The smell of smoking meat greets you as you walk in the door of Hurtado Barbecue in Mansfield.
But this isn’t just any barbecue, this is Mexicue, owner Brandon Hurtado’s unique blend of Tex-Mex and barbecue, sort of barbecue with a zing.
“A lot of our items have a spicy Tex-Mex flair,” said Gary Giddings, general manager.
And Texans can’t get enough of Hurtado Barbecue, named one of the Top 50 barbecues in the state by Texas Monthly and one of the top 50 in the nation by Southern Living magazine. That’s high praise coming from a state that prides itself in its beef and barbecue.
Hurtado started in Arlington, drawing lines of people waiting for their chance to order, then expanded to Fort Worth, two booths at the World Champion Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field, and last month, Mansfield.
Opening day on March 4 drew a line at the Mansfield location, but management has beefed up the staff and added another smoker to handle the crowd, serving people even faster.
“It’s an experience you have to partake in,” Giddings said. “I made it important to tell my employees that customer service is the top priority. If there’s an issue, we are going to make it right.”
So far, there have only been rave reviews for the food.
“The brisket is a no-brainer,” Giddings said. “Our chicken is phenomenal with a mesquite-smoked jalapeño glaze that has a really nice medium heat. The birria tacos are as good a taco as you will find. We dip a corn tortilla in chili sauces and fry it on a flat top. When it bubbles up, we fill it with mozzarella, brisket, chopped cilantro, onion and house-made salsa verde.”
Then there’s the pork ribs, pulled pork, pork belly burnt ends that taste like “meat candy,” and on weekends, prime beef ribs.
But it’s not just the meat that is drawing the crowds. The side dishes are also stars at Hurtado Barbecue.
The Texas Twinkie features a jalapeño stuffed with house-made pimento cheese and tons of brisket, wrapped in bacon, dusted with house pork rub and glazed with a rib glaze. The Hatch Mac & Cheese has roasted poblano peppers made into a cream sauce that adds just a hint of spice that isn’t overpowering, Giddings said. The elote, Mexican street corn, is another top seller.
“Everything we do is made in-house and with fresh ingredients sourced from the best vendors,” he said.
The restaurant also serves domestic and craft beers, including three local craft beers on tap.
Hurtado Barbecue in Mansfield doesn’t just bring a respected name, it’s situated in a building that Mansfield came to love for its barbecue. In April 2013, Jordy Jordan along with Giddings opened Big D Barbecue in the same spot, 226 N. Walnut Creek Drive in Mansfield. Like many other restaurants, Big D was hard hit by the pandemic, Gidding said.
“COVID was terrible,” he said. “We never recovered after COVID. Business never rebounded. We weren’t able to pay people or find people to work.”
Jordan went on to open the Penn to Paper restaurant in Midlothian, and the Mansfield location was sold to Hurtado in November 2023.
“(Hurtado) felt like it was a great opportunity to serve his type of barbecue,” Giddings said. “A lot of communities feed into Mansfield.”
Hurtado may have been surprised at how many different communities would embrace the Mansfield restaurant, said Creighton Barnhill, area general manager.
“We underestimated how many in South Arlington would come,” Barnhill said. “The line in Arlington is so long.”
Customers are also coming from Burleson, Midlothian, Waxahachie, Cedar Hill and Duncanville, Giddings said.
The barbecue restaurant has been remodeled but there are still some remnants of Big D, Giddings said. The bench made from the tailgate of a Ford pickup sits just inside the front door and Old Hickory, the massive pit behind the counter, are the same ones that were there. The tables were refinished and a new wooden bar and wood booths were added, along with photos of “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan, one of Hurtado’s friends.
Hurtado Barbecue in Mansfield is open 11 am-9pm daily. For more information, go to hurtadobbq.com.
