DINING OUT: A taste of Texas in the heart of Brooklyn

Chris Morgan grew up in Texas eating barbecue all of the time, even on Christmas. So when the opportunity arose for him to build a restaurant—with his own bare hands, no less—on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and St. Marks Place, he jumped.

Open since mid-September, Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue serves up real, down-home barbecued meats, with Cajun and Mexican influences. As the waitresses’ shirts say, “It ain’t right if it ain’t smoked all night.”

Working with co-owner Joel Bolden, who hails from Bed-Stuy, Morgan’s has a real barbecue pit using a mixture of white and red oak. The pitmaster is John Avila, who hails from Austin, Texas and used to work at Franklin’s, one of the best eateries in the Lone Star state.

Morgan’s is a “gentleman’s pub” that welcomes families with young children alongside friends out for some great food. The menu features small and large portions of smoky, tender deliciousness.

Try the quarter pound Hot Fatty Brisket ($22 per pound, also available in ¼, ½, and ¾ pound portions; and $20 for a lean pound). Using dry rub from a Morgan family recipe, the silky, smoky meat melted in the mouth. We seriously could not get enough of this awesome dish.

Boudin ($7) is the Cajun twist on sausage, filled with dirty rice, Cajun sausage, green scallion and pork shoulder. The Southeast Texas treat was slightly spicy and tangy. Hats off to the chef!

The Smoked Queso ($7; $5 more to add pulled pork or brisket) was a gooey, indulgent mess of melted cheese, spices and pulled pork. Served with crispy corn chips, it goes well with just about every item on the menu and tastes just as great reheated.

We totally loved the Frito Pie ($6), a fun dish that comes served in a bag of Fritos. The pile of corn chips is smothered with smoky Texas red chili, sour cream, melted cheddar cheese, white onion and scallions. It was crunchy, savory, slightly salty and can be eaten in just a few bites.

Don’t leave without tasting the Turkey Tails ($12), which are balls of fatty meat served over collard greens and cornbread. The juicy morsels are first smoked for an hour and then braised and fried in butter. They paired perfectly with the tender greens, sautéed in turkey juice, and the moist, slightly sweet cornbread.

The Pork Ribs ($12 per pound, available in ¼, ½ and ¾ pound portions) were dressed with a dry rub that has been in the Morgan family for 40 years. The ribs speak for themselves: sinfully smoky and tender.

Morgan’s Barbecue has a brunch and late night menu and will soon roll out a special menu for the holidays. Stay tuned for delivery.

Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue

267 Flatbush Avenue

718-622-2224

Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.