Just a short distance northwest of downtown Dallas, very near the iconic Hilton Anatole Hotel, right off I-35E, and just around the corner from another great Dallas BBQ joint, The Slow Bone, sits an up-and-coming Texas barbecue joint — Ferris Wheelers Backyard & BBQ. And yes, they have an actual functioning ferris wheel out back behind the restaurant. I had to stop by and give them a try on my way back home to Houston from a recent trip to Dallas. 

I of course ordered the brisket and got a good-sized helping. It looked great, with a beautiful bark and a solid smoke ring. The one complaint I’d have was that particular brisket didn’t get trimmed quite as well as I would have liked. I prefer about 1/4″ of fat left, but this had close to 1/2″ or more in some places. The fat was still well-rendered and the flavor was excellent. So I won’t complain too much about the small amount of trimming I had to do myself.

I also had to try the jalapeno cheese sausage. The menu says it is a combination of brisket and pork shoulder all mixed together with cheddar cheese and jalapenos. And I tell ya – that was some tasty sausage. From my understanding, it is an in-house recipe that they have produced nearby in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas. The only complaint about the sausage I had was that it was a little overcooked, so the casing didn’t have a nice snap and it looked a little withered and dried out. The taste more than made up for that.

For a side I had to try the bacon jalapeno coleslaw. That combination of ingredients just spoke to me. And I hoped it would be as good as it sounded. Fortunately it was. The cabbage was crunchy. The bacon added a nice flavor. And the jalapeno of course added a nice spicy kick.

Overall, I was pleased with my first visit to Ferris Wheelers. Next time maybe I can be there with the family over a weekend so that I can enjoy both the barbecue and get to ride the real-deal ferris wheel.

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