During my latest Texas trip to the Dallas / Fort Worth area (or “DFW”, or “The Metroplex” as the locals say) I decided to give Hutchins BBQ a try. I arrived at their Frisco location around 5:45, fortunately in time to beat the dinner rush. Their peak busy time in the evening causes the line to back up all the way out the doors and into the parking lot, which I noticed as I exited to head back to my hotel room. A line of that length didn’t surprise me though, given the quality of what I had just finished eating.
In my experience with Texas BBQ restaurants, I’ve come to realize that the smell of smoked meats should hit your nose well in advance of you entering the doors and Hutchins definitely checked that box. I also enjoyed looking at the scribble graffiti all over the inside walls that contributed to the feeling that visiting Hutchins BBQ was a rite of passage for those that had visited there before me. Visitors names, which states they had travelled from, and in which year appeared all over the walls, windows and pretty much any surface they could reach. It almost felt like I was waiting in line at some kind of BBQ amusement park ride.
Speaking of waiting in line…
During my short wait (about 10 minutes) I twice got handed a sample of something to try and pass to the people behind me. The first sample looked and tasted like brisket, and the second sample was beef rib. It was a nice way to get a little taste of what you were about to order once you reached the counter.
The Meat Counter
Once you reach the front of the line there is a large meat counter with people holding knives ready to put portions of whatever you order onto a tray for you. And they remind you to take a second tray for sides. They brushed the ribs with a little warm BBQ sauce when I ordered, which was a nice touch. They use some lamps to keep the meat warm as well, without drying out the meat much which was also nice. I ended up ordering 1/2 lb of brisket, one jalapeno cheddar sausage, 1/2 lb of pulled pork, and 1/2 lb of pork ribs. I was very tempted to also order one of their beef ribs - which looked AMAZING - but I knew I only had so much room in my stomach. Something to look forward to trying next time, I guess.
Hutchins BBQ also had a pretty nice array of sides, which encompassed the typical Texas BBQ sides like mac & cheese, collard greens, fried okra, potato salad, and more. I opted for the potato salad and mac & cheese. This ended up being my total meal, along with the complimentary banana pudding for dine-in customers (and the same for their cobbler, too). I also ended up purchasing one of their bottles of brisket rub so I can give it a try during my next backyard brisket cook.
Price
Hutchins BBQ is in my opinion, among the upper tier of BBQ restaurants, and they price their food accordingly. For everything I ordered, my bill came to about $70, which is pretty much in line with other popular Texas BBQ places. Based on how busy they were when I was there, their prices aren’t stopping people from showing up.
My Reaction
Let’s start with the brisket. Great bark, perfectly rendered fat, and some of the most tender I’ve ever had. Good smoke flavor too that stays with you for hours afterwards. Very nice beef flavor as well, which I’ve come to learn can sometimes get a little overshadowed depending on the way it’s cooked and the rub used.
The pulled pork was tasty enough on it’s own, though I used it along with their table sauces and white bread to make some little sandwiches with it. It was juicy as well, and didn’t require any saucing, though I doused it with some sauces anyway.
The sausage was very juicy and had plenty of cheese and spice from the diced jalapenos. I don’t know if it was the plastic knife I was using or if the casings were tougher than usual, but I had more trouble than usual cutting it up into bite size pieces (beyond the cuts they made for me at the counter).
The pork spare ribs, while still delicious, came in tied for third place with the sausage I would have to say. They were cooked well, the meat easily came cleanly off the bone with each bite. Just not as tasty as the brisket and pulled pork. Still recommended, though.
The mac and cheese was my favorite of the two sides. The potato salad was good, I’m just more of a mac and cheese fan. The banana pudding was about average as far as what you expect from a Texas BBQ restaurant. They used Nilla wafers on top and fresh bananas cut up inside some banana pudding. Pretty basic, but hey it’s free!
BBQ Ratings
Just like El Presidente, I felt like it would be prudent to leave some of my ratings on these BBQ review posts so, here we go. These are on a scale of 1-10 with decimal precision of 1.
Brisket: 8.5
Pulled Pork: 8.3
Ribs: 7.8
Sausage: 7.7
Banana Pudding: 7.1
Mac & Cheese: 7.4