My friend and I are going to be in the Dallas area in February. We were talking about how we've gone to Texas several times and never once had BBQ food! It seems so wrong to not have BBQ when in Texas.

Do you have any suggestions of really good BBQ places to try? We will be staying in the Plano area and would like to keep it relatively close to that area (within a 30 minute drive).

A few suggestions:
Sonny Bryan's, which has several locations.
Dickey's, which also has several locations.

Dickey's is a chain, as is Sonny Bryan's. S-B is probably a bit better.

Try this:

http://www.dallasobserver.com/bestof...becue-1929717/

Unfortunately, OP asked to stay within 30 minutes' drive of Plano. That severely limits the choices. I would heartily recommend Angelo's or Railhead in Fort Worth, but those are too far to drive.

Hey...I would go to Hard-Eight BBQ..it's in Coppell, so not that far from Dallas..
www.hardeightbbq.com
Have Fun in Texas!!