Monday, August 31, 2026

The Best Barbecue Near Billy Can Can, by the Record

  1. Rank 1. Slow Bone

    Texas-Style Barbecue


  2. Rank 2. Smokey Joe's BBQ

    Texas-Style Barbecue


  3. The line wrapping around the building is the first sign; the smell of oak and hickory smoke is the second. Cattleack is a beloved Dallas BBQ shop with a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a spot on Texas Monthly's 50 best list, where pitmaster Andrew Castelan runs brisket and pork ribs as the anchors but keeps daily specials, like wagyu pastrami brisket, for the regulars who know to look. Tangy house sauce sits on every table, not because the meat needs it.


  4. Rank 4. Smoke'N Ash BBQ

    Tex-Ethiopian Barbecue

    Smoked brisket finished with awaze, an Ethiopian spice sauce, is the move that separates this casual Arlington barbecue joint from every other spot selling half-pounds off butcher paper. The team built it from a trailer smoker and weekend pop-ups into something the New York Times noticed and a James Beard semifinalist nod confirmed. Order a platter if you want range, and reach past the mac and cheese toward the lentil stews.


  5. Post oak from nearby farms fuels the pits at this Fort Worth BBQ shop, open just a few days a week until the meat runs out, which it does. The young crew behind Goldee's earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand and landed at number three on Texas Monthly's 50 Best BBQ Joints, so the line forms early and long. Black Angus brisket, cooked low and slow, is the draw; the sweet-tart mustard sauce alongside it is quietly non-negotiable.


  6. Rank 6. Smoak Town BBQ

    Texas-Style Barbecue


  7. Fort Worth's nickname spawned this BBQ shop, which started as a food truck before graduating to a spot with both indoor and outdoor seating. Central Texas-style offset smoking is the foundation, but the menu slides comfortably into Tex-Mex territory with brisket burritos and street tacos. Arrive early, because the lines are not theoretical. Texas Monthly named it among the 50 best BBQ joints in the state.


  8. Rank 8. Sabar BBQ

    Texas-Style Barbecue



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The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

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        The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

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