Here are some favorite spots for brisket in Fort Worth, from old school to craft ‘cue
Everywhere else, March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day.
In Fort Worth, where brisket, beef and barbecue are king, it’s also St. Angelo’s Day.
On St. Patrick’s Day 1958, the late Angelo George opened a tiny beer hall with four tables that would go on to become Fort Worth’s most legendary barbecue restaurant.
Now, a third generation tends the brisket at Angelo’s Barbecue, 2533 White Settlement Road near downtown.
Angelo’s added pork ribs in 1973 and smoked chicken in 1994. But the definitive order remains the sliced brisket sandwich.
It’s always piled high with thick slices of brisket. (It was that way even back when other restaurants sliced their brisket thin and doused it in overbearing sauce.)
The smoky bark shows clearly, and there’s always a pink smoky ring, what pitmasters call the “lipstick.”
The sliced sandwich is served on a commercial bun with sliced pickles, chopped onions and a dollop of Angelo’s subtle sauce, plus yellow mustard, a quirky local barbecue preference.
For 40 years, until the rise of Texas’ craft barbecue scene, Angelo’s was considered Dallas-Fort Worth’s definitive barbecue restaurant along with the original Sonny Bryan’s in Dallas. Stanley Marcus of the exclusive Neiman Marcus department stores in Dallas was among Angelo’s best-known customers, sending couriers for pounds of pork ribs.
The restaurant is air-conditioned now. And it takes credit cards. But the barbecue is still the same Angelo’s.
Heim Barbecue
When the craft barbecue revolution came to Fort Worth, it started at Heim Barbecue.
In 2015, Emma and Travis Heim opened a barbecue stand with two briskets to sell and $100 in their bank account.
By 2019, they were opening their second full-size restaurant and bar serving Heim’s flavorful, peppery brisket along with their signature dish, smoked bacon “burnt ends.”
Heim began as a trailer on what is now East Pennsylvania Avenue, then moved to a full-size location at 1109 W. Magnolia Ave. and opened a second location at 5333 White Settlement Road.
Heim’s brisket sandwich is hefty, and the restaurant also serves brisket burgers. It’s also known for exceptionally good side dishes such as green-chile mac-and-cheese, collards, beans, slaw, fries and onion rings.
Cousin’s Bar-B-Q
Cousin’s Bar-B-Q opened in 1983, and by 1990 it was winning “best barbecue” contests and quickly gaining international fame.
Then-President George H.W. Bush discovered Cousin’s founder Calvin “Boots” Payne’s restaurant, and afterward he rarely left a Fort Worth or Dallas visit without a shipment of Cousin’s brisket.
The fame spread worldwide in 1993, when Payne and Cousin’s were chosen to train crews and open the new EuroDisney resort in Paris.
Cousin’s is still known for brisket, and now it’s the all-natural Creekstone Farms premium brisket that’s used in Texas’ most famous smokehouses.
Cousin’s also serves fresh-cut vegetables, although it has stuck to the old-time cafeteria-style serving line.
For the original Cousin’s experience, visit the mothership location at 6262 McCart Ave. in Fort Worth. Newer suburban locations are in Crowley and on Bryant Irvin Road in Cityview.
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
