Dwight Harvey spent 38 years in finance at PepsiCo. When he retired, he started barbecuing in his backyard. Rose, his wife, thought it was a fine hobby. Then it became something else.

In 2008 Dwight and Rose opened Off the Bone Barbeque in The Cedars, in an old service station at what is now 1734 Botham Jean Boulevard. Their son Steven came in alongside Dwight to run it. They had about 800 square feet for everything — kitchen, counter, the works. They used the old service bays as a patio. They came in and redid the whole thing themselves. It was a challenge, Dwight will tell you. It turned out pretty good.

Here is the thing most people don’t know: Off the Bone opened before Pecan Lodge. Before Lockhart Smokehouse. Before Slow Bone. Before Cattleack Barbecue. Before any of the places that get credit for putting Dallas on the national barbecue map, there was Dwight Harvey smoking ribs in The Cedars. Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn — the only dedicated barbecue editor at any publication in the country — sat across from Dwight a few years back and said it plainly: “I don’t think you have gotten enough credit, from me included, for being at the forefront of the craft barbecue movement in Dallas.” Dwight took it graciously. He always does.

The menu is the one he built from the backyard up and has been refining ever since. The pecan baby back ribs are the signature — smoked over Texas pecan hardwood, slightly sweet sauce, the kind of rack that comes apart without any ceremony. Most restaurants don’t serve baby back ribs because of the cost. Dwight serves them because he believes his customers deserve the best cut. The brisket goes on overnight with a blend of pecan and mesquite, comes out with a dark crust and a moist interior, and is the reason the lunchtime crowd of local workers, cops, and regulars shows up every day. The spicy smoked sausage and whole smoked chicken round out a meat menu that doesn’t need to be longer than it is.

Rose handles the sides, and the sides are the reason people come back even when they’ve already decided what they’re ordering. The Family Creole Potato Salad has a sweetness and a kick that nobody has successfully described in fewer than two sentences. The coleslaw is homemade mayonnaise base with onions, bell peppers, a touch of bleu cheese and bacon. The signature baked beans are kicked up with picante, onion, and jalapeño. The pasta salad runs with sun-dried tomato dressing, bell peppers, a hint of onion. On the dessert end, Rose’s southern lemon pound cake is the one people mention first, followed closely by the triple chocolate pecan cake and the southern peach cobbler. The pecan pie is silky in a way that makes you slow down.

The place has grown since 2009 — Dwight expanded the dining room, doubled the square footage, added the beef chuck ribs, kept pushing. He’s in his 70s and still at the pit. Rose is still making the sides by hand. The Cedars has changed considerably around them. Off the Bone hasn’t changed much at all, which is the point.

Off the Bone Barbeque is at 1734 Botham Jean Boulevard in The Cedars. Open Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Sunday. Phone: (214) 565-9551.

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