New barbecue place, Luckie’s Smokehouse, opens on west side of Oak Cliff in Dallas

by Teresa Gubbins

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They have not one but two smokers, which is a very good sign.

Granny Geek

Luckie's Smokehouse

DALLAS — Barbecue snobs seem likely to descend on Luckie's Smokehouse, a BBQ spot that just opened on the western side of Oak Cliff, just east of Loop 12 and just south of 30.

"Lucky" is the nickname of owner Charles Johnson, who most recently owned Echo Lounge on Greenville Avenue but who learned about good barbecue after living in Austin.

"We've got two smokers back there, but personally I think it's the rub that you put on the meat that's the key to good barbecue," Johnson says. "We leave them on for up to 12 hours. You're treating the meat. And then we're smoking for 12 hours as well. In order to get good smoked meat, you have to smoke it over low heat for a long period of time."

The menu includes brisket, chopped beef, pulled pork, chicken, sausage, and pork ribs. You've got your one-meat plate, your two-meat, your three-. Also hoagies: You can get a brisket hoagie, how about that. Sides sound good: beans, "zestie" red cole slaw, "chunkie" potato salad, green chile corn pudding mmm, "cheesie mac 'n cheese, "creamie" spinach (see the theme here?), steak fries, onion rings, and oh fried green beans, that's cool. Soon, there will be beer and wine, too.

There's a nice, dare I say heartwarming, story about the "creamie" spinach.

"When I was a little kid, I used to live in Chicago," Johnson says. "My family used to go this steakhouse, Blackhawk, and they had this creamed spinach. My earliest memories of being a kid were of going to Blackhawk and eating that spinach."

As for the location, he calls it "up and coming."

"It's just blown up, we have one hotel across the street already open, and another opening," he says. "With the new stadium, we're right on the way. Hopefully, it's going to continue to flourish."