Flying into Dallas for business, I landed about 11:30, which meant I was just in time for lunch.  Heading from the airport to downtown, there are a plethora of options, but I was thinking about the “one that got away”.  A couple of years back we went to the Texas State Fair to eat everything that we could find fried (what a fantastic trip) and stopped by Lockhart Smokehouse one afternoon to grab lunch.  The line at the counter in the back, below, was out the door and we just didn’t have time.  It was Red River weekend and they were packed.  On this Tuesday, before noon, there was close parking, which I took as a good sign.

Lockhart Smokehouse brings to Dallas the tastes of Lockhart, Texas, proclaimed as the “Barbecue Capital of the World”.   Like many Texas barbecue restaurants, you order from the counter, by the fraction of a pound.   I knew what I would be having, brisket (it’s Texas, right) and a sausage (they have a direct connection to Kreuz Market).  But, they had smoked prime rib on  the specials…

The parking was an indication of the crowd, and after two parties ordered in front of me, I had a clear shot at the head of the line.  Check out the brisket, prime rib and separate shoulder clod (the leaner part of the brisket), on the cutting table (in the back middle, above, and featured, below).

Open since 2011, the decor is Texas road house, with classic signs all over, and after picking up my meat and sides, I headed to a table.  I also picked up some sauce and a fork, although the signs proclaim that neither is necessary.  The link to Lockhart’s great smokehouse, Kreuz Market, is that one of the co-founder’s grandfather, Edgar Schmidt, was the man that made Kreuz famous.

Unwrapping the top layer of my butcher paper, I found the jalapeno sausage,

atop the prime rib and a couple of spare ribs.  Yes, this was lunch for one (there’s jalapeno mac-n-cheese there, also).  I do tend to over order when alone in a barbecue joint.  It’s a problem, I know.

The prime rib was very good, although cooked above medium, and the jalapeno sausage was one of the best sausages that I’ve ever had, hands down.  The skin popped when you cut it and the cheddar and jalepeno juice flowed.  A man could live off these – there are three food groups right there!  The spare ribs were fine, but I should have ordered the brisket instead.  Oh well – I was batting .667.  I’ll take that.  This trip was off to a good start.