Fort Worth Restaurant Goldee’s is ‘Texas Monthly's’ No. 1 Spot for Best Barbecue in the State

Fort Worth barbecue restaurant Goldee’s, which opened in February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, has taken the No. 1 spot in Texas Monthy’s ranking of best barbecue restaurants in the state of Texas.

The relatively new restaurant, which is run by a group of young pitmasters who previously worked at some of the state’s most storied joints, including Franklin, La Barbecue, and Valentina, managed to snag the top spot thanks to what the magazine calls “food that’s close to perfection,” including some of the best spare ribs, sausage, and brisket in the state, plus innovative dishes like Laotian sausage served with jeow som sauce.

The list, which was more than eight weeks in the making, was announced by the magazine on Monday, October 18. Several other North Texas spots landed in the Top 50, including Cattleack in Dallas, which took the No. 6 spot, and Panther City in Fort Worth, at No. 10. A handful of other metroplex restaurants got an honorable mention. (Only the first 10 spots are ranked.)

Scope out the full list of DFW-area restaurants in the Top 50 below:

• No. 1 — Goldee’s, Fort Worth
• No. 6 — Cattleack, Dallas
• No. 10 — Panther City, Fort Worth
• Hurtado Barbecue, Arlington
• Slow Bone, Dallas
• Smokey Joe’s BBQ, Dallas
• Terry Black’s Barbecue, Dallas
• Dayne’s Craft Barbecue, FTW
• Smoke-A-Holics BBQ, BTW
• Hutchins BBQ, Frisco
• Zavala’s Barbecue, Grand Prairie

To compile the list, more than 30 Texas Monthly staffers and freelancers spent weeks during the summer criss-crossing Texas in search of the state’s best barbecue restaurants. The list is updated roughly every five years — the last one was published in 2017

What’s notable about 2021’s version is that it specifically highlights the changing face of Texas barbecue — younger pitmasters, influence from international cuisine, innovative techniques. Twenty-nine of the Top 50 spots are newcomers, including Goldee’s. Another Fort Worth spot, ShaneBoy’s Craft Hawaiian Grindz, was listed as “boundary-breaking” for chef Shane Suttons Hawaiian-style pulehu brisket topped with a sauce made of ginger and soy.

That’s not to say the traditional barbecue spots were ignored. Austin favorite Franklin is still in the top 10, and Dallas’s Smokey Joe’s, which also made the list, has been open since 1985.

• The 15 Essential Dallas-Fort Worth Barbecue Joints [EDFW]
• The 50 Best BBQ Joints [Texas Monthly]