Classic ‘Cue in Ft. Worth

I didn’t get to visit Ft. Worth for the 2021 Bassmaster Classic because we were hosting a large group at Lake El Salto that week. I had planned to be at the derby, but the ongoing pandemic forced the tournament to move from March to June, and I couldn’t be two places at once. It was the only Classic I’ve missed since 2007, so I’m glad to have started a new streak in 2022, and of course I’ll be in Ft. Worth for the 2025 event.

It'll be my second Texas Classic (Conroe in 2017 was the first) and one thing I know is that it would be a shame to visit Texas and not indulge in any brisket and sausage.

When I mentioned that fact to my friend Woody Woodworth, he noted that the barbecue at Goldee’s in Ft. Worth is amazing — and also generally highly-regarded, including by picky Texans. I hope to make it there, although that process will be complicated by the fact they’re only open Friday-Sunday (the three tournament days) from 11 am-3 pm or until they sell out. The line starts forming several hours before they open and I’m not sure that I’ll have the time. If that’s out, I’ll have to consider one of the multiple other viable options. Fortunately there are plenty of others.

Here are some articles about Ft. Worth’s barbecue scene:

• Where to Eat Barbecue in Fort Worth

• Fort Worth Ranks No. 2 on Best BBQ Cities List

• 10 of the Best BBQ Spots in Fort Worth Right Now

• The 14 Best DFW Barbecue Joints

• Fort Worth Ranks 32 on Cities With Best BBQ List

• Fort Worth BBQ joint named home to some of America's top new chefs by Food & Wine magazine

• YouTube star crowns Fort Worth BBQ joint best in Texas

• Texas Barbecue with a Twist

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of some of the places that seem to get many of the plaudits:

• Goldee’s Barbecue

• Angelo’s BBQ

• Brix Barbecue

• Campo Smokehouse

• Cousin’s BBQ

• Dayne’s Craft Barbecue

• F1 Smokehouse

• Heim Barbecue

• Joe Riscky’s Barbecue

• Panther City BBQ

• Railhead Smokehouse

• Sabar BBQ

• Smoke-A-Holics BBQ