Heim Barbecue
1109 W. Magnolia Ave.
Fort Worth 76104
817-882-6970
http://heimbbq.com
Standing in line is part of the experience at Heim Barbecue. It was the only way to get a taste of Heim’s South Texas-style barbecue during its first year in a food truck off East Hattie Street. Owners Travis and Emma Heim brought the line with them when they opened their swanky new barbecue joint on Magnolia Avenue.
You may not feel hungry when you arrive around 10:40 a.m. to stake your place in line, but by the time they open those doors and the anxious crowd begins to tighten up, you will undoubtedly find an appetite.
Fort Worth has great barbecue. Family-owned outfits such as Angelo’s, Riscky’s, Bailey’s, Cousin’s and Railhead have fed generations of slow-smoked meat aficionados. So what’s all the buzz about Heim Barbecue?
The Heims entered the “craft” barbecue business just when craft-anything had reached a boiling point. Their timing was impeccable. It seems every foodie in town is now in search of small-batch this and artisan that. If it is original, responsibly sourced and artisan crafted, you can bet it’s about to catch fire. And in Heim’s case it’s really all about the fire anyway!
Their barbecue is notably different in our neck of the woods, primarily because our North Texas woods seem dominated by mesquite, and the Heims, who learned their process in South/Central Texas, prefer to import milder tasting post oak to stoke their three mammoth Oyler smokers. It’s just different.
When you finally enter the building, you will be greeted by the same butcher-paper menu that once graced the side of their food truck. It’s so easy to draw a line through sold-out items written on butcher paper as the service moves along and those gluttonous to-go-orders get filled and begin heading out the door. But that’s why you got in line early, to avoid those worst-case scenarios, remember?
You can’t go wrong with the ever-tender, sweet and peppery glazed pork ribs, or the now-famous brisket with its perfect smoky blackened exterior and red smoke rings (your choice of fatty or lean brisket portions). Pepper is a big player at Heim. A combo plate (one meat $12, two meat $15, or three meat $18) comes with two sides, bread and a pickle.
Travis is the ginger-bearded, baseball-cap backward meat wizard. But you could just as easily imagine him teaching philosophy on a college campus. Emma works the crowd with her friendly smile, but don’t be fooled. She also runs a tight ship in the kitchen and is laser-beam focused on customer satisfaction and quality control.
While the smoked meats fall under Travis’ job description, Emma creates the side dishes and desserts. There are a couple of must-try starches: the fluffy sour cream-based twice-baked potato salad and her new green chili mac and cheese with just a touch of spice. And for dessert, Emma’s classic banana pudding is rich and bursting with banana flavor.
The new Heim Barbecue also now offers a Niman Ranch prime grade beef rib ($20, limited quantities), but you better have your spurs on when you order this enormous crusty rib.
At Heim Barbecue the farm and ranch set blends seamlessly with twenty-somethings sporting trucker hats and Miller High Life T-shirts, as well as surgeons in scrubs from the nearby medical district on their lunch break.
The stylish interior is devoid of the typical barbecue joint kitsch such as an explosion of taxidermy or the need to have every square inch of wall space covered with license plates. Instead the Heims went a little more upscale with café-style metal stools and chairs and shiny white subway tiles behind the order counter, and they confined the few flat screens to the bar area.
The bar area is dotted with high tops and is a true “brown bar” featuring over 150 types of whiskey and bourbon, with some rare and pricey bottles as well. But if you prefer beer with your barbecue, Heim also stocks a nice selection of ice-cold local beers on tap.