El Tejas Twist — Restaurant in Heartland

If y’all are looking for some real Texas style bbq, I promise El Tejas Twist is where you want to be.

I had no idea this place existed until I hopped on tiktok and saw a video of their glorious food. I knew I had to have it and I quickly made my way over.

As soon as I pulled up and saw the place, I Instantly knew I was where I needed to be. From the massive exposed smokers to the awesome family friendly outdoor area, I could tell this was gonna be good.

I walked in and placed my order with a very sweet lady at the front counter. I had to get the Tejas Trinity (ribs, brisket, sausage). This is the same thing I typically order when trying any new bbq spot. It came with a side, so I ordered some charro beans and I also added a Texas Twinkie (jalapeño stuffed with brisket and seasoned cream cheese, wrapped in bacon). I also noticed that they sold tamales, so I had to order a half dozen of the birria and a half dozen pulled pork to take home.

After a short wait, they called my name. I quickly made my way to the front and grabbed my food. It was a magnificent sight indeed.

The first thing I tried was the brisket. I asked for the fatty/moist cut. When I tell y’all this was some of the best brisket I’ve ever had, just know that I’m not lying. I would honestly put this up there with some of the greats (Franklin’s, Cooper’s, Black’s). The bark itself was full of flavor and it was extremely tender and juicy.

I then tried the ribs. These things had the perfect bite to them!!! Whatever seasoning they used was incredible. I’d easily put these ribs against any others in the business.

I chose the jalapeño sausage and to my surprise, it wasn’t even remotely spicy, which is a huge plus for me and my family. We’re some wimps when it comes to spicy food. Either way, the sausage was perfect.

That Texas Twinkie was calling my name. My favorite spot for Texas Twinkies has always been Hutchins BBQ. Ifykyk, so needless to say, I was very shocked when these instantly took over the number 1 spot. I think the difference was in the cream cheese. I feel like Tejas Twist has something extra mixed in there.

Last but definitely not least was the charro beans. I’ve traveled all over the US and Mexico and had charro beans from many different restaurants. These beans in particular are now in my top 3 for sure. They were packed with flavor and cooked to perfection.

I got home about 2 hours later and told my wife and kids I got some tamales. We all tried them together and were taken back at how amazing they were. In our opinion, these are how tamales should be made. The ratio was absolutely spot on. The birria tamales dipped in the consommé was a match made in heaven and the pulled pork with the verde sauce was right there with them. Easily some of the best tamales I’ve ever had.

I can’t recommend this place enough!!! Now that I know how good their food is, I would easily travel hours for it. My only regret was not ordering some of their amazing desserts. I won’t make that...

I've gone here 4 times now, each time delaying review just in case my first experience was a fluke, but I must now conclude it was not.

El Tejas Twist consistently shocks me with the quality of cuisine that comes out of their kitchen, especially considering its somewhat hidden location.

First of all, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND eating in person, as many of these items are crispy (birria tacos) and do not transport well in foam containers given how amazingly moist the birria is, along with cheese and consume so delicious you can drink it... A medium high Comal or lightly oiled Skillet carefully watched and flipped will give you the crispy exterior you'll get in-resturaunt. With that said...

Birria Tacos: 9.5/10!

By far the best Quesabirria I've ever had, in restaurant it's crisp on the outside but regardless the flavors are to die for and it's filling as heck! Comes with a tiny side of cilantro, Onions and a glorious little cup of that red gold (consume WITH BIRRIA AT THE BOTTOM).

Chari Taco: 9.5/10!

A sizeable flour tortilla folded in half, delicious beans, Pico de Gallo, white Mexican crumble cheese (idk, not fresco though) and a huge slice of succulent brisket with a nice fat layer and incredible tasting and crisp crust. I order this EVERY time.

Texas Twinkie: 9.5/10! A fat jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese and a yellow one, flavorful and meaty brisket tightly packed in and wrapped in thick bacon peppered and seemingly smoked. The execution of this item is honestly incredible plain and simple.

Mac and Cheese:8.7/10! Twisty pasta with yummy light yellow cheese sauce a bit on the thinner side, simple but REALLY GOOD!

Molly Taco: 7.2/10 This one I got out of plain curiosity. Sizeable flour tortilla, essentially a Tamale of your choice slapped in a flour tortilla with a nice cheese blend and sauced with your choice of salsa. I got the birria tamale with habanero salsa. The execution is great, and the flavors surprisingly go well together. Given the nature of this yummy creation it's a pretty soft bite but good nonetheless!

Birria Quesadilla: 6.3/10 MASSIVE AND THICK Quesadilla on 2 sizeable flour tortillas served Quesabirria style with the exact same sides. Too much cheese and I didn't care for soaked flour all too much

Twisted Brisket Nachos: 5.5/10 Good loaded nachos with great brisket on top. Sadly the cheese clashed with the brisket in my humble opinion but its all good quality.

All in all, this is some of the best food I've had in my life, they consistently produce high quality original dishes , and therefore I must kindly ask you all to stay away to prevent them from getting nationally...

Lunch at El Tejas Twist in Forney, Texas yesterday.

I eat at BBQ restaurants and food trucks frequently, this restaurant is a couple miles from my house and I rarely eat at it. They have a wide range of items on their menu mixing BBQ with tex mex.

El Tejas Twist is conveniently located less than a mile from Interstate 20 on Helms Trail on the less populated side of Forney in an industrial/ residential mixed area. The parking lot is newer concrete with a dozen plus parking spaces. There is ample outdoor space with all season turf, corner pavilion for entertainment, plenty of tables and a cool view of their smoke shack with large offset smokers. Inside there are two dining areas with plenty of tables so eating in is always an option. Ordering is simple at a counter wifh printed menus or an overhead digital menu.

For this visit I wanted BBQ- brisket, ribs and a couple sides.

Brisket- I ordered half lean and half moist with a piece of burnt end. Both had great bark, smoke ring and well rendered fat cap. I tried a couple pieces with their original and spicy sauce but it was not needed.

Ribs- I asked for "center of the rack" this is usually where the meat with the higher amount of juices and less dry/ charred meat can be found. The first rib was perfect, the fat was rendered, the meat pulled easily from the bone but did not fall apart. The second was rendered less so the meat around the bone was great but the end was too tough to separate the meat from the ligaments. I saved a few ribs to take home and reheat later so the end meat would be rendered more and pull apart fully.

Mac and cheese- simple with thin and creamy flavorful cheese. This could sit for thirty minutes and only get better.

Charro beans- Great mexican style beans that would be a favorite at a tex mex restaurant. I added moist brisket to it and made it even better.

In the past I have usually ordered queso, tacos, birria and tamales from El Tejas Twist but I will return more frequently for the BBQ in the future as it is equally great. #texasbbq #forneytx #bbq #smokedbrisket #texasbrisket #porkribs #smokedporkribs #macandcheese...