Pecan Lodge

Probably the best-known barbecue restaurant in Dallas, Pecan Lodge started as a Dallas Farmers Market stall before finding a permanent home in Deep Ellum. Now the stall is a memory, and it feels like Pecan Lodge has been here forever; like there has always been a line snaking out the door and around the corner, back to where the smokers warm the restaurant’s side wall. The best meats here include fatty, fork-tender brisket and crisp burnt ends. Jalapeño-cheddar sausage, by contrast, is a tray-soaking grease bomb.

Top pick: Grab the Hot Mess, an enormous baked sweet potato topped with a tangle of barbacoa, a hidden layer of cheese and green onions. Using sweet, rather than regular, potatoes is an inspired move. Make sure to grab some jalapeño slices to finish the picture.