American Muslims are giving Texas barbecue a halal makeover

NPR - National Pravda Radio ^ | September 6, 2026 | NPR Staff

[Diana in Wisconsin]

FORT WORTH, Texas (RNS) — At 9 a.m. on a scorching summer Saturday, nearly 100 people were already lined up outside Goldee's BBQ, a small, wooden-shack restaurant.

First in line was 30-year-old Thanh Huynh, who had been sitting in a lawn chair on the joint's rustic porch since 6:30 a.m.

"I have, like, a whole list, and I'm going to spend lots of money here. It'll be worth it," he said, laughing while rattling off a long order of meats and sides from his phone's Notes app as a sweet, smoky scent from nearby pits hung in the air.

Opened in 2020 by a group of his friends, the restaurant was named the No. 1 barbecue spot in the state by Texas Monthly a year later, and then won a Bib Gourmand award from the prestigious Michelin Guide, given for "great food at a great value."

The restaurant serves classic Texas barbecue like craft pork belly, sausage and ribs. But it also offers halal brisket, turkey and lamb — meat raised and butchered in accordance with Islamic guidelines.

At a time when Republican leaders are increasingly targeting the state's growing Muslim communities, barbecue joints like Goldee's that offer halal options are thriving in Texas. Across the state, Muslim pitmasters are gaining recognition for putting their own spin on one of Texas' most iconic culinary traditions.

At least a dozen barbecue spots now serve halal meats, including Yearby's Barbecue & Waterice, run by Black Muslim couple CJ and Sabrina Henley, soon-to-be in Plano, and Levant Mediterranean BBQ, a restaurant with locations in Houston and Frisco and whose all-beef menu includes a brisket shawarma sandwich.

"Now there are so many options, and for us to have highly rated barbecue, it's a blessing," said Haris Ghaffar, who drove an hour from Celina and stood in 90-degree weather for nearly two hours with a friend for the halal options at Goldee's.

Growing up in the 1990s, Ghaffar said a McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich was one of the few halal meals he could eat while dining out. Back then, halal food was seen as serving a small community. Today, it's a multibillion-dollar industry that's part of the American culinary mainstream, said food writer Farhan Mustafa, who wrote about the rise of American halal barbecue for Bon Appétit magazine in 2025.

"Halal food is American food," said Mustafa. "It belongs on your plate. It belongs in the casual chat. It belongs in hip-hop tracks. It's the most American thing there is."

Mustafa said Muslims are part of a growing list of communities putting their stamp on Texas barbecue. "Whether they're first, second or third-generation Muslims or Muslim Americans or just Americans, they're bringing what they know and what excites them," he said.

Texas barbecue is typically defined by salt-and-pepper brisket and pork ribs, but this new crop of halal pitmasters is adding inventive twists, often based on their own family heritages.

Zain Shafi, a pitmaster and co-owner of Goldee's, previously ran Sabar Barbecue, a food truck that offered Pakistani-infused halal dishes, such as brisket with rub that included spices like bay leaf and coriander. He brought tandoori smoked turkey to Goldee's menu. And sourcing halal cuts, he said, was a natural choice because they are "the highest quality" meats.

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TOPICS: Conspiracy; Food; History
KEYWORDS: bbq; halal; muslims; texas

[Leaning Right]

You might (sadly) be on to something. We’ve seen many reliably Republican states drift into the contested column, then later become Democrat. California is a good example of that.

The GOP needs a solid, long-term plan to combat this. But if they have such a plan, I don’t know about it.

🙁

[Political Junkie Too]

At a time when Republican leaders are increasingly targeting the state's growing Muslim communities

They're not targeting "Muslim communities," they're targeting growing Muslim isolationism.

-PJ

[Dartoid]

Who are you trying to fool. You never had high school boyfriends. More like girlfriends

[Organic Panic]

Abbot was in Frisco and declared it an Indian colony. Reagan gave turds amnesty. Dubya imported turds by the millions. America is f’d. Obama won and the future of the USA is just another turd world s hole.

Prepare accordingly.

[stanne]

Meow. Married to special forces combat vet actually.

Take it elsewhere

[doc maverick]

“We need to remove all muslims from America as soon as possible.”
I agree and all the Chinese operatives with them.
They’re everywhere and firmly entrenched.
I think it’s strange that all of the sudden people are getting infected with Cyclospora in great numbers. We’ve been getting lettuce, etc with Mexican shit on it for decades.

[LouAvul]

That’s never going to happen. After having been here for 10 years or more, 85% of those somalians in MN are still on welfare. jorge busho and company, along with our Repugnant Congress, have royally screwed us.

[sit-rep]

How many white girls were in the promotion video/pictures?

[Liz]

Salt-and-pepper brisket uses a classic 50/50 mix of coarse kosher salt and coarse black pepper to create a rich, savory crust during a low-and-slow smoke.

Coarse Black Kosher Salt Enhances the natural beef flavor without dissolving too fast. Pepper Provides a spicy, aromatic crust. Many pit-masters use a 16-mesh grind. Others use a 2-to-1 or 16-mesh heavy pepper blend to build a darker crust.

METHOD: Clean off hard fat, round sharp corners, and remove excess silver skin. Shake coarse salt and pepper evenly over the entire surface from about two feet above. Cook 225-250°F using post oak (or preferred wood) until internal temp hits around 165-175°F. Wrap in butcher paper or foil, then continue cooking until the internal temp reaches about 190-203°F; meat is tender.

Rest wrapped brisket an hour, then slice against the grain.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

You really want something cooked by someone who wipes their butt with the left hand and no toilet paper?

[CatOwner]

The surrender of Texas continues.

[TigersEye]

They designed a BBQ pit that looks like two towers?

[Repeal The 17th]

Bovine no porcine.

[redinIllinois]

.

[Terry L Smith]

No, it ain’t.
I would visit Katz NY Deli before I poison myself with their fare.

[sten]

Crop dusters spraying bacon fat is in order

[Adder]

Halal food is American food,..

Why, no...no it’s not.

[PGalt]

“Now there are so many options...it’s a blessing.”

[MayflowerMadam]

My sister hit a deer when I was riding with her last year. We hoped that one of the passers-by took it for food.

Dad hunted, so I grew up eating venison and squirrel. In Alaska for 20 years, it was moose and reindeer and some other stuff that I really didn’t know what it was. 😵‍💫 A man in our church here in TN makes excellent bear stew. But DH is a California boy, and he’ll have nothing to do with eating game.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“But DH is a California boy, and he’ll have nothing to do with eating game.”

A California boy who’s never been HUNGRY enough, LOL!