In many ways, Lil JJ\u2019s Smokehouse falls right in line with other Texas barbecue joints. On a recent Saturday afternoon, the unmistakable booms of meat cutters chopping brisket boomerang through this small restaurant in far north Fort Worth, while the mouthwatering fragrance of smoked meats drifts from kitchen to dining room, tantalizing those standing in line for John and Brandi Berry\u2019s brisket and ribs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
But lean in and you\u2019ll see that this newly opened spot is far from your typical barbecue joint. Everywhere you look \u2014 on the walls, on the menu \u2014 you\u2019ll find tributes to the restaurant\u2019s namesake, Lil JJ. Here\u2019s a photo of him playing football and another of him hanging out with his friends. On the menu, there\u2019s a sandwich named after him. Matter of fact, the restaurant\u2019s logo is a photo of JJ, smiling wide.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lil JJ, you see, is John\u2019s son, John Jr., and this restaurant is a tribute to JJ\u2019s memory. Last year, at the age of 20, JJ passed away from a fentanyl overdose \u2014 another life lost to the relentlessly deadly drug.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is his restaurant,\u201d John says. \u201cEvery part of it, every inch of it. It\u2019s our memorial to him.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Many North Texas barbecue aficionados knew JJ from when he worked at his pop\u2019s previous place, Berry Best BBQ in northeast Tarrant, where he started out sweeping floors and scooping beans into to-go containers. A few years later, he was chopping beef alongside his dad. JJ, in fact, came up with the idea for the restaurant\u2019s most popular sandwich, made with a mountain of chopped brisket and chopped sausage.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Dad, why don\u2019t you mix chopped brisket with chopped sausage? You know it\u2019d be good,\u2019\u201d says Brandi. \u201cTo this day, it\u2019s still our top-selling sandwich.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a heartwarming story, how this family worked so closely together, just a few feet apart from one another, morning, noon and night, always, always busy \u2014 stressful circumstances that could very well tear other families apart. In 2021, for Valentine\u2019s Day, we profiled John and Brandi and told their story of how they fell \u2014 and stayed \u2014 in love.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last year, the North Texas barbecue community watched in disbelief as John shared the news on social media that JJ had died. On March 10, 2024, JJ passed away from a fentanyl overdose, devastating the family in ways unimaginable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLosing a child, there\u2019s nothing like it,\u201d Brandi says. \u201cThere\u2019s no way to describe that feeling, that emptiness. No way at all.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Disillusioned, John says he was initially hesitant to continue the restaurant. \u201cFor a while, I just didn\u2019t know what to do,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The couple had already endured so much \u2014 a finicky economy, a fire that severely damaged a previous location, the craft barbecue trend that stole some of their thunder. But through prayer and the support of friends and family, Brandi and John say, the couple decided to start anew \u2014 new location, new name, new beginning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thus was born Lil JJ\u2019s Smokehouse, which opened earlier this year in blossoming north Fort Worth, where there\u2019s not another family-run barbecue joint for miles.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so much happening in Fort Worth now, so much growth, we knew we wanted to be a part of it,\u201d John says. \u201cFort Worth has been our home for a long time, so it makes sense for us to finally move our business here.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Berrys\u2019 food isn\u2019t a part of the trendy craft-cue craze. Instead, it\u2019s reminiscent of the Fort Worth barbecue of yesterday \u2014 before fatty brisket became all the rage; portions are both sizable and affordable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brisket is served lean, outlined in just enough crust and tiny tufts of fat to give it flavor, personality, and nuance. It\u2019s excellent on its own, served in a sandwich or a plate, but chopped up, it becomes a wondrous thing, every bite the perfect balance of crust, fat, and smoky beef.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The menu also includes other barbecue standards such as pork ribs, chicken, bologna, and turkey, all smoked in indoor rotisserie smokers \u2014 an about-face from the family\u2019s previous outdoor, offset smokers. But John does wonders with rotisseries, imbuing a smoky flavor that\u2019s deep, balanced, and distinctly his own, thanks to his secret seven-blend seasoning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
New items include Boom Boom Candy, which John describes as a bite-size Texas Twinkie, with bacon, pepper jack cheese, and a jalape\u00f1o wrapped around a chunk of brisket. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As was the case at Berry Best, much thought and effort are put into the sides. Collard greens are leafy and perfectly salty. Mac and cheese is appropriately fluffy and outrageously cheesy. Potato salad is gloriously old school.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But as far as sides go, baked beans remain the star attraction. Mixed with assorted smoked meats and brimming with both a sweet and savory flavor, they\u2019re the reason Berry Best attracted the attention of Texas Monthly, the Star-Telegram, and other media outlets near and far, putting the restaurant on Texas\u2019 barbecue map.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t changed the recipe by one ingredient,\u201d says Brandi. \u201cPeople still order it as their main dish.\u201d Now you can order the beans by themselves as a side or with a sausage dunked in them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
For nearly a decade, with JJ often in tow, the Berrys have played an integral role in the North Texas barbecue scene. Their business started, as it often does for barbecue restaurants, in their backyard, where John would cook for friends and family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At their urging, the Oak Cliff native took the leap into the food business in 2016, first with a food truck, then with a tiny, to-go-only spot in Watauga.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJJ was John\u2019s first employee,\u201d Brandi says, laughing. \u201cHe was a good helper.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As their popularity grew, so did their ambition and soon came a second location at North East Mall. But the couple closed both locations when they found their dream spot: a 2,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar in North Richland Hills.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
They spent five years there, surviving the pandemic, the craft-cue craze, an unsteady economy.\u00a0 \u201cThe restaurant business is not for the meek,\u201d John says. \u201cWe went through a lot there, experienced a lot, learned a lot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now well into their next chapter at Lil JJ\u2019s Smokehouse, the couple has employed two other family members: sons Traelon and Trenton.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not far from where Trenton slices up brisket and Traelon helps man the kitchen is a life-size photo of their brother, that big smile on his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI took that picture of JJ while we were standing in the yard, getting ready to go out to eat,\u201d says Brandi. \u201cIt makes me so happy to see him so happy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn and I choose to look at the positives,\u201d Brandi says. \u201cWe have this amazing opportunity to carry on his memory. It\u2019s an honor to be able to do that.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n