Southern Living says Franklin is Texas’ best BBQ. Here are local alternatives
There’s always a debate about which barbecue joint in Texas is the best. After all, comparing barbecue in the Lone Star state can be like apples and oranges — different regions in Texas each have their different flairs.
However, a Southern Living magazine readers’ poll in March — featuring input about the best barbecue in the country from more than 10,000 Southern Living respondents — said that Franklin Barbecue in Austin is the best in Texas.
North Texans may say different.
Fort Worth was once the “barbecue capital of Texas,” according to the 2021 Texas Monthly Best BBQ list. However, Cowtown lost that title in 2025 to Lockhart, in Central Texas.
There are four barbecue styles in Texas: Central Texas/Hill Country, West Texas, South Texas and East Texas. Central is all about the rubs and spices, with slow-cooked brisket. West Texas does chicken, sausage and ribs on high and direct heat for a faster cook time. South style integrates some Mexican-American influence with brisket slow-smoked and BBQ tacos. Finally, East Texas focuses more on sauces and cooks up the most pork.
In North Texas, there’s a little bit of everything. Between magazine rankings, 2024 Michelin guide and readers’ polls, here’s a roundup of what barbecue joints are worth trying in North Texas.
Dayne’s Craft BBQ
- Ranked No. 7 in the state– Texas Monthly’s 2025 Top 50 Best BBQ
- Menu: Brisket, ribs, sausage, pulled pork, turkey and all the staples, with a brisket-trimmed smash burger and brisket bologna.
- Location: 100 S. Front St., Aledo
- Hours: Open Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Goldee’s BBQ
- Ranked No. 1 in 2021 and returned as No. 3 in 2025 to the Texas Monthly Top 50 Best BBQ.. Also noted on the Texas 2024 Michelin Guide as a bib garamond recommendation.
- Menu: Brisket, turkey, pork belly, pork ribs with South Asian inspired meats like their Laotian sausage and waterfall pork.
- Location: 4645 Dick Price Road, Fort Worth
- Hours: Open weekends, Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m (or until they sell out). “Tip: Go after the lunch rush, about 1 p.m. You might miss out on brisket and pork ribs, but the wait will be shorter and you’ll still love the sausage and turkey,” suggests the Star-Telegram’s Bud Kennedy.
Sabar BBQ
- Included in Texas Monthly’s 2025 Top 50 Best BBQ.
- Menu: Pakistani inspired barbecue with staples like brisket but mostly items customers can’t get at other Texas joints like their seekh-kebab sausage, Sichuan lamb ribs, burnt ends nihari. No pork on the menu but yogurt dipping sauces and naan as a bonus.
- Location: 105 S. Main St., Fort Worth
- Hours: Open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (or until sold out).
Panther City BBQ
- No. 10 on Texas Monthly’s 2021 list and mentioned in the 2025 Best BBQ lists; noted in the Texas 2024 Michelin Guide
- Menu: Brisket, pork ribs, pork belly burnt ends, jalapeno-chaddar sausage and brisket elote. Menu flairs include bacon wrapped jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and pork belly burnt ends and crispy cheese brisket street tacos.
- Location: 201 E. Hattie St., Fort Worth
- Hours: Open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m .to 8 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
North Texas Smoke BBQ
- On Texas Monthly’s 2025 Best BBQ list
- Menu: Brisket, sausage, turkey and spare ribs. They also offer specials like brisket chili and free beer.
- Location: 2601 Highway 287 N., Decatur
- Hours: Open Wednesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m (or until sold out).
Hurtado BBQ
- Top 50 on Texas Monthly’s 2021 list and honorable mention in its 2025 Best BBQ list
- Menu: Tex-Mex meets barbecue, with smoked brisket birria tacos and brisket tostadas. Includes brisket, sausage and ribs but also features bacon burnt ends, hatch chile mac and cheese and smoked quail on the weekends.
- Locations: Multiple locations. Fort Worth’s is at 1116 8th Ave.
- Hours: Open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Smoke’N Ash BBQ
- Honorable mention on Texas Monthly’s 2025 BBQ list; noted in the Texas 2024 Michelin Guide
- Menu: Texas-Ethiopian barbecue which features all the Texas staples, but also features pulled lamb and Ethiopian platters with rib-tip tibs, smoked chicken doro wat and house-made injera.
- Location: 5904 S. Cooper St., Arlington
- Hours: Open Wednesday to Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
The Original Roy Hutchinz
- Recommended by TikTok food critic Keith Lee
- Menu: Inventor of the Texas Twinkie, a bacon-wrapped jalapeno with cream cheese and brisket. But it also carries all the staples: brisket, ribs, sausage, turkey, burnt ends. The menu also features a prime steak ribeye.
- Location: 3000 TX 114, Trophy Club
- Hours: Open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Smoke-A-Holics BBQ
- Honorable mention on Texas Monthly’s 2025 BBQ list
- Menu: Brisket, pork ribs, hotlinks, smoked bologna and salami, smoked meat loaf, smoked pork chops and oxtails on the fourth Sunday of every month
- Location: 1417 Evans Ave., Fort Worth.
- Hours: Open Tuesday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Zavala’s
- Top 50 on Texas Monthly’s 2021 list and honorable mention on its 2025 Best BBQ list
- Menu: Brisket, brisket sausage, boudin sausage, carnitas style pork. They’re known for their sloppy juan– brisket trimmings and pulled pork in a flour tortilla.
- Location: 421 W. Main St., Grand Prairie
- Hours: Open Wednesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Patriotic Pig Barbecue
- Honorable mention on Texas Monthly’s 2025 BBQ list
- Menu: Brisket, ribs, sausage, turkey and chicken; also includes sandwiches and burgers like a turkey club and a brisket trim smashburger with jalapeno and cheddar in the patty.
- Location: 3900 Rufe Snow Drive, North Richland Hills
- Hours: Open Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Monday.
Ella Gonzales
Fort Worth Star-Telegram