Another great BBQ joint in the Dallas area is Meshack's Bar-B-Que Shack in Garland, some of the best brisket you'll find north of Snow's BBQ in Lexington, Texas. Meshack's opened in May 2009 in a small building east of old downtown Garland. It was discovered by Daniel Vaughn, the BBQ Snob, later in August and the rest is history.

Daniel blogged about Meshack's on his Full Custom Gospel BBQ blog, assigning it his first 4-star ranking in the Dallas area, outside of a few in Ft. Worth. He recently ranked DFW BBQ joints for D Magazine, in his story titled "The Best Barbecue in Dallas (That’s Not Really in Dallas)."

Daniel named Meshack's no. 5 on his list of 16 top BBQ restaurants, an amazing accomplishment for a place that's been open for less than a year. It's a true testament to the pitmaster skills of Travis Mayes, who runs the place along with his wife Donna. They are two of the most wonderful folks you'll ever meet. Good luck to Travis & Donna as they serve up some of the best smoked meats in Texas.

Meshack's Bar-B-Que Shack, 240 E. Ave. B, Garland, Texas. Open Tuesday 10:30 am-5 pm, Wednesday-Saturday 10:30am-7pm.

(Photos by Irwin Thompson)