BBQ weekend in Fort Worth: Which restaurants are open, and when to go

After Turkey Day comes Barbecue Weekend.

With regular customers still full of pumpkin pie, out shopping or just sleeping off a Dallas Cowboys hangover, Black Friday is one of those special days when it’s easier to beat the crowd at busy restaurants and attractions.

It’s one of those calendar days that barbecue fans circle in red, along with Jan. 1, Feb. 15, March 18, July 5 and Nov. 1.

They all come after late-night holidays, when lines might be shorter at the restaurants that made Fort Worth the “Barbecue Capital of Texas.”

But three of the most popular are closed Friday.

Goldee’s Bar-B-Q near Kennedale, which draws a line 100 deep some mornings, will take Friday off. Goldee’s, 4645 Dick Price Road, will reopen at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Same for Dayne’s Craft Barbecue in Aledo, the No. 7-ranked barbecue joint in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine. Dayne’s, 100 S. Front St., will reopen at 7 a.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

Sabar BBQ, a trailer at 105 S. Main St. that was ranked in Texas Monthly’s Top 50 for its Pakistani-influenced barbecue, is also closed all weekend.

Instead, here are some top-ranked barbecue restaurants or traditional favorites open Friday and all weekend:

North Texas Smoke

If you haven’t heard of North Texas Smoke, you should.

It’s a trailer, hidden behind a fireworks stand at 2601 U.S. 287 North outside Decatur.

If that sounds like a long way, it’s not anymore. It’s about 15 minutes from the north edge of Fort Worth, an easy drive.

North Texas Smoke made the most-recent Texas Monthly Top 50 list for its peppery brisket. But that sold out within an hour of the 11 a.m. opening last weekend.

If you miss out on the sliced brisket, the chopped is every bit as good.

North Texas Smoke also has house-made beef sausage or jalapeno-cheddar sausages, big pork ribs and turkey, plus burgers and standout side dishes like a loaded-baked-potato salad.

It usually opens at 11 a.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays; 940-371-9565, northtexassmokebbq.com.

Hurtado Barbecue

Hurtado Barbecue is open all day now and has four locations, but the Arlington flagship still draws a line on football or baseball game days.

It made Southern Living’s Top 50 list and Texas Monthly’s Top 100, not only for brisket but also for the house-made sausage, birria tacos, jalapeno chicken and the weekend beef ribs and smoked quail.

Hurtado’s home is at 205 E. Front St. in downtown Arlington. But it also has a central Fort Worth location at 1116 Eighth Ave. and one in Mansfield, 226 N. Walnut Creek Drive.

If you’re in Dallas, there’s a handsome new Hurtado in the Farmers Market at 900 S. Harwood St. A Denton County location is planned in Argyle; hurtadobbq.com.

Panther City BBQ

Panther City BBQ in central Fort Worth is an all-day restaurant now, so there’s no need to rush.

But it helps to get there early, particularly weekends.

With a Texas Monthly Top-50 finish on top of a 2021 Top-10 finish, Panther City has established itself as the city’s most consistent barbecue restaurant. It also made Southern Living’s Top 50.

The restaurant, 201 E. Hattie St. 1 mile south of downtown, serves 10 different meats, including an impeccable brisket carne guisada on Saturdays and Sundays.

Texas Monthly praised the pork ribs and pork belly burnt ends. The Instagram-worthy dish is the brisket elote, a dish of corn with slices of brisket arranged like a beefy floral spray.

It’s usually open from 11 a.m. through dinner Wednesdays through Sundays. Sunday night is another good time to go; 682-250-4464, panthercitybbq.com.

Some maps show the address as 201 E. Pennsylvania St. It’s just off Interstate 35W near South Main Street.

Heim Barbecue

Heim Barbecue’s new Weatherford location is rejuvenating the restaurant that launched Fort Worth’s first craft barbecue and bacon burnt ends.

Heim was just voted America’s No. 4 barbecue restaurant by USA Today readers, and the Weatherford location at 1910 S. Main St. often has a line.

Heim’s four locations are open regular hours beginning at 11 a.m. daily. The others are at 1109 W, Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth; 5333 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth; and 3130 W. Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, near Love Field.

The prices are slightly cheaper than some other top-ranked restaurants — a plate is $15.99, and a happy hour sampler is only $10. Burgers start at $11.99; heimbbq.com.

Smoke’N Ash

Smoke’N Ash, Arlington’s famed Ethiopian-Texas barbecue restaurant is coming off an appearance on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

Host Guy Fieri praised the pork ribs with Ethiopian awaze sauce, made with a berbere spice blend. He also sampled the fried injera nachos topped with a choice of meats.

The Michelin Guide judges liked the brisket, lamb and lentil stew. The rib tips and sausage are perfectly reliable Texas barbecue.

Smoke’N Ash opens at noon and stays open until early evening daily except Mondays at 5904 S. Cooper St.; 817-987-7715; smokenashbbq.net.

Best of the rest

• Terry Black’s Barbecue, 2926 W. Seventh St., is Hill Country-style barbecue ranked in the Top 50 for its Austin location; 817-615-9408, terryblacksbbq.com.
• Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que, 301 Stockyards Blvd., is an open-pit restaurant with the added spectacle of picking your meats yourself from the outdoor grill. It’s been ranked on magazine lists for its flagship Llano location, and the impressive selection of 12 meats includes smoked sirloin and pork tenderloin. It’s good for visitors or families; 817-626-6464, coopersbbqfortworth.com.
• Angelo’s BBQ, 2533 Westside Drive (formerly White Settlement Road), leads the list of old-school Fort Worth favorites along with Cousins BBQ, Railhead Smokehouse and Sammies Bar-B-Q. Angelo’s is still a destination for sliced brisket, pork ribs, brisket tacos and the infamous “one large” frosty beer mugs. It’s a must-go near the Cultural District or during the Stock Show Rodeo. It opens at 11 a.m. daily except Sunday, just like since 1958; 817-332-0357, angelosbbq.com.