Dayne's Craft Barbecue — Restaurant in Aledo

Behold, fellow carnivores and smoke-chasers: the meaty pilgrimage has officially begun. I kicked off my Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Tour with a belly brimming with anticipation, a fresh stamp-ready passport in one hand, and a custom t-shirt on my chest that screamed “50 Reasons I’m Not a Vegetarian.” Reason #1 now proudly smeared in brisket juice.

Destination One: Dayne’s Craft Barbecue.

From the moment I stepped up to the weathered wood facade of this sacred meat chapel, I could smell the holy trinity of Texas BBQ salvation: brisket, ribs, and sausage. No frills. No fluff. Just smoke signals to your soul.

Inside, rustic charm meets BBQ grit. There’s a giant metal cow logo looming like the guardian of the goods. A saloon slinging beers and brisket-fueled cocktails. And a mounted beast on the wall rockin’ a patriotic top hat like he’s Uncle Sam’s meat-loving cousin. This place didn’t whisper BBQ vibes, it hollered ’em through a megaphone made from mesquite.

Simone, my BBQ spirit guide for the day, greeted me with a smile and a stamp. I ordered like I was drafting the All-Smoke Hall of Fame. I sat down, passport stamped, t-shirt inked, stomach growling like a smoker at dawn. Then they delivered the tray. Folks, this wasn’t lunch. This was an altar of barbecue devotion. I sampled everything: pure research, of course, before boxing up the rest to bring home and eat lunch with my wife, the Side Dish Sage of our household.

The verdict?

The brisket was a smoked miracle, tender enough to make a grown man weep into his red butcher paper. The sausage had that jalapeño pop and creamy Havarti melt that made me nod like I’d just heard Willie Nelson sing. Ribs? Fall-off-the-bone like they were late for church. The turkey had a peppery bark and smoky depth that’d win over any dark meat loyalist.

Sides? Oh yes. The loaded red potato salad was creamy with a crispy kick. The flamin’ hot street corn was truly flamin’, like Fourth-of-July-fireworks-in-your-mouth hot. The crisp apple slaw was a crunchy, tart palate cleanser. The broccoli grape salad was sweet, nutty, and fancy enough to wear boots and a bow tie.

And dessert? You know I didn’t leave that rodeo unwrangled. My wife called dibs on the banana pudding faster than I could say, ‘Wait, that was for sharing!’ I didn’t argue. As for the Funky Monkey, I don’t know who named it, but I’d give that monkey a medal.

This meal had no weak link. Not even close.

Before I left, I snuck a peek through the window where the magic happens. The staff put in a call and introduced me to Alex, the pitmaster himself, in his smoky domain. With pride, he gave me a behind-the-scenes tour of the pit room, a wonderland of iron, fire, and flavor. Those pits? They’re not machines. They’re instruments, and Alex is playing symphonies in smoke.

TL;DR: Brisket tender enough to make a grown man cry. Sausage that kicks like a jalapeño roundhouse. Sides that could run for office. Dayne’s isn’t a BBQ stop, it’s a BBQ destination. And with my t-shirt now stamped and stained, I’m one bite closer to smoked meat immortality.

BBQ Passport Stamp #1: Complete. 49 more to go. Pray...

The first thing I did today after I landed in Dallas from Phoenix was head here and it was absolutely amazing! The food, the staff, the ambience… everything and the experience was 10/10. I ordered way too much food but I had to try it all, especially the sausage. I learned about this place from a Meat Church YouTube video when I was looking up how to make my own sausages. I made and smoked the Jalapeño Cheddar Sausage Dayne created in the Meat Church video and it was one of the best sausages I’ve ever made. I knew his restaurant was one of the first places I had to go to and it was worth every penny I spent to fly down from Phoenix.

Anyway, let’s talk about the food! The pork spareribs were absolutely delicious and the biggest surprise for me. The seasonings, the bark and the glaze is some of the best I’ve ever had. I just ate the ribs as is and my gosh it was so good! I didn’t have to add any bbq sauces. It was another level of delicious.

The brisket! I had a piece of lean and fatty brisket and it was easily one of the best briskets I’ve ever eaten. I wish I made a video of myself eating the brisket because that brisket made me say, “Oh my god this is so freakin good.” The fatty brisket melts in your mouth and the lean brisket’s tenderness was so delightful to eat. The seasonings and bark on the brisket were perfect. I shredded half the lean and put it on one of the pieces of bread to make a delicious sandwich. I would come here alone for just the brisket!

The jalapeño havarti sausage was the one I was looking forward to the most. When I make sausages, there’s this texture you know when you finally cooked it perfectly and didn’t mess something up like overcooking it. Well, their jalapeño havarti sausage I had was cooked perfectly and tasted SO GOOD! The cheese, the jalapeño, the flavor and the smokiness were flawless. This was easily the best sausage I’ve ever had and I wish I could’ve tried some of the other ones there too.

The beef short ribs were available and I knew I had to get it. The short ribs were everything I expected and better. It was so tender, juicy, and flavorful. The meat came right off the bone and like everything else, it was seasoned and cooked perfectly! I really loved taking a bite out of the bark and meat because it was just heavenly to eat.

My two sides, the mac n cheese and loaded red potato salad were both incredible. That panko topping on the already tasty mac n cheese was a perfect addition. I’m not sure what else was in the red potato salad but sheesh that was so good.

The lady at the cash register, I think her name is Freya was very kind. I bought a shirt before leaving and she told me they could do a pit tour but the person there was not there today. Maybe the next time I’m back from out of town, I can come for a pit tour. My visit was well worth it and the food is by far, some of the best BBQ I’ve ever eaten. 10/10 experience and I hope to come back to try more of the menu. Their pitmasters do an...

We came 2 weeks after the 2025 top 50 TX BBQ list dropped and hearing about #7 Daynes from Meat Church. We had a lovely time. Parking was plentiful on site and free, we did not have to walk far or park off-site. Line was inside the building when we arrived at 1110 so we didn't need our lawn chairs or sunscreen like some places. The line took about 25 minutes from when we queued. We did the "Fort Worth the wait" with some added desserts and an OG burger. Seating was limited but it was a pretty quick turnover and we didn't wait for seating.

Food: the brisket was superb. We opted for a mix of lean and fatty which didn't disappoint. Sausage: the favorite was the havarti jalapeno sausage, the jalapenos actually had some oomph to them. The beefy sausage was quite good too. Turkey was super moist and a really lovely crust/bark, we even got an end piece which was a meat cherry on top. Ribs and pulled pork were excellent but not the stars of the show for our group.

Sides: the unanimous favorite was the Frito pie beans. What a great idea. Sour cream and jalapenos and Fritos made the beans pop! Potato salad was more than usual, there were some surprise flavors that absolutely fit and greatly contributed. Mac N cheese was just the right consistency, the highlight for us was the garlic sprinkled into the toasted bread crumbs. Hot Cheetos street corn was an excellent visual and tasty, but not the group favorite with so many excellent contenders. Bread: nothing to write home about, consider it a vessel for the other delicious components on the tray.

The OG burger absolutely slaps. The brisket trimmings make all the difference. This burger for $10 is one of the best burgers I have ever had. The sauces were good, not great. Good news, they are not needed. Desserts were yummy the bourbon vanilla pudding and chocolate lasagna both had layers of cookie at the bottom that elevated the dessert in a great way.

Drinks: beers were cold, I had a Paloma which was well made and could have had 5 more gladly.

Service was excellent. Prices were reasonable in this day and age for the quality.

We absolutely recommend making a trip out and...