By now, every barbecue lover in Texas has heard of Heim Barbecue, the Fort Worth juggernaut of smoked meat goodness.

In short order, pitmaster Travis Heim and wife Emma Heim moved from hosting backyard cookouts (and apprenticing for Aaron Franklin in Austin) to launching in 2015 what would become the most popular barbecue trailer ever seen around Cowtown. The perpetually long lines on weekends showed promise, and the couple (sweethearts since junior high) opened their first brick-and-mortar on Fort Worth’s booming restaurant row, Magnolia Avenue, in 2016.

By that time, Travis’ bacon burnt ends — those sumptuous pork belly chunks bearing brown sugar and black pepper flavors — were selling like hotcakes, and Heim Barbecue was soon in the big leagues. Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn named Heim to the magazine’s top 50 joints in the state in 2017, and recently shared insight about those pork jewels.

“I recently went to Kreuz [Market, in Lockhart] to do a story about their introduction of sauce and forks but saw they were now doing bacon burnt ends, and that was the story,” Vaughn said. “Now you don’t see a new place without bacon burnt ends, and that’s because of Heim.”

This spring, the Heims opened a second Fort Worth location, a sprawling restaurant and bar that’s too big and too pretty to be called a joint. At a community table one evening last month, a group of friends shared platters of brisket, pulled pork, peppery sausage and ribs, along with assorted sides and specialty cocktails like spiked frozen lemonade and shots of chilled Texas whiskey on tap.

A few bites into supper, one woman declared, “This is good barbecue, but I’m coming back for the sides and desserts!” Indeed, as much attention as the Heims give the meats coming from the smokers, Emma — who’s always been in charge of the non-meat goods, with ample help from Travis’ mom, Robin Heim — makes sure that everything surrounding the meat is just as remarkable as those bacon burnt ends.

Coarsely chopped collard greens with hints of smoked bacon, green chile-fueled mac ’n’ cheese, simple red cabbage slaw, creamy baked potato salad and brisket-rich pinto beans earn as much attention as the barbecue. Starters of note include Travis’ smoked chicken wings, which he dusts in barbecue rub spices as soon as they come off the smoker. Sweet finishes demand you not fill up on ’cue and sides, because Robin’s summer-fresh blueberry cobbler and strawberry-cream cheese hand pies are stuff to write home about.

The Heims don’t rest on their laurels, realizing lots of new, youthful barbecue startups are becoming the norm in Fort Worth.

While the Heims decline to share the exact recipes used at the restaurant — “they’re family secrets,” Travis and Emma say — they provide recipes they say are so close that they’ll fool you.

And as for those smoked chicken wings? Travis gives enough direction to get anyone handy with a Big Green Egg or another smoker to the finish line with ease. Serve these up at your backyard cookout to go with your favorite brisket, ribs and smokehouse sausage, and see if family and friends try to talk you into opening your own barbecue joint.

June Naylor is a Fort Worth freelance writer.