Texas > Ft. Worth: Goldee's Barbecue


 

Dustin Dorsey

TVWBB Hall of Fame
I finally got to go to Goldee's Barbecue, the Texas Monthly's number 1 barbecue joint on the the last Top 50 list from 2021.





We got in line at about 9:30, as was recommended on their website. There were a lot of people in line when we arrived. The only thing they ran out of was beef ribs by the time we got to the front.


Here's a picture of their menu out front.


This is a picture of the backyard pit they designed with M&M Barbecue Co. They actually use it to cook the Turkey.


This is their M&M rotisserie that they use for the ribs and some other meats.


The brisket is cooked on 2 1000 gallon pits made by Millscale Smokers.



The cutting station.




Our tray.

We ordered brisket which they automatically give you half lean, half moist. We got a rib, some pork belly, a link of each of the sausages, the pork hash and the cheesy grits. The brisket was absolutely top notch, including the lean slices. A lot of times the fatty brisket can wind up underseasoned. That wasn't the case here. What really stood out was how well the fat was rendered. Compared to any other place I've been the surface fat on the lean slices just absolutely melted in my mouth.

The rib was really fantastic. Perfectly tender with a nice mustard based sweet sauce. Both sausages were well executed. The house sausage is a fairy standard hot gut type sausage with black pepper, but also with mustard seeds. The other was a jalapeno cheese. Both were perfectly seasoned and juicy.

The pork belly really stood out. Pork belly is one of those barbecue items that can get far too rich after even one bite. I don't know how they did it, but they rendered a lot of the fat out, and got really delicious crispy bark on the surface. I highly recommend this menu item that's not really a Texas barbecue standard.

The South Carolina barbecue hash was phenomenal. It's something I've always wanted to try as it's not a Texas staple. The cheesy grits were ok. Nothing special, but still good. The house made bread was a really nice touch.

All in all I highly recommend this place. The wait is not nearly as brutal as the Franklin line was but I haven't been there for years. Is it worthy of No. 1? I can't say, but it's definitely in that top tier with places like Franklin and Cattlelack. Go check it out. Make sure you show up early!
 
That pork hash is something I am afraid to know more about. Agree with pork belly being too rich for me. Love brisket. Got to try sausages. No room for bread. Napkins. Or maybe a hose. Looks good. If ever, I get by there, definitely.
 
What really stood out was how well the fat was rendered. Compared to any other place I've been the surface fat on the lean slices just absolutely melted in my mouth.
Yes, the best joints get that perfect translucent fat on lean brisket. Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly describes the side edge of a slice of brisket flat as the "sugar cookie", the perfect blend of meat, fat, and salt. So delicious!

I'll be in the DFW area this October, I'll try to get to Goldee's and/or Cattleack.
 
Went about two years ago, the line was looong, this was right after their #1 rank came out.
Everything was spot on, including the sides, My son lives in Fort Worth and has been to Franklins, he said Goldees was the same ,or at best a half step behind Franklin's. Just so you know, Goldees recently opened a Ribs place with the same sides in Fort Worth...Son said it was great....
 
Thanks for the write up Dustin. A little far to go for a day trip for me but if I'm ever that way it's on my list for sure. That bbq hash has got my attention. The texture just looks odd, but if you say it's good I'll give it a go. Glad you had a good meal.
 
Thanks for the write up Dustin. A little far to go for a day trip for me but if I'm ever that way it's on my list for sure. That bbq hash has got my attention. The texture just looks odd, but if you say it's good I'll give it a go. Glad you had a good meal.
I need to research how they make it. I know there is a rich stock involved. Tradionaly it contained a lot of offal. I think just has pork in this case and probably some potatoes . It's served over rice. I just just sit and eat a few bowls of that stuff.
 
Mrs. TVWB and I visited Goldee's BBQ on October 18, 2024. Arrived at 7:00am and we were second waiting in the parking lot. I won't bother posting repetitive photos from Dustin's excellent post, but can confirm that the barbecue was legit. Cool that I got to catch pics of Saturday's meat going into the smoker on Friday morning.

We tried brisket, spareribs, turkey, sausage, a brisket sammie just for fun, pork belly, cheesy grits, some of their baked-on-site bread, and banana pudding. Having had Cattleack BBQ just a few days earlier, I will say that the flavors were really good and less black pepper forward. Really nice folks behind the counter and met a couple of guys who knew about TVWB.

Here are some pics.

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