Catfish News

Family restaurant brings the catfish and Cajun to Seagoville

Good looking gumbo from Doe Belly's

Doe Belly's

A family-owned restaurant specializing in fried catfish has opened in Seagoville: Called Doe Belly’s, it's at 103 N. Kaufman St., in a former Goin' Postal shop where it opened on January 22.

This is a second location for Doe Belly's: Owners Patrick McCrea and his wife, Monica, opened the first in Forney in 2009. Prior to opening the restaurant, Patrick was in architecture and cooking meals for friends; Monica encouraged him to open a restaurant of their own.

They call themselves Southern and Creole with a menu that includes jambalaya, etouffee, fried catfish, and shrimp. At the new Seagoville location, they've added new dishes including smoked pork chops, smoked turkey legs, and grilled meats, and have also added beer and wine.

“We’re trying to get a little away from seafood and going more toward a comfort-food type space,” McCrea says.

Catfish is the signature as well as po'boy sandwiches, served on toasted buns, with a choice of shrimp, catfish, chicken, or sausage link. Sides include green beans, collard greens, potato salad, dirty rice, and black eyed peas.

Catfish & fries with two pieces of catfish is about $12. Nothing is over $25, and they offer weekday specials Wednesday-Friday.

According to McCrea, the City of Seagoville reached out to him about opening a location there, and it’s been in discussion for four years.

“We ventured out before to Kaufman, but it didn’t work out because COVID started and our lease was ending,” McCrea says. “So we decided we wouldn’t renew the lease knowing how COVID was going to affect everybody.”

There are also plans in the works to relocate the Forney restaurant — now in a former Sonic — to a new space.

"We'll have a bigger location coming this summer when we move the Forney location to a bigger space with a full bar," McCrea says. "We're working on that now, but I've got to go to city council to get the approval on that building."

openings

BBQ news

11 Dallas-Fort Worth BBQ joints showcased in Texas author's new tome

Photo by Brianna Caleri

This hefty book highlights the behind the historical connections that make Texas Barbecue so interconnected.

Most Texans know our barbecue traditions are more complicated than a bit of salt, pepper, and smoke, but how much else is there to say? For Austin-based food and travel writer Veronica Meewes, the answer is: a lot.

Her new 512-page book, Texas BBQ: The Art of Low and Slow, covers the subject in great detail, from long restaurant and pitmaster profiles to shorter blurbs that weave the complicated web of who's who in Texas 'cue. Gorgeous photographs round out this feast of a coffee table book.

Eleven Dallas-Fort Worth barbecue restaurants get featured in the book, including Cattleack Barbeque, Zavala’s Barbecue, Goldee’s Barbecue, Smoke-a-Holics BBQ, Heim Barbecue, and more.

This book stands out not just for its beauty — including embossed lettering and a cloth wrap that looks and feels like a high-quality denim apron — but for the depth at which it chronicles each establishment.

Texas BBQ: The Art of Low and Slow table of contents Big photos make Texas BBQ fun to flip through.Image courtesy of HarperCollins

Some of the most notable entries, such as Goldee's Barbecue in Fort Worth, Truth BBQ in Brenham and Houston, and Aaron Franklin in Austin, get six to 10-page spreads. Each is written in a way that the reader would understand if they simply flipped to their favorite restaurant, but during long reading sessions, bigger narratives start to unfold.

The author recounts the story of Fort Worth's highly acclaimed Goldee's, from its founders' childhoods and early work experiences to its beginnings just before the pandemic, to its Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction in 2024. There are even a few recipes, equipment, and cooking secrets revealed.

In between comprehensive restaurant histories, the author offers snippets of more general knowledge: a barbecue glossary, a breakdown of different types of wood and knives, and a profile of two popular barbecue education courses.

Since the book is organized by region — North, East, Central, South, and West Texas — it's both a great semi-personalized book for Texans who love their hometowns and a useful travel guide.

The title of this book could be a tongue-in-cheek reference to how it's written, with a clear passion for getting to the bottom of things, finding the flavor, and trimming very little fat.

Author Veronica Meewes at la Barbecue.Photo by Alex Gray

Texas BBQ is published by HarperCollins, with an original release date of November 11. It is available via the publisher for $50, or as an ebook for $34.99, as well as from other stores across Texas and major online retailers. (As of publish time, it's on sale on Amazon for $30.04.) This is Meewe's fifth book.

Here's the complete list of the Texas barbecue joints featured in the book:

North Texas

Goldee’s Barbecue - Fort Worth
Panther City BBQ - Fort Worth
Cattleack Barbeque - Dallas
Zavala’s Barbecue - Grand Prairie
Smoke-a-Holics BBQ - Fort Worth
Heim Barbecue - Fort Worth & Dallas
Sabar BBQ - Fort Worth
Dayne’s Craft Barbecue - Aledo
Hutchins Barbeque - MicKinney & Frisco
Lockhart Smokehouse - Dallas
Smoke’n Ash BBQ - Arlington

East Texas

Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue- Tyler
1701 Barbecue- Beaumont
Blood Bros BBQ- Houston
Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue- Tomball
Bar-A BBQ- Montgomery
Bodacious Bar-B-Q- Longview
Sunbird Barbecue- Longview
Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue- Crockett
Martin’s Place- Bryan
Khoi Barbecue- Houston
Harlem Road Texas BBQ- Richmond
Gatlin’s BBQ- Houston
Pizzitola’s Bar-B-Cue- Houston
Feges BBQ- Houston
Killen’s Barbecue- Pearland, Cypress, Shenandoah
Redbird BBQ- Port Lavaca
Patillo’s Barbeque- Beaumont
Brett’s BBQ Shop- Katy
Roegels BBQ Co.- Houston
CorkScrew BBQ- Spring

Central Texas

Franklin Barbecue- Austin
Louie Mueller Barbecue- Taylor
la Barbecue- Austin
LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue- Austin
Micklethwait Craft Meats- Austin
InterStellar BBQ- Austin
Kreuz Market- Lockhart
Snow’s BBQ- Lexington
Eaker Barbeque- Fredericksburg
Rossler’s Blue Cord BBQ- Harker Heights
Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que- Llano (and other locations)
Miller’s Smokehouse- Belton
Southside Market & Barbeque- Elgin, Bastrop, Austin & Hutto
The Original Black’s Barbecue- Lockhart, Austin, San Marcos
Terry Black’s Barbecue- Austin, Lockhart, Dallas, Waco
Distant Relatives- Austin
Rollin’ Smoke BBQ- Austin
Mum Foods Smokehouse & Delicatessen- Austin
KG BBQ- Austin
Stiles Switch BBQ and Brew- Austin
Smitty’s Market- Lockhart
City Market- Luling
Black Board Bar B Q- Sisterdale
Victorian’s Barbecue- Mart
Viteks’ BBQ- Waco
Guess Family Barbecue- Waco
Helberg Barbecue- Woodway

South Texas

2M Smokehouse- San Antonio
Burnt Bean Co.- Seguin
Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que- Brownsville
Teddy’s Barbecue- Weslaco
Reese Bros. Barbecue- San Antonio
GW’s BBQ Catering Co.- San Juan
Lavaca BBQ- Port Lavaca
Butter’s BBQ- Sinton

West Texas

Perini Ranch Steakhouse- Buffalo Gap
Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque- Wolfforth (outside Lubbock)
Brantley Creek Barbecue-
Hallelujah! BBQ- El Paso
Desert Oak Barbecue- El Paso
Brick Vault Brewery & Barbecue- Marathon

Profiles:

Daniel Vaughn
M&M BBQ Co.
Chief Firewood
BBQ Confessional
Houston Edgeworks
Camp Brisket (at Texas A&M)
Chud’s BBQ
Mill Scale Metalworks
Jess Pryles/Hardcore Carnivore
Brisket Country
The Sausage Sensei
Matti Bills (Three Six General, Howdy Child)

books barbecue texas history chefs pitmasters goldee's