Fairfield Chamber of Commerce’s February Business of the Month is now one of the top Destination BBQ Restaurants in the State of Texas, putting Cole’s Bar-B-Q on many barbeque connoisseurs’ bucket list.

Originally opened more than 35 years ago by the late Monte Cole, the store and smokehouse was purchased by current owners, Megan and Ben Cooper, from Irene and Mark Cole on September 6, 2016.

About a year ago, the couple decided to remodel the store, giving it more of a Texas Country Store feel. Upgrades made include brand new, state-of-the-art gas pumps; new flooring; new tables; new paint job with license plates coving the walls; a new canopy outside; and all LED lights throughout the store.

The smokehouse serves approximately 400-500 meals per day with the new Brisket Grilled Cheese as the most popular menu item currently.

Daily specials are offered Monday through Friday, with Tuesday’s Burger Special showing as the local favorite.

While the smokehouse offers ribs, pork, turkey, and sausage, the brisket remains their top selling meat.

“We go through about 1,500 to 1,600 pounds of brisket each week,” says Cooper. “I think we owe the success to the way we trim our briskets to make sure there is a great meat-to-fat ratio and to ensure the smoke is able to penetrate the meat, giving it a great bark with lots of flavor. This one extra little step creates a much better brisket, I think.”

Seasoned simply with salt and white pepper, the briskets smoke on the second-generation pits for 14 to 16 hours at night to be ready to serve by lunch time.

All of the delicious sides are still made using Monte Cole’s original, hand-written recipes.

Coming in April, guests will be able to purchase to go, or consume onsite, beer from a selection of 50 varieties of standard and specialty beers, sold individually or by the pack/case.

“Cole’s will be the premier place for beer in Freestone County,” says Cooper.

In addition to the mouth-watering barbeque and sides, customers will also find freshly baked cookies and cobblers up for grabs.

If you love old-timey candy and glass-bottle sodas, Cole’s also has a wide variety of each to choose from.

Located at 1022 West Commerce Street in Fairfield, Cole’s store hours are 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. seven days a week, with the smokehouse open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily.

They can be reached by calling 903-389-3013. Look them up on Facebook too!

(Photos by Nicole Schaefer)