Monk: Part 2 of True Craft‘s feature on LJ’s BBQ in Brenham. Don’t forget to watch part 1 which we posted a few weeks back.
Description: Corey, Matt, and Josh talk about their perfectly smoked brisket sourced exclusively from Nolan Ryan Brand Beef, their mouthwatering Brisket Mac and Cheese, and their Cen-Tex Smoker, which was built in Luling, Texas by Michael Johnson Jr.
Monk: LJ’s BBQ started as a side hustle by owners Corey Cook and Matt Lowery in 2015 and moved into a brick and mortar in 2017. Outside of the kitchen they proceeded to get the building ready by themselves to save money. This first part of a two-part video explores the origins of LJ’s before heading back to the pitroom to check in on pitmaster Josh Jalomo, who cooks by touch.
Description: LJ’s in Brenham, Texas, began as a pop up by Corey, Leah, and Matt and now it’s a Texas Monthly Top 50 joint. They talk to us about their journey.
Monk: From November 2023, CBS Sunday Morning sits down with Kareem El-Ghayesh of KG BBQ, Don Nguyen of Khoi Barbecue, Tatsu Aikawa of Kemuri Tatsu-Ya, and Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn to discuss the newer fusion barbecue places in Texas that spotlight flavors not native to central. Just don’t call it fusion.
Description: The Lone Star State’s distinctive barbecue is getting some impressive variations, with the help of pitmasters with roots in such places as Egypt, Vietnam and Japan. Correspondent Lee Cowan talks with some of the new bright lights of Texas BBQ, and with Daniel Vaughn, barbecue editor of Texas Monthly.
Name: Pecan Lodge
Date: 1/6/24
Address: 2702 Main St., Dallas, TX
Order: “The Trough” (1 beef rib, 1lb of pork ribs, 1lb brisket, 1/2 lb of pulled pork & 2 sausage links), half pound turkey, collards, fried okra (Link To Menu)
Price: $$$
Speedy: On my second day of Dallas, it was time to return to Pecan Lodge, a barbecue mecca that I had not visited since 2018. Arriving at around 10:50 AM, ten minutes prior to opening, my group of three was greeted with a small line of maybe a dozen people ahead of us, far shorter than the last time I visited, in the before times (aka in 2018). After a short wait, it was our turn to order.
When it comes to ordering at Pecan Lodge, you only have to make two decisions: 1) what sides do you want? (we went with collards and okra); and 2) what meat(s) do you want in addition to The Trough (we went with turkey)? I cannot stress this enough – you must order the Trough at Pecan Lodge, regardless of how many people you are with. The only exception is if you have a big group and need to order two or more Troughs. Not that we’ve settled that, let’s talk about the food.
The brisket was just as I remembered – peppery and flavorful – and remains the top dog at Pecan Lodge. There’s not much to say about it other than it remains in my top tier of brisket ever tasted, the likes of which you would be hard pressed to find outside of Texas.
The other 5 hog item from my last review was the beef rib. I’m sorry to report that the beef rib did not quite live up to those 5 hog expectations next time. The rib was still very good – meaty, cooked well, and tender, but I felt it was a little under seasoned this time.
The other meat that I was slightly let down by (mostly due to crazy high expectations) was the pulled pork. While tender, the pork was a little dry this time around, and frankly needed some sauce. Thankfully, there was plenty of vinegar sauce available to remedy this, but the pork was probably my least favorite part of the meal.
On the positive end of the spectrum were the ribs. In my latest review on Terry Black’s Barbecue, I went on the great rib rant of 2024, only for the barbecue gods to deliver me two good rib experiences in a row. I had previously been disappointed by the ribs at the Lodge, but on this date, they were meaty, perfectly cooked, seasoned well, and delicious. I would put them a notch behind Terry Black’s (that glaze was good!) but still very good.
The sausage and turkey were both above average, and the sides were everything I remembered (aka really good); recommended all around.
All of that was a lot of food, which meant tons of leftovers. Which means, dear reader, it’s time for a new category – reheatability.
Monk: Wait a minute, I thought we needed to take a vote to introduce a new category…
Speedy: …I’ve found that reheating barbecue can be a hit or miss activity, causing dry meats to become inedible and otherwise damaging meats that are not seasoned appropriately. None of that was a problem for anything at Pecan Lodge. I’m not sure how they did it but every meat (and the okra!) from Pecan Lodge re-heated wonderfully with 20 minutes in the oven. It was honestly as good heated up later as it was at the restaurant. 5 hogs!
One challenge about going back to the scene of a heavenly barbecue experience is that expectations have changed. There is no surprise left, and anything that is less than perfect is magnified.
Monk: That was…beautiful, Speedy.
Speedy: That said, the meal at Pecan Lodge was still an amazing experience, and among the best meals I’d had in a long time. If you’re in Dallas, it’s still a must visit.
Ratings:
Atmosphere – 4 hogs
Brisket – 5 hogs
Beef Rib – 4 hogs
Pork Ribs – 4.5 hogs
Pulled pork – 3.5 hogs
Sausage – 4 hogs
Turkey – 3.5 hogs
Sides – 4.5 hogs
Re-heatability – 5 hogs
Overall – 5 hogs (the brisket is that good, y’all)
