Smokey Joe's BBQ — Restaurant in Dallas

Very much enjoyed our meal here today. And the young lady taking orders could not have been nicer helping us with info to make our decisions. A couple of things to be aware of before you go. There are numerous images and details about their menu out there-Google, etc.-that are not accurate. They are no longer offering meat+sides plates or mixed meat pounds or half pounds. Or mixed meat sandwiches from what I saw. Everything sold separately. Also, daily specials have changed and on Fri. & Sat. they are offering a separate menu of sides including cucumber salad, corn bread, plus others. Sorry I didn’t take note of all of these.

All that being said, the food we ordered was very good with small things bringing the rating down. We ordered the following: Half pound moist brisket Pork spareribs-more on this later One Texas link Cucumber salad Potato salad One cornbread All this came with homemade pickles, pickled onions, raw onions, white bread, and sliced jalapenos. A crazy amount of food.

The brisket was a generous half pound of beautiful moist beef with a close to perfect peppery bark. Light smoke ring but top notch smoky flavor. But the meat definitely could have been more tender as it needed a bit of chewing to enjoy. Took away from the enjoyment a bit but only slowed us down a little. The sweetish sauce didn't really enhance the beef much. But that was not the case with the pork ribs. This sauce and pork combo was one of the best I can remember enjoying in a long time. No leftovers on these. Tender, moist, full pink smoke ring and excellent pull. Not overly falling off the bone. Outstanding. A note on the ribs-while the menu lists s price for a half pound they only sell them by the pound. I let the counter person know this would be too much and she let me know that if I ordered the rib sandwich-with the meat set apart from the bread, it would be a smaller portion. What we got was three lovely ribs and a couple extra slices of white bread. Anyway these ribs were the best thing we ate here.

The link was small but well made and had good snap and a nice peppery flavor. Enjoyable. The sides were a bit of a miss IMO. The wife liked the potato salad as she loves pickled/vinegary things but I thought it tasted like mashed potatoes with mustard and pickle juice mixed in. I enjoy a much chunkier salad. The cucumber salad was slices of cucumber and chopped tomatoes drowning in what tasted like an Italian type dressing. Veggies were decently crisp but the dressing was overwhelming. Needs to be drained a bit before serving. The cornbread muffin was nice and fresh but not very light. A bit dense for my taste. Could have used a bit of butter or honey which I chose not to ask for since the counter was very busy. All this plus one drink came to just over $50 before tip. Pretty spendy but the food world is a bit out of whack all over due to supply reasons, etc. Another example-one beef rib here costs just over $30. They know what they are doing here and this is a really good choice for some really good Texas barbecue....

"When the Queen of Side Dishes calls, Uncle Sean answers with brisket."

TL;DR: Fourteen stamps in, Smokey Joe's delivered a knockout combo of brisket, sausage, a Texas Twinkie, sweet sides, and banana pudding that had me hollering "hallelujah" before I even opened the to-go box.

The scene was set late on a Friday. My wife, the Side Dish Queen herself, declared that the kitchen was closed. No time for questions, only action. I fired up the truck and made my way to Smokey Joe's BBQ, the next notch on my Texas Monthly Top 50 belt.

Walking in, the aroma hit me like a mesquite-powered freight train. The chalkboards promised beef ribs and Texas Twinkies, and I wasn't about to leave without one of those bacon-wrapped, stuffed, jalapeño blessings. I ordered brisket with a bark darker than midnight in Big Bend, sausage with just the right snap, and that Texas Twinkie that winked at me from the tray. For sides, I scooped up green beans and sweet potato casserole because the Queen would revolt if I came home without her greens and something sweet. Banana pudding rode shotgun on the drive home, the real MVP waiting for dessert time.

We spread it all out on the table, and Smokey Joe's delivered a Texas-sized flavor rodeo. The brisket was tender enough to make a grown man question his loyalties, the sausage had that peppery kick I love, and the Texas Twinkie? A one-bite miracle that should come with a warning label. The sides were royal-approved, and the banana pudding vanished faster than free beer on a hot day.

Fourteen stamps down, thirty-six more to go on this quest of smoked glory.

Final Dad Line: Brisket this good should be illegal, but I'm glad Texas keeps it just below...

Straight to the point: Chopped brisket sandwich basket was great. Meat was very moist. Smokiness just right and not overdone. Fries were really good too. Even the ranch was really good (I think it’s homemade?). Would definitely come back if I was in there area.

Long version: Stopped by on Friday, 02/25/22. No long line. They were still busy with people coming and going, but the service was quick. It took less than 10 minutes to receive our meal after placing an order. I ordered the chopped brisket sandwich basket. They toast the buns and I believe add butter. The brisket itself was very good and moist. The smokiness was just right and not overdone. I put on the BBQ sauce after taking my first plain bite and enjoyed it even more. The fries were pretty good too. Nothing out of this world, but I enjoyed them. The taste almost reminded me of the fries you get from Dickey’s BBQ. I believe they make their own ranch. It was really good too. It’s thick and not watery. A meal for three of us totaled out to $45. Would definitely recommend this place if you’re in the area, but don’t think I’d go out of my way if you’re not close by.

Only negative: My mom tried to order a peach cobbler for dessert. The cashier said they only serve it on Saturdays and Sundays. However, the menu says they also serve it on Fridays which my mom pointed out. The cashier apologized and said they unfortunately do not have any, but they would tomorrow. She was very nice, though. She made us feel welcome.

Side note: Inside is very small. Which is probably why people usually just take their order to go. If you want to dine inside, there’s only about 6 tables. There’s a few tables...