The creators of Company Cafe and Dallas' beloved gluten-free chicken-fried steak have decided to take on smoked meats. They opened Back Home Barbecue on Ross Avenue earlier this month in the old Yin's Wok space, and I checked it out this week.
The building has been spruced up but spared the bells and whistles. It's definitely a minimalist space. Inside the front door, picnic tables line up in rows, each outfitted with a paper towel dispenser made from a galvanized pipe. Otherwise the dining room is empty -- you have to walk through the tables to get to where the action is.
I asked what was good and the woman working the register directed me to the ribs. Another employee chimed in to tell me they were pork -- St. Louis style. I ordered a quarter-rack and asked, "What else?" The pulled pork also came highly recommended so I got some of that. I asked about brisket but things got a little quiet so I wrapped up my order with a side of macaroni and cheese and beans.
Everything came boxed in Styrofoam, with the meats wrapped in foil and bread and a container of tangy-sweet sauce on the side. The packaging seems like overkill when you're sitting in the dining room, but if you want your 'cue on the run, it makes sense. Back Home has a pull up window, too.
What they don't have is a smoke ring of any kind in their meats. You can taste the smoke, and it permeates your clothes when you dine here, but it doesn't integrate with the meat the way it does with exemplary barbecue. Give them time, though. And even now, if you're looking for 'cue fast and cheap, and you don't want to get out of your car, Back Home has you covered.
Back Home Barbecue, 5014 Ross Ave.
