Arlington Becomes Flavortown Thanks To Guy Fieri

Food Network Features Smoke’N Ash Barbecue On Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives This Friday

Smoke'N Ash - Fasicka and Patrick Hicks
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Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
Smoke'N Ash - Fasicka and Patrick Hicks
1Smoke'N Ash - Fasicka and Patrick Hicks
2Smoke'N Ash Barbecue welcomed Guy Fieri
3Tex-Ethiopian Platter with Awaze Pork Ribs
Arlington Becomes Flavortown Thanks To Guy Fieri
Smoke'N Ash - Fasicka and Patrick Hicks received a Michelin Recommendation in 2024.

Smoke'N Ash - Fasicka and Patrick Hicks received a Michelin Recommendation in 2024.

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Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
Smoke'N Ash Barbecue welcomed Guy Fieri
Arlington Becomes Flavortown Thanks To Guy Fieri
Smoke'N Ash Barbecue welcomed Guy Fieri in December. The episode airs this Friday.

Smoke'N Ash Barbecue welcomed Guy Fieri in December. The episode airs this Friday.

Source:
Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
Tex-Ethiopian Platter with Awaze Pork Ribs
Arlington Becomes Flavortown Thanks To Guy Fieri
Tex Ethiopian platter features those succulent Awaze Pork Ribs.

Tex Ethiopian platter features those succulent Awaze Pork Ribs.

Source:

Tarrant County is famous for its stellar barbecue, with some of the top outfits in the entire state calling our area home. Smoke’N Ash BBQ is one of those. They have gotten a lot of well-deserved attention recently with their unique “Tex-Ethiopian Smokehouse” flavors. Smoke’N Ash will be featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives this Friday, May 23. 

Smoke N’ Ash is just one of the local chefs being feature on Food Network lately. Fort Worth chef Tim Love, who just opened his 14th concept, Stewarts Croquet & Cocktails, competed on Tournament of Champions, also hosted by Guy Fieri. And, chef Preston Paine of The Crescent Hotel’s Emelia’s and The Blue Room competed on Beat Bobby Flay recently as well, in an episode titled, Ciao, Bella!

The episode, which was filmed at the end of last year, is airing this Friday, May 23, at 8 pm on Food Network. Owners Fasicka and Patrick Hicks, have even created a watch party event, where they’ll be watching with fans, friends, and family at 5904 S Cooper St Suite 110, in Arlington. Smoke’N Ash Barbecue will be serving a special watch party menu, based on Guy Fieri’s favorite dishes.

If you didn’t grab tickets to that private event, you can watch from the comfort of your own couch.

The episode, titled Barbecue, Beignets, and Barbacoa, is on season 41, episode 10 of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Along with our very own local barbecue joint, which they describe as “next-level barbecue fusion,” it features gluten-free beignets by 239 Naples of Naples, Florida, and carnitas by El Tesoro in Atlanta, Georgia.

Smoke’N Ash’s segment is cooking up pork ribs with Ethiopian awaze glaze, along with its berbere mac and cheese, and famous brisket injera nachos.

More Accolades for Smoke’N Ash Barbecue

Smoke'N Ash Barbecue welcomed Guy Fieri
Smoke’N Ash Barbecue welcomed Guy Fieri in December. The episode airs this Friday.

Fasicka and Patrick Hicks put a unique spin on Texas barbecue, incorporating the flavors of Ethiopia. Their menu is three-fold. They offer traditional Texas barbecue, their inspired Tex-Ethiopian barbecue, and a full page of Ethiopian specialties. Take your pick or mix and match on a sampler plate.

They began in a food trailer in 2012 and landed their first brick-and-mortar location in 2018 in Arlington. But, due to rapid growth, they moved to a larger location in 2023, now at 5804 South Cooper, and we expect it will continue to grow.

Smoke’N Ash has continuously been recognized on both a local, regional, and national level. Here are just a few of the accolades they’ve garnered:

  • New York Times Top 50 Restaurants (2022)
  • New York Times 20 Best Texas BBQ Restaurants from the New Generation (2023)
  • Texas Monthly 25 New and Improved BBQ Joints in Texas (2023)
  • Yelp’s Top 100 BBQ Spots (2024)
  • Michelin-Recommended (2024 – Inaugural Michelin Guide to Texas)
  • James Beard Best Chef: Texas Semi-finalist (2025)

Smoke’N Ash BBQ is Arlington’s first (and only so far) Michelin Recommended Restaurant. But, to be fair, Michelin Guide had only just dipped its worldly toe into the vast state of Texas beginning in 2024. There was a lot of unexplored territory. Everyone expects a deeper dive and more Michelin mentions to come in 2025.

Ethiopian-Inspired Texas Barbecue at Smoke’N Ash

Tex-Ethiopian Platter with Awaze Pork Ribs
Tex Ethiopian platter features those succulent Awaze Pork Ribs.

And, if you still haven’t ventured over to taste Smoke’N Ash for yourself, the Arlington CVB team has some suggestions for your first visit.

“If you’re not sure where to start or just wanna dip your toe into a new cuisine, let us give you a few pointers,” they say. “Order a Tex-Ethiopian platter to get a taste of a little bit of everything including traditional Ethiopian Smoked Doro Wat, Rib Tip Tibs, Awaze Brisket, Awaze Pork Ribs and Texas Toast, combined with your choice of sides (they are all delicious, but to help you narrow it down, grab the Berbere Mac & Cheese and Beefy Collard Greens and thank us later), and please do yourself a favor and order the platter with injera, their spongey flatbread.”

Food Network is now featuring the full recipe for their famous Awaze Ribs, but unless you have five hours and forty-five minutes to spare, you might as well just let Smoke’N Ash prepare them for you. Welcome to Flavortown.

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