Halal barbecue chefs in the U.S. are earning recognition for smoked-meat craftsmanship, with Yearby's Barbecue & Waterice and SabarBBQ named among Texas Monthly's Top 50 Best BBQ Joints. A global Halal BBQ Pitmasters WhatsApp chat connects hundreds of enthusiasts, sharing photos, techniques, and community support. Founders and caterers such as Naser Alzer, Fuad Dadabhoy, Ali Bazzy, and Abe Jebahi have launched halal barbecue ventures across multiple states since 2017. Some mainstream barbecue spots now offer halal meats prepared on separate stations. American halal barbecue traditions trace back to mosque cookouts and intergenerational knowledge transfer within Muslim communities.
"This past May, the Texas Monthly released its list of the Top 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas, a barbecue Bible released every four years. For the first time ever, the list included halal BBQ joints: Yearby's Barbecue & Waterice from CJ and Sabrina Henley, and SabarBBQ from Zain Shafi. Over in the Halal BBQ Pitmasters WhatsApp chat, a celebration erupted with unbridled smokey-eyed joy. Two of ours had just reached sainthood."
"Zahid Ahmed, a Pakistani American physician based in the Dallas Metro Area, started the WhatsApp chat in 2018 along with a few friends, to connect with other Muslims over barbecue. The chat ballooned to a few hundred people across the world within weeks. Like any good barbecue IRL, the chat is mostly meat pics, cooking tips (with a dose of half-brags) and occasional smack talk. Shafi and the Henleys have been chat members for years."
"Halal barbecue isn't a new phenomenon in Texas or beyond. Naser Alzer, a Palestinian American and US Army veteran, launched Alzer's Barbeque in 2017, in Cedar Park, near Austin. Fuad Dadabhoy started Smokey D's DFW catering in 2018. Ali Bazzy and Abe Jebahi launched A.B.'s Amazing Ribs in Dearborn Heights, MI, in 2019 to local and national acclaim."
Read at Bon Appetit
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