By Eric Griffey
Photography by Thanin Viriyaki
The newest generation of Texas pitmasters did not grow up inheriting family smokehouses or tending fires behind century-old barbecue joints. Many learned through YouTube videos, online forums and a willingness to spend sleepless nights experimenting with brisket in the backyard.
Marc Fadel’s journey began in a high school culinary classroom.
The Arlington native was still a teenager when he discovered barbecue through a student barbecue club at the Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center. What he thought would be a grilling club turned out to be an introduction to offset smokers, fire management and the slow, exacting craft of Texas barbecue. Before long, he was spending every spare moment learning the art form. A smoker arrived one Christmas. His obsession followed.
That passion eventually landed Fadel and his classmates in the spotlight as part of Barbecue High, the documentary series that followed a group of North Texas students competing at the highest levels of scholastic barbecue. The show captured more than just a cooking competition. It revealed how a new generation is redefining who becomes a pitmaster and what Texas barbecue can look like in the years ahead.
Fadel’s answer to that question is Habibi Barbecue.
Named after the Arabic term of endearment that translates roughly to “my love,” the food truck reflects both sides of his identity. Fadel was born and raised in Arlington, but his family traces its roots to Lebanon. Growing up, Arabic and English flowed freely through family conversations, and summers were often spent visiting relatives overseas. Fadel’s challenge was figuring out how those experiences could coexist on a barbecue menu.
At first, the concept wasn’t obvious.
Traditional Texas barbecue and Lebanese cooking occupy very different corners of the culinary world. One revolves around slow-smoked meats and pepper-heavy bark. The other celebrates charcoal grilling, fresh herbs, bright salads and aromatic spices. Yet, the more Fadel experimented, the more connections he discovered.
His menu now serves as a conversation between those traditions.
The brisket remains unmistakably Texan, but its rub includes Lebanese spices inspired by a dish his mother used to make at home. Tabbouleh, garlic potatoes and rice appear alongside smoked meats. Pork ribs and mac and cheese share menu space with flavors more commonly found on a Beirut dinner table than a Texas barbecue tray.
Rather than feeling contradictory, the combination feels surprisingly natural.
Fadel believes barbecue is uniquely suited to this kind of experimentation because the cuisine has always been adaptable. Every culture that cooks over fire develops its own techniques, seasonings and traditions. The language may change, but the instinct remains the same.
“As long as it has a flame, you can have some really, really good food,” he said.
That philosophy has helped Habibi carve out a loyal following at its home inside the Ghost Food Truck Park in Arlington. Open only on Friday evenings and Saturdays, the truck regularly draws customers eager to experience a version of Texas barbecue that feels both familiar and entirely new.
For Fadel, the appeal extends beyond food.
He sees barbecue as a way to introduce people to cultures they might otherwise never encounter. A customer may arrive expecting brisket and leave with an appreciation for Lebanese flavors. Another may discover that the distance between Texas and the Middle East is smaller than it appears when measured through a shared love of cooking over fire.
In a state where barbecue often serves as a marker of identity, Habibi offers a reminder that identity itself is never static. It evolves, absorbs new influences and tells new stories. Fadel’s brisket may be smoked low and slow in the Texas tradition, but every slice carries echoes of another place, another language and another family table.
Ghost Food Truck Park, 2601 W. Arkansas Lane, Arlington, TX 76016
habibibarbecue.com
@habibibarbecue