2018 - A look back at the 2017 state championships

As teams report to training camp and begin their preseason workouts, every player and every coach has dreams of going to State.  A chance to play on the biggest stage for the biggest prize of them all – a Texas State Championship.  In this video, I take a look back at the 2017 state championship games played at AT&T Stadium and review the barbecue served at Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas.

In 2017, all the state championship games were played at AT&T Stadium, Jerry’s World, the home of the Dallas Cowboys.  Twelve games were played over four days.  Teams were there from all across Texas: little towns that only have a single stop light and a Walmart store to the big city schools with enrollments in the thousands.  Some teams were there in hopes of repeating as state champs, others were making their first trip.  Football heaven. . .

Going to State is also a great time for barbecue. . .

The Barbecue

I drove up to Dallas a day early so I could eat some barbecue before I went on a four day football binge.  Lockhart Smokehouse made the Texas Monthly Top 50 List and looks like a good to place to try.  They are located at 400 W. Davis in the Bishop Arts District near where I grew up in Oak Cliff.  This old neighborhood is seeing a renaissance as new shops, restaurants, and condos move in.  Parking can be difficult, but I found a spot around the corner and walked over. 

I entered from a side door and walked thru the indoor dining area to the counter where I could place my standard order of a half pound of moist brisket and a couple of pork ribs.  A nice young man named Jesus prepared my order.  I got myself some pickles and onions from a side table and found me a spot to eat at one of their tables. 

My brisket had a nice, smoky flavor, without much of a smoke ring or an outer bark.  The meat above the fat was very tender and juicy.  However the meat below the fat was chewy and not as tender.  Almost as if the two sections had been cooked separately and fused together.  The pork ribs were big and meaty, with a sweet smoky flavor.  They too were a bit chewy, the meat needing to be bitten off the bone.  They served a typical tomato based red sauce that had a nice spicy tang to it. 

After I ate, I had a chance to talk briefly with Jesus and one of the ladies tending bar.  The owners are from Lockhart and someone is related to the good people who own Kreuz Market, a Lockhart landmark of barbecue. Thus the name Lockhart Smokehouse for a barbeque joint in Dallas. Now it makes sense. . .

I have to say I have had barbeque from other joints around Texas that did not make the Top 50 list that I thought was better than what I was served at Lockhart Smokehouse.  Friendly people and atmosphere only go so far. . .

I rate this barbecue a shaky Hook ‘Em!

Sights and Sounds

Congratulations to all the teams that made it to State in 2017.  What a great ride it was.  Which teams will have their dreams come true and make it to Jerry’s World in 2018?  We’ll see as the season plays out.  It should be a good one. . .