Discover the Best Barbecue Joints in Dallas
While barbecue lovers will flock to Texas Monthly‘s favorite 50 smoked-meat shops announced May 27, 2025, we see an opportunity for the Dallas-area restaurants not on the list: Shorter lines for barbecue that’s still great.
Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn couldn’t pick more than 50 barbecue joints, but he had “120 solid contenders,” he wrote in his top 50 list.
“We have an incredible amount of great barbecue joints to choose from,” Vaughn told The Dallas Morning News the day the list was announced. He published a list of 50 honorable mentions to widen the scope.
As we look at what didn’t make the coveted top 50 list, might we suggest additional barbecue joints in North Texas worth a visit?
Restaurant News
Four of these six restaurants are open seven days a week, which can be rare in Texas barbecue. Even better.
Restaurants listed in alphabetical order.
Hurtado Barbecue in Arlington
Brandon Hurtado, owner of Barbecue in Arlington, opened a permanent concessions stand inside Globe Life Field in 2023, the year the Texas Rangers won the World Series.(Courtesy of Brandon Hurtado)
Arlington-born Hurtado Barbecue was among TM‘s top 50 in 2021, and at the time, it was a smallish company. By 2025, owner Brandon Hurtado operates Hayter’s Bar & Lounge next door to the original barbecue joint and has expanded to Fort Worth, Mansfield and the Dallas Farmers Market.
Hurtado is also the official barbecue of the Texas Rangers, and Rangers reporter Evan Grant once said Hurtado serves the best food at the ballpark. They’re selling stuffed baked potatoes and smoked wings in the 2025 season.
Hurtado’s brand of “Mexicue” in its restaurants includes birria tacos and Mexican cornbread alongside smoked brisket, bacon burnt ends and quail.
The original Hurtado Barbecue is at 205 E. Front St., Arlington. Open seven days a week. Other locations are in Dallas, Fort Worth, Mansfield and inside the Texas Rangers’ ballpark in Arlington.
Hutchins BBQ in McKinney and Frisco
At Hutchins BBQ in McKinney, customers walk down the line and pick meats and sides. Desserts are serve yourself, buffet-style.(Jason Janik / Special Contributor)
Tim Hutchins, co-owner of Hutchins BBQ, got the barbecue bug early. He grew up in a family of pitmasters — and other family members own an unaffiliated Hutchins restaurant in Trophy Club. (There was a family feud, but it’s done now.)
Since the 2000s, Hutchins has worked at the restaurant in McKinney, where it and the Frisco restaurant have provided some of the most reliable barbecue north of Dallas.
After a plate of brisket, Texas Twinkies and creamed corn, customers love that dessert’s always free.
Hutchins BBQ is at 1301 N. Tennessee St., McKinney, and 9225 Preston Road, Frisco. Open seven days a week.
Pecan Lodge in Dallas’ Deep Ellum
