A whole packer brisket rubbed with salt and black pepper, smoked over post-oak wood for 12 to 16 hours, until the bark is nearly black. Served sliced on butcher paper, no sauce required.
Central Texas brisket developed from the meat-market tradition of Czech and German immigrants who smoked unsold cuts to preserve them. The style was codified in Lockhart and Taylor and spread north to Dallas through pit operators in the 1990s. Pecan Lodge founders Justin and Diane Fourton opened in the Dallas Farmers Market in 2010 and created the queue culture that put Dallas brisket on the national map, attracting Texas Monthly coverage and establishing Deep Ellum as a BBQ corridor alongside the original Central Texas towns.
5 editor picks for Texas smoked brisket in Dallas, ranked by editorial score. All Dallas signature dishes · Texas smoked brisket across every city.
Also in: Houston.
Pecan Lodge ★ 4.8
deep-ellum · 2702 Main St, Dallas, TX 75226
The Deep Ellum BBQ institution that made Dallas a serious stop on every national list. Brisket, ribs, and pulled pork in a lively brick room on Main St.
Cattleack Barbeque ★ 4.8
plano · 13628 Gamma Rd, Dallas, TX 75244
A suburban BBQ legend open just three days a week. Akaushi Wagyu brisket and Duroc pork, a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and a Texas Monthly Top 50 ranking.
Lockhart Smokehouse ★ 4.5
bishop-arts · 400 W Davis St, Dallas, TX 75208
The Dallas outpost of the Lockhart BBQ tradition, run by descendants of the original Kreuz Market bloodline. Open sun-thu 11am-9pm, fri-sat 11am-10pm.
Slow Bone ★ 4.3
design-district · 2234 Irving Blvd, Dallas, TX 75207
A Design District lunch institution that closes when the meat runs out. The smoked pork chop has built a cult following since the restaurant opened.
Ten50 BBQ ★ 4.1
uptown · 5519 W Lovers Lane, Dallas, TX 75209
The Dallas location of the family-run Richardson BBQ favourite, opened in 2025 near Inwood Village in the former Sonny Bryan's space. Located in Uptown.