheese in coleslaw and bacon bits on top? This place does. The flavors don't lend themselves well to each other and really don't go together at all. Really disappointed in this visit especially seeing all the big names that came there and have their pictures on the wall.

You want great brisket, 407 BBQ and panther city are your best bet. Better brisket in the area, Terry Black's in downtown, pecan lodge is meh, and slow Bone. Slow bones chimichura sauce is the best.

And finally, the tea. It's boxed pre-made lipton connected to the beverage system and it's disgusting.

The nice older Hispanic ladies working there were polite and smiling. They only serve the food, they didn't smoke the brisket or come up with the recipes for the side dishes.

The restaurant was nice, clean and had a welcoming atmosphere but the main thing is the brisket.

Do better, be...