I compared famous Texas barbecue spots in Dallas and Austin. This is why Terry Black's in Dallas has the edge.

Terry Black's has three locations across Texas: one in Dallas, their flagship restaurant in Austin, and one in Lockhart, where the restaurant's namesake, Terry Black, was born and raised and learned to master Central-Texas-style barbecue.

I'm based in New York City and visited the restaurant not only because of its reputation, but because it was one of the few barbecue spots open in Dallas at dinner time on a weekday. Many other famous spots were only open for lunch.

Franklin Barbecue only has one location and, like many of the barbecue spots I researched in Dallas, is only open for lunch six days a week.

Franklin is open until everything sells out, which, according to its website, is usually around 2 or 3 p.m.

A line stretched out the door and down the block, but it was moving quickly. According to the restaurant's website, the average wait time is about 15 minutes.

In line, I was informed by an employee that three out of the restaurant's six meat options had already sold out: the brisket, pork ribs, and beef ribs.

The restaurant's sliced turkey, chopped beef, and two kinds of link sausage were still available.

Even though the main dining room was packed, there were quite a few tables still available outside and in the back dining room, which is where I was able to grab a booth.

I placed my curbside pick-up order two days in advance on its website.

The only hang-up with ordering online was that I needed to order at least 3 pounds of meat.

When I checked the ordering website in 2024, you now have to preorder 5 pounds of meat to do a pick-up order. However, you can also visit the restaurant in person and order just the amount you want to eat.

While the meat options at Terry Black's were limited by the time I got to order, the side options were practically endless.

It offered single, pint, quart, and gallon sizes of all the sides, which include mac and cheese, pinto beans, green beans, Mexican rice, cream corn, baked potato salad, and coleslaw.

I ordered a "single" portion, or about 5 ounces, of coleslaw, potato salad, creamed corn, mac and cheese, and a side of free pickles. I also ordered a ¼ pound of chopped beef, half a jalapeño-cheddar sausage, and a canned beer.

My order came to $35.74, plus a 15% tip, bringing my total cost to $41.66.

I ordered a pound of brisket, 2 pounds of pulled pork, a sausage link, potato salad, coleslaw, and a soft drink. I spent $135.50 on my order, including taxes and a 15% tip.

Franklin is all about the meat. The restaurant only offers three side options: potato salad, coleslaw, and pinto beans in pints, quarts, and trays for preorder. I'm not a fan of pinto beans, so I only ordered the other two sides.

My order ended up being way too much food for one person to eat in one sitting, but I was able to eat it over the span of multiple days, so it didn't go to waste.

I would describe it as if pulled pork and brisket had a baby — it was super tender, perfectly seasoned, and packed with flavor.

Mixed with the barbecue sauce that was available in large bottles right on the table, I could have easily polished off a half-pound of this tender meat.

It was juicy, slightly sweet, and paired well with the free bread offered by the joint for a do-it-yourself barbecue sandwich.

Franklin's brisket is famous around the world. Anthony Bourdain visited the spot in 2012 for an episode of "No Reservations," waited in line for over an hour, and told the Huffington Post that the brisket was "earth-shatteringly good."

I had to agree.

The brisket had a beautiful, smoked crust on it, while the meat inside was dripping in juices and incredibly moist without being overly fatty. The portion was huge, but I wasn't complaining. 

The brisket was perfectly marbled and practically fell apart with just my fork. It was so moist and flavorful that it didn't require any barbecue sauce to amp up the flavor, though they did pair nicely together.

I ordered a half-link, which I thought was the perfect portion for one sitting when combined with the other meat and sides.

The sausage's casing was crispy, with the perfect amount of snap. It was slightly spicy without being too overpowering and very moist.

Frankly, it was the best sausage I've ever had in my life.

The casing also had a good snap to it, but not as much as the one from Terry Black's. I also thought the meat wasn't as flavorful as the jalapeño-cheddar variety.

The pulled pork was well-seasoned and very tender. It was the best pulled pork I've ever eaten, despite spending four years living in the South.

However, I didn't enjoy the pulled pork quite as much as the brisket. If I had to choose one, I would definitely opt for the brisket.

Terry Black's coleslaw had kale and carrots in it, in addition to classic ingredients like red cabbage. I thought the coleslaw was tasty, and I liked the addition of the kale.

Made with red and green cabbage, the coleslaw was lightly dressed and seasoned with pepper, which came through more than the version from Terry Black's.

The coleslaw was crunchy and light, and it wasn't made with too much mayonnaise, which I sometimes find with coleslaw.

It was made with baked red potatoes, green onion, and mayonnaise.

It was also topped with some sort of barbecue seasoning that looked and tasted like paprika.

The potato salad tasted strongly of mustard, dill, and eggs.

Typically, when preparing potato salad, I opt not to include eggs, even though I'm aware they are a staple in many Texas-style potato salad recipes.

It was a fresh, traditional, backyard-style potato salad that's similar to the one I make in the summer — only a whole lot better.

The red-skinned potatoes added a lot of texture and flavor to the dish, and I liked the addition of the green onion and seasoning for an added kick.

While I found the potato salad to be indulgently creamy, I believe adding some celery or red onion would have provided a more desirable balance in texture.

I'm somewhat of a pickle connoisseur and was highly impressed by Terry Black's pickles. They were the perfect addition to my meal.

They were a great addition to the do-it-yourself barbecue sandwich I made.

The mac and cheese was mind-blowingly good. It was exceptionally creamy, with a hearty helping of cheese sauce that coated each of the large macaroni noodles.

The cream corn also impressed me. It was slightly sweet and tasted almost of cinnamon, topped with the same seasoning as the potato salad. It reminded me of a New England-style corn chowder in the summer.

While the brisket at Franklin Barbecue certainly lives up to the hype, that was the only truly memorable menu item I tried that would make it worth the trip out west.

Overall, I was more impressed by the variety on Terry Black's menu, especially when it came to the sides. From the mac and cheese to the coleslaw and free pickles, every side blew me away. The meats were also delicious, and I understood why they were sold out of many of their most popular meat options by the time I got there.

I'll be back to Terry Black's — maybe to determine which Texas city's brisket truly is king.