The first thing customers see when they walk into Terry Black’s Barbecue in Deep Ellum are five honking smokers, 1,000 gallons each, smoking briskets and beef ribs in the signature Central Texas style. For barbecue geeks, it’s quite a showpiece.
The new restaurant is run by a Texas barbecue family with deep roots. Mark Black is its 31-year-old operator who grew up in Lockhart, Texas, which is widely recognized as the barbecue capital of the state. His dad ran the well-known Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart for years and his mom is related to the family who runs Smitty’s Market in Lockhart. Mark’s great-grandfather Edgar Black started Black’s Barbecue in 1932.
But Mark and his immediate family members broke away from Black’s in Lockhart in 2013, after a family dispute. (If this sounds familiar, it’s a common tale: Family-owned barbecue businesses in Texas tend to have food fights. Today, Black’s barbecue joints are run by Mark’s uncle Kent Black.)
Mark, his twin brother Mike, sister Christina and parents Terry and Patty opened the first Terry Black’s in Austin in 2014. By 2017, Mark and Christina agreed to move to Dallas and open a second barbecue joint. They quickly decided Deep Ellum was the right place.
“I saw a lot of Austin in Deep Ellum,” Mark says. “It was the vibe, the culture and the neighborhood.”
The Deep Ellum restaurant has the same menu as the one in Austin, and they plan to specialize in brisket, beef ribs and sausage, and sides like mac and cheese, potato salad and creamed corn. The restaurant is three times larger than the one in Austin, and it has a handsome two-story beer garden with views of downtown Dallas.
The building formerly housed Dallas Comedy Club until the Blacks purchased the property. Their entry into Dallas was controversial in 2018, depending on who you ask. The family bought two more buildings and two parking lots — and Mark is in the process of buying the building behind the barbecue joint.
“I’m gonna be around for the long term,” Mark says.
Mark’s grandfather Edgar Jr. never ate at the restaurant named for his son, Terry, before he died two years ago. But the Black family hopes their new restaurants honor old traditions.
“I know what a good brisket is,” Mark says. “I’ve been around it my whole life.”
Terry Black’s Barbecue in Deep Ellum is at 3025 Main St., Dallas. The restaurant opened Nov. 21, 2019.
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