By Courtney Dabney
BBQ on the Brazos
BBQ on the Brazos had earned rave reviews for years, located just off Highway 377 in Cresson ― tucked inside a Texaco gas station.
Pitmaster John Sanford has brought his award-winning BBQ on the Brazos restaurant to the Benbrook traffic circle. The doors are now open and they are ready for catering orders, and a grand opening celebration will take place around Thanksgiving.
BBQ on the Brazos had earned rave reviews for years located just off Highway 377 in Cresson tucked inside a Texaco gas station. In 2017, BBQ on the Brazos gained even more street cred when it was named as one of the Top 50 Barbecue Restaurants in Texas by "Texas Monthly." That’s when the real smoked-meat aficionados came out of the woodwork.
Sanford closed his highly-rated Cresson hole in the wall August 2018. He’s continued in a trailer ever since, just looking for the right place to plant his flag. But after exploring locations in both Cresson and Granbury, BBQ on the Brazos has moved into the space vacated by longtime dive bar Royal Falcon. It’s situated next door to Edelweiss German Restaurant on the Benbrook traffic circle, 3803 Southwest Blvd., in the same lot hosting the Cowtown Farmers Market.
Sanford, Fort Worth native and Arlington Heights grad, is happy to be back in town. And — good news for barbecue lovers — he says a 15-year lease has been signed.
“There is really a lot more bad barbecue out there than good,” he says. “Whatever you order is going to be the same every time.”
His brisket is tender and juicy with the perfect black lacquer bark, and the ribs are sticky and moist. Other meats by the pound include pulled pork, smoked turkey, sausage and bologna. They make their not too spicy, not too sweet, vinegar-based sauce fresh every morning, and are stocked with branded seasonings and rubs to take home.
The opening menu will be expanding soon. Be especially on the lookout for his creamy jalapeño cheese grits. In the meantime, check out The Gobble sandwich to get you in the holiday spirit. It’s got smoked turkey, mozzarella cheese and French-fried onions. It’s served on jalapeño cheese sourdough bread with chipotle mayo. And save room for some pecan pie cobbler.
Sanford is confident in his ‘cue. “Everything I cook is competition quality. I like to compete,” he says with a twinkle in his eye. And it’s not bragging if you can do it. Sanford has the accolades and competition hardware to back up his claims. He’s been at it for 42 years and cooking professionally for the past 24 of them.
Hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (or until sold out), and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Mondays. Beginning in January, they will add dinner service on Thursday and Friday nights, serving prime rib and steaks (ribeye, strip and filet), and will begin serving beer and wine as well.
