So here's my take on several spots around the Dallas area.

The best:

Pecan Lodge. Top of the heap. Texas Monthly ranked it in the top 4, and IMO that is deserved. Everything I've had there has been consistently great. The downside, of course, is the lines.

I was there on the Thursday (typically the least busy day) right before the top-4 announcement came out, and the wait was still 50 minutes. I'd be surprised if it's ever below an hour these days, and it could be much longer if you arrive at the wrong time on a Saturday. I've found you can get a reasonable estimate of the wait by counting the number of people; about a minute per person seems pretty accurate. One saving grace, the line is indoors, so protected from the heat and rain.



The rest of the top tier:

Slow Bone. One visit there, but liked it a lot. Excellent brisket & ribs. Good sides. Parking can be a challenge.

3 Stacks (Frisco). Good brisket, excellent ribs, both beef and pork. Open for lunch and dinner, and a large selection of micro- and craft brews on tap.

Cattleack. The newest entrant, still undiscovered but that's changing quickly. It's a catering company that just two months ago starting selling retail (takeout), only lunchtime on Fridays. Good ribs, superb brisket. And very friendly people.

Lockhart. TM top-50. Good brisket, very good ribs, excellent sausage.

Meshack's (Garland). TM top-50. My only visit there, they were closed, so I haven't tried it yet, but reviews they get are consistently good, so I'll include them here for now. Call before you go.



Best of the rest. These places are a notch below the ones above, but very good, worth a visit.

Hard Eight (Coppell). Just northeast of DFW Airport, it's my go to place if I want a big lunch before a flight. It's smoky enough that I'm always afraid when TSA decides to swab my hands. The brisket here is maddeningly inconsistent, sometimes fantastic and sometimes dry and dull; do you feel lucky? But the ribs are always solid. The place is huge, can easily handle a large group.

North Main BBQ (Euless). Just Southwest of DFW, $15 here gets you the all-you-can-eat buffet. Self-serve BBQ restaurants are a rarity here, but I like it, you can select the exact pieces of meat that look best to you. Snag the crusty pieces of brisket and pulled pork, and your taste buds will thank you. Ribs are great too. Fri-Sun only.

Cooper's (Ft Worth). Another huge place, overrated by some but still good. Right at the stockyards, the crowd here is touristy.

Kenny's Smoke House (Plano). A more upscale take on BBQ. If you want 'cue at a non-casual business dinner, this could be the spot. I've only been once, had the brisket, it was good.



Others

Rudy's (Frisco, Allen, Arlington). I think it's the best of the big chains. 10 years ago I would have been ecstatic to find this quality 'cue in DFW; now, it's less noteworthy. I almost put it with the prior grouping, maybe I'm docking it for chain-ness. But if I was staying way up in Allen and didn't want to drive too far, I wouldn't hesitate to eat here.

Hutchin's (McKinney). TM top-50. I haven't tried it yet but hope to soon.

Bartley's (Grapevine). TM top-50. I went once after the list came out and was disappointed. Nothing special.

Mama Faye's. I haven't been to their restaurant down in Deep Ellum, but I've had their brisket at some catered events and liked it a lot.

Work Bar & Grill. Another Deep Ellum spot, also brand new. I haven't tried it yet, but the brisket is getting some very good buzz, and it's on my list to try out.