The last time Texas Monthly compiled its vaunted 50 Best Barbecue Joints in Texas list, the magazine daringly trumpeted a “brave new era of Texas barbecue.” No kidding. Not only had the state’s barbecue grip shifted beyond iconic smokehouses in Lockhart and Austin, the DFW-area scored spectacularly at the top of the list, including Panther City BBQ in Fort Worth at No. 10, Cattleack Barbecue in Dallas at No. 6, and the astonishing young crew of Goldee’s Barbecue in Forth Worth commanding the No. 1 spot.
This year’s Top 50 list, released Monday morning, again found powerful shifts in the Texas barbecue landscape. But the Metroplex is well represented in the 2025 list’s illustrious Top 10 bracket with Goldee’s holding its own at No. 3 and Dayne’s Cut Barbecue of Aledo (just west of Fort Worth) making an impressive showing at No. 7.
The DWF-area’s barbecue might is exemplified by the Top 50 inclusion of the Pakastani-inspired Sabar BBQ and the Michelin Guide-recognized Panther City, both in Fort Worth. Dallas’s showing in the Top 50 comes from Slow Bone BBQ, Smokey Joe’s BBQ, and the Farmers Branch-proud Cattleack.
Texas Monthly also issued a separate list of Honorable Mention. These contenders, which the magazine states “all belong in the conversation of Texas’s best barbecue,” include: Hurtado Barbecue and Smoke ’N Ash BBQ, both in Arlington; Brix Barbecue and Smoke-A-Holics BBQ, both in Fort Worth; Zavala’s Barbecue in Grand Prairie; and Patriotic Pig Smokehouse in North Richland Hills.
The magazine’s team of barbecue reviewers visited 319 Texas joints during the exhaustive reviewing process. These are the joints that scored the best:
The Texas Monthly Top 10:
- Burnt Bean Co., Seguin
- LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, Austin
- Goldee’s Barbecue, Fort Worth
- Redbird BBQ, Port Neches
- GW’s BBQ, San Juan
- InterStellar BBQ, Austin
- Dayne’s Craft Barbecue, Aledo
- LaVaca BBQ, Port Lavaca
- Truth Barbecue, Houston
- Evie Mae’s Pit Barbecue, Wolfforth
For the full list, visit TexasMonthly.com.
