Here’s a BBQ bargain in Fort Worth: 2 dine for $20 on BOGO platters
Cousin’s BBQ is battling back against the high cost of barbecue.
Forty years into a legacy that has taken Cousin’s from McCart Avenue to Europe and aboard Air Force One, the old-school favorite is helping Fort Worth beat barbecue inflation.
On Mondays, basic sandwiches and sides are a BOGO 2-for-1 special at the original Cousin’s, 6262 McCart Ave., or the Crowley location, 910 S. Crowley Road.
That means you get two sandwiches for $11-13, or $15-$17 with sides.
For less than $20, Cousin’s served a platter Monday that included both a sliced brisket sandwich and a sliced boneless chicken breast sandwich plus a total of four side dishes — easily enough to feed an entire family, or one teenager.
The deals continue on Tuesdays with BOGO stuffed baked potatoes (two for about $15).
On Wednesday. it’s the biggest deal of all: BOGO platters with two brisket, ribs, sausage or boneless chicken plates including sides for $19.
The special also counts for two-meat platters (two for $21) or the classic three-meat plate (two for $23).
It’s Cousin’s way to draw customers to the Crowley location or to late founder Calvin “Boots” Payne’s original restaurant, in an aging shopping center about 1½ miles south of Interstate 20.
The Monday crowd included several large groups, some dividing the sandwich special but others going for the best deal of all: larger sampler platters of “new school” or “old school” barbecue for $27, $39 or $49.
Now, Cousin’s is not a small-batch craft barbecue restaurant.
It’s a typical commercial restaurant with line service, open regular hours daily except Sunday.
But the menu is a step up from most 40-year-old barbecue joints. The sausage is Cousin’s own, either regular, jalapeño-cheese or the new hot link.
The brisket is prime, almost too lean. Try it as a chopped sandwich on a wheat bun with sauce and pickles, and ask at the counter for Cousin’s “Texas mustard.”
The boneless chicken breast is a standout, juicy with a rub. It also works well on a wheat bun. Any sandwich is available on a choice of white or wheat bun or Texas toast.
Sides include Mexican street corn with crema and chili powder, along with the usual collards, okra, mac-and-cheese, bacon-potato salad or two kinds of beans, pintos and sweeter “Bootsie’s cowboy beans.”
If you can’t make it Mondays for BOGO sandwiches, try Wednesdays for the BOGO plates.
The special is only good at the McCart Avenue and Crowley Road locations, not at the Bryant Irvin Road flagship store or DFW AIrport locations.
This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
