Daniel Vaughn Loves Fort Worth Barbecue

Texas Monthly released its Barbecue Editor, Daniel Vaughn’s Top 50 BBQ Joints List. The vaunted list solidifies the official pecking order among Texas barbecue pitmasters and establishes a must-try travel itinerary for barbecue lovers throughout the state, when it is unveiled every four years. This is the seventh Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Joints List since 1997. The 2025 list is no different, with some Fort Worth joints getting top honors once again.

When Texas Monthly released its famous list in 2021, Fort Worth outfits bookended the Top Ten, with Goldee’s Bar-B-Q taking the No. 1 spot and Panther City BBQ at No. 10. Both remain on the list this year as well.

Ranking in the Top Ten is a rare deal, lending lasting street cred to those who are so honored. This year two Fort Worth outfits landed in Texas Monthly’s Top Ten ― Goldee’s at No. 3 and Dayne’s Craft Barbecue at No. 7. Both were well-deserved.

Here’s More about the 2025 Edition of Top 50 Barbecue Joints, and where your Fort Worth favorites ranked.

Goldee’s Bar-B-Q Continues Its Dominance ― Now No. 3

Four “young-guns” Lane Milne, Jalen Heard, Jonny White, Nupohn Inthanousay learned their craft from some of the best in the state before opening Goldee’s Bar-B-Q along a quiet stretch of Dick Price Road in an out-of-the-way location in 2020. Goldee’s was on my radar even before Texas Monthly came calling, but the upstart barbecue joint shocked the state with its unlikely win.

As you might expect, the lines have not slowed over the past four years, nor has the quality. This year they fell to No. 3 ― proving their staying power.

Goldee’s opened an offshoot called Ribbee’s in March of 2024 as well, featuring just its ribs (they’ve added chicken thighs too) at 923 East Seminary Drive. There you can get a taste of Goldee’s famous barbecue in case you don’t have time to stand in line for a full tray at their original location, which is only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm or sold out.

Another way life has changed for Goldee’s over the past four years, as the reigning top dog in Texas barbecue, is the expansion of its branding. You can attend barbecue cooking classes, purchase its rubs and seasoning blends, and even take home a Goldee’s branded offset smoker for your backyard.

Dayne’s Craft Barbecue Lands at No. 7

When Dayne’s Craft Barbecue landed on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 List in 2021, Dayne’s Craft Barbecue was still operating out of a tailer at the former Lola’s Trailer Park near Montgomery Plaza. Their creative blueberry and gouda sausage got a mention.

After a long saga that finally led them to their first brick-and-mortar location in downtown Aledo, Pitmasters Dayne Weaver and Thomas Loven, along with co-owner Ashley Weaver, have a lot to be proud of. They chime in at No. 7 this year.

Fans have followed their every move ― from West Seventh to Berry Street and Camp Bowie West, in the same strip as Landman’s set for its Patch Café.

Dayne’s has expanded the menu to include fresh kolaches at breakfast and has recently expanded the hours as well, including Friday and Saturday nights. With this barbecue legend-making No. 7 nod, they might as well put a few more briskets in the smoker, as hungry barbecue fans will soon be trekking from far and wide to give them a try.

Top 50 Barbecue Joints Includes Panther City BBQ Once Again

This is the second time for Panther City BBQ Pitmasters Chris Magallanes and Ernest Morales, who set up their trailer next door to Republic Bar at 201 E. Hattie Street in 2018, the same spot that launched Fort Worth’s Heim BBQ. Now the Panther City footprint has taken in the bar as its indoor brick and mortar, plus expanded shady outdoor patio, attached to their original caged smokehouse.

Like Goldee’s, Panther City has spun off another outpost as well in March of 2024. They took over the historic Bailey’s Barbecue in downtown Fort Worth, dating from 1931. It is now Fort Worth Barbecue Company, combining old-school Bailey’s vibe with Panther City’s barbecue know-how. Plus, Michelin Guide recognized them in its first-ever Texas Guide last year.

“We are honored to be included in the new Top 50 List,” Magallanes and Morales tell Fort Worth Digital Diary. “Being able to go from two friends in a food truck to a brick and mortar with close to 40 employees and maintaining the quality and consistency it takes to make a list like this, speaks volumes to the commitment of our team and we are forever grateful for that.”

Must try items include their perfect brisket, brisket topped elote which has become legendary and their ever-popular brisket stuffed Flaco Tacos, and those Pork Belly Poppers.

Sabar BBQ Makes Top 50 Barbecue Joints List

Finally, Sabar BBQ which opened in 2023 continues Fort Worth’s tradition of barbecue fusion. Much like Hurtado Barbecue’s Mexi-cue, or Arlington’s Tex-Ethiopian mash up at Smoke’N Ash, which also earned a nod from Michelin Guide, was just featured on Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins, Sabar BBQ takes Texas barbecue to a new place with its Pakistani-inspired spin.

Pitmaster Zain Shafi learned the ropes from his time working at Goldee’s Bar-B-Q, so the generosity of spirit within the Texas barbecue community continues to spawn new and novel takes on Texas’s most famous food group ― barbecue.

“Sabar wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the amigos over at @goldeesbbq for giving us a chance at messing things up, teaching us to cook, how to treat employees and customers, doing what’s right even if it’s not a popular decision,” Zain Shafi said in a social post from September of 2024, when Daniel Vaughn wrote another article about how Goldee’s was helping up and coming barbecue joints find success.

“Zain Shafi’s Pakistani-inspired flavors are gorgeously composed,” Daniel Vaughn says.

The food trailer is situated next door to Tinie’s Mexican (with one of the best rooftop bars in Fort Worth) at 105 South Main Street, capping off the bustling South Main Village. It’s open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 3 pm, or sold out. Sabar, which means “patience” in Urdu, serves a unique menu including traditional halal tandoori-style meats.

Must-try items include the halal smoked turkey, Szechuan glazed lamb ribs, and the seekh kebab sausage.

Arlington’s Hurtado Barbecue and Smoke’N Ash BBQ, along with Fort Worth’s Smoke-A-Holics and Brix Barbecue each earned honorable mentions on the 2025 list.

Fort Worth foodies and visitors have plenty of great barbecue to explore, with new additions expanding the landscape and flavor profile. Visit Texas Monthly’s recent honorees, or any of our outstanding barbecue joints.