Justin Fourton grew up going to his grandfather’s ranch in Abilene — a place called Pecan Lodge. The old man taught him how to build a fire, how to manage a smoker, and how to wait. That last part turns out to be the most important. Good barbecue is a function of patience more than almost anything else, and the brisket that comes out of Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum is eighteen hours of patience made edible.
Justin and his wife Diane Fourton started as a catering company in 2010, setting up a stall in Shed #2 of the Dallas Farmers Market on weekends. The lines formed almost immediately. By 2012 they were on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and by 2013 Texas Monthly had ranked them as one of the top four barbecue joints in the entire state — while they were still operating out of a farmers market shed. That same year CraveDFW sat down with Justin at Meat Fight and he confirmed what smart money already suspected: they were moving to Deep Ellum. The new location at 2702 Main Street opened in May 2014 with nearly 5,000 square feet, a proper smokehouse, a patio, and a beer program from Four Corners Brewing Company that included a custom amber ale called The Boss Lady — named, appropriately, for Diane. The line followed them.
More than a decade later the line has settled into something manageable, the hours have expanded significantly, and Pecan Lodge has grown into what it always seemed destined to become: the standard by which barbecue gets measured in Dallas. It has been featured in The New York Times, been a James Beard semifinalist, and ships nationwide through Goldbelly. None of that has changed what matters, which is what Justin and his pitmasters do in that smokehouse every morning before the doors open.
The smokers are steel offset fireboxes running a blend of primarily mesquite and oak. Mesquite burns hotter than oak and imparts a stronger, more assertive smoke — it’s the wood that gives Pecan Lodge its particular character, the thing that makes the brisket taste unmistakably like Texas rather than like the pit-smoked brisket you find everywhere now. The brisket goes in the night before and smokes for eighteen hours. You can taste the time in every bite: the fat fully rendered, the bark deep and dark, the interior pink and impossibly moist. Order it fatty rather than lean if you want to understand what the cut is capable of.
The brisket is the headline but the burnt ends are the argument. They’re the point ends of the brisket, cubed after the initial smoke, sauced lightly, and put back in the smoker until they develop a caramelized exterior that collapses into something between bark and candy. They sell out before anything else and justify arriving when the doors open. The pork ribs are fall-off-bone without being mushy — a distinction that requires more attention than most rib programs in Dallas are willing to pay. The beef ribs, available mid-week, are the Flintstone-scale plate that has been generating photos and social media attention since before anyone called it content. One bone, properly rendered, served on butcher paper.
The jalapeño cheddar sausage is handmade, with a snap to the casing and enough heat from the jalapeño to announce itself without drowning the pork. The smoked turkey is the protein that surprises people who came for brisket — moist, properly smoked, worth ordering even if it wasn’t on your original plan.
The Hot Mess is the dish that has developed its own dedicated following outside the standard barbecue crowd: a sweet potato loaded with brisket, barbacoa, cheese, chipotle cream, and green onions. It’s the thing to order if you want one plate that covers everything the kitchen does well. The Pitmaster Sandwich — smoked brisket, pulled pork, and house-made sausage on a toasted bun with slaw, jalapeños, and house barbecue sauce — is the call if you want a manageable format rather than meat by the pound.
Sides at Pecan Lodge are not afterthoughts. The mac and cheese is baked and creamy, with enough cheddar to hold up against the smoke on the plate next to it. The collard greens are the real thing — long-cooked, slightly sweet, properly seasoned. The fried okra is crispy and light, which matters when everything else on the tray is rich. The baked beans carry smoke from the pit rather than a bottle. The coleslaw has a spice to it that multiple regulars mention specifically as a differentiator. Order the peach cobbler if it’s available — it finishes the meal the right way.
The room at Deep Ellum is large, loud, and warm in the way that working barbecue joints are warm — communal tables, butcher paper, a gift shop along one wall selling growlers and t-shirts, a patio for the days when Dallas cooperates. Diane Fourton runs the operational side of the business, which is why the room works as well as it does. “The house that smoke built” is how Pecan Lodge describes itself. The description is accurate.
Pecan Lodge is open Monday 11am to 3pm, Tuesday through Thursday 11am to 8pm, Friday 11am to 9pm, Saturday 11am to 10pm, and Sunday 11am to 9pm. The express lane — available when ordering five pounds of meat or more — is the way to skip the main line on busy days. Nationwide shipping is available through Goldbelly. Phone is (214) 748-8900. The full menu and catering information is at pecanlodge.com.
The grandfather’s ranch in Abilene gave Justin Fourton the name and the education. Deep Ellum gave him the audience. The eighteen-hour brisket is what kept them coming back.
