Cattleack Barbeque — Restaurant in Farmers Branch

……. CRITIC’S REVIEW …… In summary - never returning. Although pork ribs and fatty brisket are good items, sides are disgusting and sausages are almost inedible! But if you go, get there early - they run out of meats!!! At 10:30am on a Thursday… the line was 30+ people deep wrapped around the building. Expect 30-40 min wait.

Pork ribs: Very good! Excellent rub foundation, very moist and tender. Mild heat finish (only 2 out of 10). Meaty and not fatty. Good overall size too. Seasoned on both sides - rarely ever done! This is easily a 9 out of 10 overall.

Sausage: (All are bad and greasy… I could barely eat one bite of each.)

ORIGINAL #17: Very greasy and too salty - almost inedible. Odd darker brown color inside and strange flavor profile. Not even sure my sauce at home can rescue this one. (Score ‘0’ out of 10.)

HATCH CHILI & CHEESE: A reasonable flavor (more balanced), but weird for me. NOT Texas style at all. Again, super greasy to the point it’s not enjoyable. (Score 1 out of 10.)

SPICY TEXAN: Significantly leaner but still on the greasy side. Much better flavor profile than the other two and more inline with what Tx BBQ sausage should taste like (barely). No heat! It’s ok to eat and not worry about it. (Hot/Spicy here just means seasoned and flavored… and mildly done.) Scored 4 out of 10… would be a 5.5 but too greasy.)

Brisket: You get a nice thick full slice of brisket with both the lean and fatty sides. (No choice - you get both.) The moist side is excellent with perfect flavors and very moist without being greasy. I loved it (9 out of 10)!! However the lean side is on the dry side, has barely any flavor or smoke profile, and definitely needs sauce to eat it - a 3 out of 10. (I’m taking it home and using another sauce.)

Regular Sauce: Extremely strong and profound ‘in your face’ initial experience. Odd combination of seasoning, mild sweetness and a bit of sour too. Totally overpowering all flavors of the meats. Is a 2 out if 10 for me. (Yes, it has sort of a Texas traditional foundation, but just too strange for me.) The 2nd sauce is mustard/vinegar based - Carolina style. Not my thing. I’m from TEXAS!!!

Potato Salad: DISGUSTING!! I immediately spit it out and I’ve NEVER done that before!! Sorry - totally gross. God only knows what’s in it. Had to eat bread and water fast to clean my pallet. Everything is very finely chopped, on the sour side, no mustard flavor, no detectable potatoes and topped with pepperika. Try it at your own risk. Score “-100” out of 10. (As an after thought… the bin I was served from was labeled “potato salad” on the cover lid, and I ask for potato salad, but it might have been coleslaw - which I hate!! If so, stupid mistake and it cost them valuable points with me. You only get one chance with me - I judge by what other customers are experiencing at the same time.)

Burnt Ends Beans: Yuck! Really! How do you screw up Tx BBQ beans… by not making them in a Texas tradition! The flavors are all over the board, and none are appealing. No detectable burnt ends meat - and I forked through it meticulously to find any. I picked out all the meat in a PINT serving and the total amount of burnt ends meat was smaller than my thumbnail! Cheapskates!!!

Atmosphere: Rustic Texas vibe. Famous people with owner pics on the wall (but no one I recognized) and western decor. Fun and what you expect in a BBQ place.

Service Issue: Old man with black rim glasses at butcher block is rude - total jerk! I asked cashier and his name is Todd… turns out to be the owner! No people skills and over the top arrogant. Get any younger guy to take your order - they are much nicer. (Not going into the story details, but it was a one-sentence statement he made to me as I walked up, and everything I just said was clearly and intentionally communicated to me… and I had not spoken to him yet!!!)

Overall: I left very hungry and when out for a hamburger. Had stomach gas for 12 hours. Too many other BBQ places in Dallas with significantly better food, no 30 min lines in the heat or rude people greeting...

On my quest to find the best barbecue in Texas, Cattleack was definitely a standout. Luckily I did a TON of research on the place before heading out, so I was fully prepared and had at least an idea of what to expect. Believe what everyone says about the lines and getting there early—I got there at 8am on a Saturday, and there were already 6 people ahead of me, waiting patiently. For context, Cattleack doesn't open until 10:30am. They're also incredibly accommodating when it comes to people waiting in line. They bring out chairs, and small refreshments for people as they wait. They also offer an informative tour/Q&A session of their pit area, also guaranteeing that you don't lose your place in line, which certainly relieves the pressure of going on that small trip if you're interested.

We were let inside quite a bit earlier than expected, allowing the line to come inside around 10am, and began serving at 10:11am, nearly 20 minutes ahead of their 10:30am posted time. The rustic decor is pretty much what I've come to expect from a true blue Texas Barbecue, with humorous signs peppered throughout.

That said, my mind was focused on the barbecue, and I will not be swayed by how well your establishment is decorated, or how hospitable you are. If this place is ranked #3 in all of Texas, they better be able to deliver—

Brisket: A++/Out of this world! I got the fatty brisket because I love the flavor, and GOODNESS. LORD HAVE MERCY! It was so tender that it was falling apart on my fork. The prominent smoke line found on every slice is truly a thing of beauty. It was absolutely BURSTING with flavor. I'll be honest, I was starting to believe that brisket was overrated, as I hadn't yet had that fabled piece of brisket that everyone seems to have had in their lives. THIS was that experience for me. Even though it was just a little fattier than I would've liked, I'm going to have dreams about this brisket for the rest of my life. Perfect.

Pork Ribs: C+/Pretty okay. Coming from Indiana (one of the top-five pork-producing states in the country), pork ribs are what I'm heavily accustomed to as the de facto standard in barbecue affair in the Midwest. I'm well-versed in what makes a fine pork rib. That said, coming off the high of how wonderful the brisket was, I was left a little disappointed in what they offered here. They're a little heavy-handed on the rub, for starters. Which is a shame, because I can tell it's a delicious blend of seasonings, but it's a tad OVER-seasoned and overwhelming. It's a pretty dry, slightly overcooked slab of ribs (yes, I got a whole slab), and not nearly as tender as my melt-in-your-mouth brisket love affair. The pork ribs here are, unfortunately, nothing to write home about.

I didn't use their BBQ sauce, because for one, I'm a firm believer that your meat needs to speak for itself, and for two, I'm not crazy about BBQ sauce. That said, I did give it a taste, and I wasn't impressed in the slightest, but I don't hold it against them at all. Hutchins BBQ makes a better sauce in my, perhaps, overtly critical opinion on sauces. Despite my mild disappointment, I can attest that Cattleack really is a special little place, and a true Texas treasure.

In conclusion: Get. The. Brisket. Do yourself a...

07/29/21: Once again I wanted some bbq. Cattleack Barbecue has been on my list as a must go Texas bbq restaurant. Luckily on this Thursday, I had time to go. I arrived around 10:10 am and was about 20th in line. There was some social distancing and I got in line right past the two awnings.

It took about 35 minutes to get from my spot in line to right inside the door. Since I always want to try as much as possible, I always spend too much. Lol I got 1 lb moist brisket, 1 lb pork ribs, 1/2 lb burnt ends, 1/2 lb turkey, 1/4 lb pastrami brisket (special), 2 burnt end boudin links, 1 spicy sausage link, 1 mild sausage link, 1 quart Mac and cheese, 1 qt potato salad, 1 medium collard greens, 1 small beans, 1 small Cole slaw, and 1 crack pie. This trip I dropped, $175 (food & tip).

Food: 5 of 5 stars The barbecue was delicious. The moist brisket and pork ribs are on point. The pastrami brisket was great as well, but I was given a slice that was almost half fat. I also enjoyed the mild and spicy sausage and turkey. They were all tasty. The only protein I didn’t care for was the boudin. It was ok and nothing memorable in my book. My favorite sides are the Cole slaw and Mac and cheese. The collard greens were interesting and needed to be cooked a little bit longer. The beans were ok as well. My least liked side was the potato salad. There was just too much other vegetables and not enough potatoes in my opinion. With all the food I got, I was given a baggie of onions, 2 slices of bread, pickles (about 6 oz), and barbecue sauce (about 6 oz). A little bit skimpy in my opinion, but they were free.

Service: 3 1/2 of 5 stars There’s a lot of hype with Cattleack. The service could be more friendly. I did appreciate the COVID protocols (masks, social distancing) that implemented inside the restaurant. Protocols outside were just whatever everyone else wanted to do. Since it’s summertime and it’s hot outside, it would be nice to have more awnings, fans, maybe chairs and water for the people waiting outside in the heat. Just a suggestion. The music that was playing outside was a nice touch and made waiting not too bad. I did bring my own water while waiting in line. The service line did move, but a little slow with only 2 people (1 employee, the owner) getting/cutting proteins, 1 employee getting sides, and the other owner checking out everyone. No one went above what they needed to do to get my food. The woman checking me out was more congenial compared to the other three guys.

Overall: 5 stars I would go again to Cattleack. I’m not sure if it’s better than Terry Black’s, my favorite Texas bbq place, but it’s almost...