Going whole hog at CattleAck BBQ on Saturday

Tray of whole hog, brisket & pork ribs with sides at CattleAck BBQ in north Dallas (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

The Posse first caught wind of CattleAck BBQ in May 2013, when Jim Rossman picked up some Twitter buzz on a new joint in north Dallas near the Galleria. Jim headed up on the tollway to investigate, finding a promising new player on the DFW barbecue scene.

After success in the catering business, owners Todd and Misty David decided to open on Fridays from 11am until the meat ran out. A full Posse contingent made a followup visit  to CattleAck a few weeks later for a rare Saturday opening and was blown away. Gary Jacobson wrote, "After eating at Cattleack Barbecue last Saturday, the Posse declared the Dallas joint the equal of any in town."

Over three years later, the Davids are still catering but are now open Thursdays and Fridays at 10:30am, and starting last month are open the first Saturday of each month. They also recently expanded their restaurant by adding a large dining room in the space next door. As the lines will attest, CattleAck is far from a secret for hard core BBQ aficionados.

We met pitmaster Marshall Cooper out front on Saturday at 9:30am, where we were first in line. Our timing as good, the line started building almost immediately behind us. There was a lot of anticipation in the crowd for Todd's whole hog offering, not a regular menu item and something you don't see a lot in Texas BBQ.

Along with the whole hog, we ordered brisket, pork ribs, turkey, sausage, beef brisket pastrami and sides. Every meat was cooked to perfection, moist and full of smokey flavor. By 11am I counted 80 people in line, which ran from the back of their new dining room, snaking into a queue for the serving line in an adjacent room. The line seemed to move pretty quickly though.

If you haven't been to CattleAck BBQ yet, check your calendar for the first Saturday of the month and plan a journey to have some of the best BBQ in the state.  And if you're lucky, Todd might just be smoking another whole hog, you can check "What's Cooking" on their website for any special offerings that day.

Cattleack BBQ, 13628 Gamma Road, Dallas, 972-805-0999. Open: Thurs & Fri 10:30am-2pm & the first Sat. of the month 10:30am-3pm. Website: www.cattleackbbq.com

The line of customers winds through CattleAck BBQ's new dining room. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Baby Back Shak has a new look, same great food

Posse photo by Jim Rossman

Posse member Irwin Thompson alerted us to a remodel at the Baby Back Shak, a longtime Posse favorite joint.

We've always loved the ribs and boudin, along with the turkey and even the Shak beans, but the building, which was totally void of windows, was always very dark and the decor was mid-70s with faded sports photos on the walls.

The way a place looks has never stopped us from enjoying Clarence Cohens great food, but I have to say, the changes -- especially the new front door and wall of windows -- makes a huge difference.

The two sides of the building have been repainted bright red with very bold logos. The side of the building facing downtown remains untouched. Gone is the old smoking pig mascot, replaced by a larger-than-life caricature of Clarence, who's now proud to tell everyone he's the "King of BBQ."

Inside you'll find new gray paint on the walls, and the old, tired photos are gone. A very nice, lighted "BBQ" sign adorns the main dining room, along with a very nice galvanized metal covering on the counter.

The beloved smoking pig logo is gone at the Baby Back Shak.
(Photo by Guy Reynolds)

Tables don't wobble anymore and they're covered with nice checkered tablecloths. The old wooden chairs are gone and very nice, light, sturdy alumnium chairs are quite comfortable.

Clarence teased us with a possible new menu item -- spaghetti with a very flavorful red sauce. We're not sure how serious he is about selling spaghetti, but it was very tasty.

As he came to our table to see how we liked the food, Clarence mentioned he'd just finished filming a "Bar Rescue" type of TV show that should air in late March or early April. He said he'd give everyone plenty of notice when a date was set, so watch this blog or the Posse Facebook page for updates.

The food today was very good. I ordered a brisket and rib platter with two sides of boudin.

The ribs were fantastic as usual. The brisket, while far from perfect, was better than I expected, but could stand to be a bit more trimmed of fat. There also wasn't any visible crust.

Do yourself a favor and order ribs and turkey or just skip to the boudin, which was perfectly cooked, with a crispy snap to the casing and rich, peppery filling that didn't fall apart when I took a bite.

The Shak is the only joint I frequent with boudin on the menu. You can get it as a platter on its own or as a side (or two) on platters with other meats. I'm proud to say a platter with meat and two sides of boudin is known in the Posse as the "Rossman Platter."

I forgot to ask Clarence about the Shak's air conditioner, which is famous for not being able to keep up with demand in the summer months. I'm hoping some of the upgrade budget went for A/C.

It is great to see one of our original favorite places make some much-needed upgrades, and it was even greater to know the food is as good as ever.

Baby Back Shak, 1800 South Akard St., Dallas, 214-428-7427. Open Mon-Thurs 11am-5:45pm, Fri-Sat 11am-6:45pm.

Posse photo by Jim Rossman

Posse photo by Jim Rossman

Posse photo by Jim Rossman

Posse photo by Jim Rossman

Posse photo by Jim Rossman

Posse photo by Jim Rossman

Here's how you can beat the long lines at Pecan Lodge in Dallas

The legendary Trough at Pecan Lodge, with a side of mac & cheese. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

We just got this note from Diane and Justin Fourton, owners of Pecan Lodge, detailing some big changes at one of the great BBQ joints in Texas:

Dear Friends,

Just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know that we've been working on a few things to help make it easier for those coming down to eat with us. Starting today, we are happy to announce that the following options are now available:

1. A second cash register has been added that will primarily serve as an "Express Line" for those ordering 5lbs or more. This means at any time (without notice) you can walk up and place your order without waiting in the main line.

2. Pre-Orders can be made with 2 days advanced noticed by sending an email to catering@pecanlodge.com. Pre-Orders must be for whole products (whole briskets, racks of ribs, etc) and can be picked up anytime from 11am to 3pm on days that we're open.

We appreciate everyone's patience as we continue our journey...here's to sharing the love one smokey bite at time!

All the best,
Justin and Boss Lady

Pecan Lodge, 1010 South Pearl Expressway, Farmer's Market Shed #2, 214-748-8900. Open: Wed-Sun 11am-til the meat runs out.

A bell-ringer of a meal at Pecan Lodge during Day 4 of the Posse's Dallas-Fort Worth barbecue tour

In return for being first in line at Pecan Lodge, Chris Wilkins rings the bell as lunch service begins. (Photo ©Jim Rossman)

Where to begin to tell the story of Day 4 of the Posse's week long-tour of the best joints in Dallas-Fort Worth?

How about with Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins getting to ring the dinner bell for the start of service at Pecan Lodge.

Wilkins earned the honor by arriving at Shed 2 at the Dallas Farmers Market at 9:15 a.m., a full hour and 45 minutes before Pecan Lodge opened, and 45 minutes before the shed itself opened.

"I sat in the car and read the paper," Wilkins said.

When the doors to Shed 2 were unlocked, he was first in line at Pecan Lodge, and as is the custom, got to ring the bell at 11 a.m. By then, the line had grown to more than 110 people.