Bain Barbecue & Bakery

Central Texas brisket crashes the dry-rub capital

Bain Barbecue & Bakery is a barbecue restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee.

Bain Barbecue & Bakery is the rare Texas transplant in a dry-rub town. Husband-and-wife pitmasters Bryant and Heather Bain planted a Central Texas operation in Cooper-Young in 2022, building the menu around pink-ringed Wagyu brisket and house-made sausage rather than the pork shoulder Memphis expects. The bakery angle sets it further apart: mornings open with kolaches before the smoked-meat menu takes over.

The brisket is the argument, smoked daily until the fat turns to silk and a clean smoke ring rings the slice, dressed with nothing but salt, pepper, and time. The house sausage snaps under a coarse grind the pitmasters cut themselves, and a tangy, tender banana pudding closes the Texas tray. In a city that debates wet against dry ribs, Bain quietly makes the case for the offset smoker and sauce left firmly on the side.

• Style: Central Texas Style
• Price: $$
• Neighborhood: Cooper-Young
• Serving since 2022

What to order

• Wagyu Brisket
• House Sausage
• Kolaches
• Banana Pudding

How it scores — 8.7/10 overall

• Smoke: 8.8/10
• Bark: 8.6/10
• Tenderness: 8.7/10
• Consistency: 8.6/10
• Value: 9.0/10
• Atmosphere: 7.8/10

Visiting

• Address: 993 S Cooper St, Memphis, TN 38104
• Phone: (901) 310-4141
• Website: https://bainbarbecue.com/

Hours: Tue–Sat 11am–8pm, Sun 11am–4pm, Mon closed

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