Dickey's Barbecue Pit originated in Dallas, TX in 1941. The original Dickey's restaurant has become a Dallas landmark and is still open for business. In 1994, Dickey's began franchising, opening up stores in and around Texas. Since the 90s, Dickey's has expanded to over 200 stores from coast to coast.

Dickey's is one of the few quick serve chain restaurants to offer slow smoked Texas BBQ. Dickey's recently opened one of their newest franchises in a nearby strip mall in North High Point, NC. I'm a little leery of both chain restaurants and suburban strip mall BBQ, but I'm always willing to give a new joint a chance.

We stopped by Dickey's on a Sunday for lunch. Dickey's casual, family friendly atmosphere looked to be a big hit with church goers. We arrived around 11:30 and joined the steady stream of families. Walking through the door, I was immediately hit with the unmistakable aroma of hickory wood. This surprised me a bit because I hadn't seen any sign of smoke coming from the building. The source of the tantalizing smell was a giant Southern Pride smoker set just behind the ordering counter.

Katie and I ordered at the counter and watched our meat cut and our sides scooped on to plates, cafeteria style. I ordered the two meat plate with sliced brisket and pulled pork. Dickey's plates come with a choice of two sides and either hushpuppies or a dinner roll. Katie ordered a Lil Hoagie pulled pork sandwich and added baked beans and potato salad.

The brisket was hand sliced at just the right thickness. It was very tender, but still held together pretty well. The flavor was good, but could have benefited with a bit more hickory smoke. The pork was incredibly tender, but a little dry without sauce. It, too, could have used a bit more smoke. Both meats had decent smoke rings, but the hardwood flavor was very subtle.
The sides (okra and cole slaw) were both pretty good. The added hush puppies were exceptional as well. Portion sizes at Dickey's are pretty generous. My two meat plate ($11.50) was plenty of food for me...especially for lunch.

Overall, I was satisfied with my trip to Dickey's. Both the brisket and pulled pork were good enough to order again. While I wouldn't normally expect to see authentic smoked meats produced in a strip mall, Dickey's is the real deal. That Southern Pride smoker is legit. I think I'll give the ribs and smoked sausage a try on my next visit.

To learn more about Dickey's Barbecue Pit, click the title of this review. See how Dickey's compares to other joints on the "BBQ Ratings" page.