Mac & Cheese

Overall Rating and is it worth a visit: 8/10 and Yes. Sitting almost directly in the middle between Loveland & Fort Collins, Serious Texas B-B-Q sits on a large property and building, with great views of the surrounding Front Range Mountains, and a great outdoor patio area with a mini waterfall and space for your furry friends. Very much a Texas style interior, with corrugated steel along the walls and large wooden tables for dining, with red metal fold-up chairs. While the BBQ is okay overall, the setting and views give them some extra points towards being worth a recommendation. A cool place for Colorado BBQ where you can have a great view of the Front Range, enjoy some good food next to a running hardscape waterfall, and can bring along your dog for the patio seating. Would stop by again if in the area

Date Visited: 9/8/2024

Address: 201 W 71st St, Loveland, CO 80538

Day of the Week: Saturday

Time of Day: 1:30 PM. Open at 11:00 AM

Owner: Hunter Swanson. Took over for his parents that started it, Joe & Cookie

Website: https://www.serioustexasbbq.com/

Number of Years in Business: Founded in 1998 in Durango, CO. This is one of their 4 locations, with one 2 in Durango, 1 in Fort Collins, and 1 in Loveland

Number of People in Line: 4 in front of us and about 20-30 sitting down already

Regional Style of BBQ: Texas Style

Total Cost: $48 with Tip. Got brisket, ribs, pulled pork, turkey, chicken wings, chipotle coleslaw, mac & cheese, and apple crumble

Type of Wood: Unsure, but I believe it was either Oak or Hickory

Type of Smoker: Electric smoker in the back it appears

Type of Seasoning: Salt, pepper, maybe others

Best Dish: Pulled Pork

Best Sauce: Original

Best Side: Apple Cobbler

Interior Description: It has a nice smell of smoke when you walk in with a pleasant staff and comfortable seating for probably over 100 people. Switch back lines for ordering your food at the counter and then you can take it back to your seat, either inside or out. Rustic setting with exposed ceilings and several bar signs, vintage gas station apparel, and stickers lining the walls with 90s rock music playing when we came in. Had an electric smoker in the back with sweet and unsweetened tea, and grab-and-go cooler beers as you’re waiting in line, which definitely lives up to the Texas influence

Pro Tip: Visit this location for the views if nothing else, but the BBQ is pretty good too. Sit outside on the patio if possible, and go with the pulled pork, ribs, and the apple cobbler

Brisket

0/10 Ranking: 8 to 8.25/10

Seasoning: Salt, pepper, maybe some others

Description: The brisket had a good smoke flavor to it with minimal seasoning and bark. Had about a 1/4-inch smoke ring, but was slightly tough to the bite and was slightly chewy with more thick-cut pieces. Would get it again though, especially if visiting earlier in the day, but it does need more seasoning to it overall and was oddly cut

Pork Spare Ribs

0/10 Ranking: 8.25/10

Seasoning: Salt, pepper, maybe others

Description: Fall off the bone tender with a nice smoke flavor and level of seasoning, but could use a bit more of both to take it to the next tier. Would get it again though

Pulled Pork

0/10 Ranking: 8.25 to 8.5/10

Seasoning: Unsure

Description: It had some bark to it, with moderate smoke flavor coming through in each bite. Slightly dry, but also good on its own. Would recommend the original sauce with it among all the options available

Sausage

0/10 Ranking: 8.5/10

Description: Creamy interior texture with a slight snap in the casing. It had a little bit of spice and heat to it, which was enjoyable and tasty. Had a nice meat-to-fat ratio but could use a little more smokiness to them. Would get again

Turkey

0/10 Ranking: 8/10

Seasoning: Unsure

Description: Peppery with mild to moderate smokiness. The bird was tender and juicy, but not the best of the best for Colorado. Would get again through if in the mood for smoked turkey

Chicken Wings

0/10 Ranking: 8.25 to 8.5/10

Seasoning: Unsure, multiple spices

Description: They were crisp to each bite, with a light smokiness and a juicy wing overall. They had a dry rub on them as well, with crispy, but not rubbery skin. Good on its own or with ranch, would get these again, and they are one of the rare spots that does chicken wings, so grab them if you’re craving a smoked wing option

Sauces – Didn’t review them, but the Original was good for the pulled pork

Sides – Chipotle Coleslaw

0/10 Ranking: 7.5/10

Description: It was okay, but nothing special at all, with pretty mild flavor in general. Light mayo and acidity to it, needs more seasoning/flavoring to everything overall. Free tree to skip this one as a side

Sides – Mac & Cheese

0/10 Ranking: 7.75/10

Description: Thin and runny sauce, but good overall flavor and cooked al dente. Could skip for the next time as this also needs extra seasoning or thicker base sauce for it to be worth a reorder

Sides – Apple Cobbler

0/10 Ranking: 8.5/10

Description: Sweet, but not overly so, with a nice crunch to the crumble and good crispness to the apples. Would get again, but a small order is all you need

Interior & Menu Photos:

Overall Rating and is it worth a visit: 8/10 and Yes. For being down in the corporate wasteland that is DTC, admittedly my expectations were tempered with this visit. When I rolled up at 11:40 AM, the sign still said closed and I wasn’t sure if they were still operating, but when I peeked inside, some staff saw me and came out to confirm that they were open, but they had forgotten to unlock the door that morning. Upon walking in, there wasn’t any smoke smell to speak of, but the place had chill and comfortable vibes to it, with reclaimed wood along the walls, concrete floors, and seating for about 100, with some outdoor options as well. While nothing really blew me away with the barbecue, I have to give them credit that everything was pretty solid and had a good floor to its flavors across the board. With burnt ends being less common to find in Colorado, it was nice to see them a staple on the menu and the they were also the only place I’ve seen offering a pork burnt end option and only the second place in Colorado behind Pit Fiend, that I’ve seen offer smoked jackfruit. For being corporate owned, I’m pleasantly surprised at the quality and would recommend it if you’re in town for a conference and craving some bbq

Date Visited: 7/7/2024

Address: 5332 DTC Blvd #100, Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Day of the Week: Sunday

Time of Day: 11:40 AM. Open at 11:00 AM

Owner: PB&J Restaurants Group aka Paul Khoury. Paul partnered with Pit Master, Stephen “Smokey” Schwartz (Who worked at Joe’s Kansas City BBQ, Jack Stack BBQ, & The Golden Ox, all Kansas City meat legends)

Website: https://www.burntendbbqdenver.com/

Number of Years in Business: Unsure, but I somewhere between 2010 and 2015

Number of People in Line: 0 in front of me and no one had been there yet before me, since the doors were locked. Did have 8 people come in after

Regional Style of BBQ: Kansas City Style

Total Cost: $86.76 with tip. Ordered 1/4 lb of brisket, burnt ends, sausage, turkey, pulled pork, and 1/4 rack of ribs. For sides, added in mac & cheese and coleslaw. Came with 6 pieces of Texas Toast and a Kona beer

Type of Wood: Hickory

Type of Smoker: Vertical Electric (I believe)

Type of Seasoning: Several blends

Best Dish: Pulled Pork or Burnt Ends

Best Sauce: Southwest

Best Side: Pickles

Interior Description: Sitting in a DTC business park area inside an upscale strip mall. Cafeteria style ordering with meats broken out down to the quarter pound. They also have bowls, platters, salads, wings, and even some taco options. Seating for about 100 and a familiar layout and feel to a Qdoba or Chipotle. Music was 70s and 80s pop and soft rock hits, which wasn’t exactly the type of bbq vibe I’m usually looking for

Pro Tip: Go for the burnt ends, pulled pork, and grab the pickles for a nice crisp and balanced acidity hit

Brisket

0/10 Ranking: 7.5 to 8/10

Seasoning: Salt and pepper, possibly others

Description: Thinly cut with a light smoke ring to each piece. Was juicy for both the fatty and lean sections, but was a little tough to chew. Not much for smoke or seasoning coming through either. Serviceable but nothing special either, I’m 50/50 on needing to order this again

Burnt Ends

0/10 Ranking: 8/10

Seasoning: Salt and pepper, possibly others

Description: More tender than the brisket and with better smoke and seasoning coming through each bite, but still pretty light on both. For a place called Burnt Ends, this was the better of the two brisket options and I would get again. 1/4lb is plenty for ordering next time

Pork Spare Ribs

0/10 Ranking: 8 to 8.5/10

Seasoning: Salt, pepper, possibly others, and bbq sauce

Description: Fall off the bone tender, but not overcooked and still had a good bite to it. Not a ton of seasoning coming through and a light amount of smoke to them, most of the flavor seems to be coming from the sauce. Cooked really well, but needs more smoke and seasoning to them. Would get the again though, with 1/4 lb being enough with 3 ribs

Pulled Pork

0/10 Ranking: 8.5/10

Seasoning: Unsure

Description: Super juicy and smoky flavor coming through in each and every bite. Not much for seasoning, but cooked perfectly and one of the smokier pulled porks in Colorado and definitely a top 3 for juiciest. Would order again

Sausage

0/10 Ranking: 7.5 to 8/10

Description: Chopped into bite sized pieces, the sausage was a little mushy and leaning a little fatty for its internal blend. Had good flavor and seasoning to it though, with a nice bit of heat as well. Would get again to share with the table, but also not one that I would probably order again for just myself

Turkey

0/10 Ranking: 7.5 to 8/10

Seasoning: Unsure

Description: Juicy through most, but not all of the pieces. This was the smokiest meat they served, but needs more seasoning and for it to be cooked just a little bit less. Would probably get again if in the mood for turkey, but not a necessity either

Sauces – Didn’t review, but tried all three with the Southwest being the best one

Sides – Mac & Cheese

0/10 Ranking: 7.5/10

Description: Noodles were cooked perfectly and the sauce was creamy without being thin. However, the mac & cheese was way under seasoned. Added some salt which made it better, but could skip the next time