The Loop

Places We Like: The Longoria's BBQ in Fort Worth

September 12, 2014

The basic building blocks of barbecue are universal -- ribs, brisket, pulled pork, sausage and chicken. The genius is in the execution, and Texas has no shortage of geniuses.

A little family-run place outside Fort Worth has staked out a unique -- and tasty -- piece of barbecue ground. At The Longoria's BBQ in Everman, the specialties are variations on the classic brisket theme -- smoked brisket sausage and a smoked brisket cheeseburger.

Owner David Longoria shakes your hand when you walk in the nondescript shack just across the border of southeast Fort Worth, and he'll load your styrofoam plate with any combination of three meats. The ribs are terrific, but he isn't joking when he says people have come from Australia to try to the brisket sausage.

The smoked cheeseburger might be the most underrated thing on any Texas barbecue joint's menu -- and the next thing you should try on your own grill. Longoria takes raw ground brisket and smokes it for an hour in the same pit he uses for his ribs. Then he takes the flavored patties and grills them like traditional burgers. Bite into it and you'll wonder why somebody didn't think of it before.

Everman isn't exactly centrally located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, but you can get there in 30 minutes from DFW airport. It's worth the drive.