Crystal Wise
They have the meats: Chopped brisket and sliced sausage atop mac and cheese at Brown’s Backyard BBQ.
With most new barbecue restaurants in Fort Worth adopting the Central Texas style of ‘cue, it’s refreshing when a newcomer waves the flag for the classic style that many Fort Worthians grew up on, the kind of straightforward ‘cue found at Hickory Stick in Everman, Robinson’s on East Seminary, or at warhorse Angelo’s.
It’s in that circle of barbecue joints that recently opened Brown’s Backyard Barbecue belongs. Located on McCart Avenue, across the street from Mexico Real, this formidable newcomer comes from local couple Dominick and Nichole Brown, first-time restaurant owners.
The couple tested the waters of the area by first opening a food truck. Within weeks, they outgrew the truck and made plans to take over a vacant building just a few feet away from where they parked their truck.
“Every day we were open, we’d sell out of food,” Nichole says. “At that point, we knew we were onto something.”
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In the building that Dominick hand-painted in a striking, hard-to-miss black and lime, he and his wife work hand in hand, side by side, cooking and preparing their food, the recipes for which the couple developed on their own, with a little help from their families.
Dominick uses a custom-built smoker to cook brisket, pork ribs, two kinds of sausage — regular pork and jalapeno-cheddar — and chicken; brisket gets the most smoke, up to 14-15 hours.
Featured sides include mac and cheese, collard greens, potato salad, baked beans, green beans and corn. Freshly made desserts include banana pudding, plus cakes made by family friend Millicent Edward.
Crystal Wise
From the left are Nichole and Dominick Brown, owners of the newly opened Browns Backyard BBQ.
The restaurant’s signature dish is what the couple calls “cubed brisket.” That term is usually associated with Kansas City-style burnt ends. But in the Browns’ hands, it means bite-size chunks of brisket simmered in their own juices, along with a secret blend of spices. Think of a brisket stew. It’s served a la carte or atop mac and cheese, a baked potato, or with bread on the side for “sopping it up,” Nichole says.
“It’s just a different take on brisket,” Nichole says. “You need something to stand out, so we worked on something we knew would be different.”
The restaurant has been a long time coming for the couple. They’ve spent the past several years in different industries — he’s been a landscaper, she worked in commercial sales for Radio Shack downtown; they also own five local day care centers that bear their name.
“The restaurant has been something that Dominick’s wanted to do for years,” Nichole says. “We finally got to a point in our lives where we could do it. We figured if we didn’t do it now, when would we do it?”
Brown’s Backyard BBQ, 5608 McCart Ave., 817-386-4977
