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I Want My Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back … Shak
By Michael Anderson and Anthony Lowenberg, The (Long Arm of the) Law Reviewers
Barbecue. Around these here parts, the only things that generate more culinary controversy are chili, picante sauce (Did you think the “Get a rope!” guy in the Pace commercial was kidding?), and guacamole from Cuba. So, why is it there are so few decent BBQ options around downtown Big D? Basically, you've got your Dickey's, your Sonny Bryan’s, your Colter’s (“Colter’s, Colter’s barbe-cuuuuuuuuuuue!” There, now it’s stuck in your head too), your Sammy’s, and your McDonald’s (the McRib being the Spam of barbecue). But, really, these places are only to be used in a BBQ emergency. So, when we heard about a place just south of downtown with some great ‘cue, we knew that, like any true Texans, we’d have to give it a try.
There were only two small issues: 1) it’s a Memphis-style BBQ place and 2) it caught fire and shut down in January. Details, details. Well, we’re happy to report that other people have already reported that Baby Back Shak is, true to reports, back baby! Memphis-style or not, we decided to see what this place had to offer.
Driving due south of downtown on Akard St. you can’t miss the place. It’s a small, mostly jet-black, square building with dark red insets A mural on the side of the building depicts a cigar-smoking pig underneath the name. The pig looks like he’s really enjoying the cigar. Perhaps the artiste meant the work to show the struggle of mankind against nature, both human and earthly. That, or the pig is enjoying a final smoke before becoming lunch. The small adjacent parking lot fills up quickly at lunchtime, but you can have fun playing dodge-car with a vacating patron if you’re lucky enough to catch one leaving. The inside is composed of two small rooms simply decorated in light blue paint. Counting the screen door, there are two windows. One room is covered with pictures of blues and soul legends like Ray Charles and Luther Vandross, while the other is adorned with photos of 90’s Dallas Cowboys. Reminders of this town's playoff winning past is good for the digestion. You place your order at the counter in the bluesey room and then take a seat at one of the simple four-seater cafeteria-style tables. Baby Back isn’t a cloth napkin ‘n silverware kind of place; it’s all about plastic ‘n paper towels. The place is so informal they bring you your in food in a Styrofoam to-go container even when you don’t plan on going anywhere. I guess we’re saying this place isn’t Fearing’s, in case we weren’t clear.
But let’s get down to what the Shak is really all about, shall we? We haven’t spent much time in Memphis, but we did hear that Walkin’ in Memphis song on the elevator the other day (or was it in the grocery store?). Still, the internets tells us that Memphis style ‘cue is all about smoked pulled pork, dry rub ribs and grilled peanut butter & banana sandwiches – no wait, that last one is Elvis. Damn you, internets! Anyway, Baby Back’s menu has more types and styles of meats than your typical barbecue restaurant, including Cornish hen and boudain sausage, but a smaller variety of sides to choose from. Prices are also higher than average. Single meat platters run from $8.50-9.50 while a three meat combo will set you back $12. The boudain sausage, which you don’t really find anywhere in Texas or Memphis, crumbled underneath the weight of a fork, spilling forth a tasty mixture of seasoned pork and rice. Surprisingly, the BBQ pork wasn’t pulled, but was thickly sliced tenderloin, which would’ve been fine if it wasn’t also a little too dry and lacking in seasoning. The sliced beef was tender and lean, with a nice ribbon of fat on the perimeter that was easily sliced away, but needed a little sauce to give it some smokey flavor. The sauce itself was very different from some of the heavier sauces at Texas BBQ joints; less viscous, it was both tart and subdued. For the price, we were starting to wonder why this place got so much buzz. Then we tried the ribs. Good ribs don’t need any sauce, and these didn’t ever get wet. Smoked with a special dry rub, the ribs were moist and succulent with a peppery seasoning from the dry rub that complimented the meat perfectly. Clearly, Baby Back teaches its seasoning good manners. These were easily the best ribs we've ever had at any 'cue joint in Dallas. Ironically, though, they apparently don’t serve baby back ribs, only spares (including us). For sides, the cole slaw was also a winner. Chopped and made with mustard, it tasted crisp and tangy. Normally we skip the slaw, but at this place it’s a draw. That was a terrible rhyme, we’ll do better next time. The beans weren’t jalapenoed-up like at most Texas places, but in true Texas vegetarian-side form, the zesty, tomatoey sauce was sprinkled with ground beef. Baby Back Shak also serves real southern sweet tea, meaning if you concentrate you can just make out the taste of tea amidst all that sugar.
Whether this was truly Memphis-style barbecue, we don’t know. But we do know that while not everything at Baby Back Shak is a hit, the things that do hit are home runs. On our Kenny-based musical five gavel scale, where one gavel is the latest from Kenny G and five gavels is the greatest from Kenny Loggins, Baby Back Shak gets three and a half gavels or Kenny from South Park singing Heavy Metal.
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