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)

Cattleack Barbecue's Todd David reveals his secrets for great pastrami -- some of his secrets anyway

Cattleack BBQ pitmaster/owner Todd David works the cutting board. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

After eating at Cattleack Barbecue last Saturday, the Posse declared the Dallas joint the equal of any in town. We especially loved the pastrami. Salty with a hint of sweet, the taste pleasantly lingered long after swallowing.

During an email exchange this week, I asked pit master Todd David for more details about how he prepared his pastrami. Here, in edited form, are his comments:

"I have made pastrami a few times in the past in all my experimenting but never for the public. While my experience with eating great pastrami comes from my growing up in St. Louis as well as many trips to New York, I have always made mine to have a Texas familiarity.

"The meats used were whole briskets and whole beef bellies.

"They went through an extensive brining process along with salt, sugar, and spices.

"After the brine, we rinsed the meat, dried it and then applied a dry rub.

"The meats were then smoked just like our regular briskets, wrapped in butcher paper and rested. They were never steamed because I have never done that except on crab legs. I know they do that in New York but I like how we smoke meat in Texas and have always done it that way.

"The only thing we did for the first time this go around was the beef belly. I have always used only brisket in the past."

We asked David for a more details about his recipe, particulary whether he used allspice, which a friend said she detected. David replied:

"While I do keep our recipes private, I can give you a pretty good feel what we do.

Smoked brisket pastrami at Cattleack BBQ. (Photo©Jim Rossman/Texas BBQ Posse)

"It's very typical pickling/brining spices and yes allspice is one of them but I don’t think that is where she is tasting it.

"In addition to standard brining spices (red pepper, allspice, bay leaves, mustard seed, and so on) we add standard aromatics (garlic, onion, celery, carrots, and so on).

"Nothing is unusual. I do not try to be different or unique since most folks know what they like and too much variance brings too much social media criticism.

"My focus is about doing our best or as we say 'Branded the Best.' When we put our brand on it, we want folks to know it is our best at that time.

"O.K., back to the brine. It is brought up to a boil so salt, sugar, etc., can dissolve. Shocked with ice if I am in a hurry or just cooled.

"Once cooled we add our meat. It must be completely submerged and weight added to keep it that way. We keep it in the walk-in for at least a couple of weeks. We visit with it everyday, making sure everyone is happy, and move the pieces around so they do not get bored in the same position.

"After that hiatus, they are bathed to allow surface removal of all that we can. They are now corned beef.

"They are then dried well and ready for their rub down. While I won’t go through the entire mix, its primarily black pepper, coriander, and juniper berries. Again the standard pastrami rub. Nothing is out of the normal.

"After they rest with their rub they are smoked just like our briskets but not quite as long.

"I have not done pastrami enough to vary items to tell you where the different tastes come from. I feel the initial taste is the rub and the long-term taste is the meat and brining combined."

Cattleack BBQ, 13628 Gamma Road, Dallas, 972-499-0999. Open: Thurs & Fri 10:30am-2pm. Website: www.cattleackbbq.com

Pastrami, brisket & pulled pork at Cattleack BBQ. (Photo ©Bryan Gooding/Texas BBQ Posse)