This is a new restaurant opening soon at 1900 Linwood, the same renovated complex that contains Dead's People Stuff, a barber and soon Cross Timbers Brewery.

They will be occupying the out-building on the west side of the complex (formerly hosted OkiMoto DIY garage) and have built a new smokehouse.

The proprietor is Zach Edge, the former pitmaster of Maples BBQ.

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great news! i really miss the bbq at maples.

great news! i really miss the bbq at maples.

Keep an eye on their FB page as they are already doing some occasional batches:

https://www.facebook.com/edge.craftbbq

great news! i really miss the bbq at maples.

Feel the same. Im no expert or have tried all the BBQ but I thought Maples brisket was easily the best in OKC. Hated to see them close but nice to see the pitmaster will be making more BBQ.

I have tried most of the BBQ places in OKC area and agree that Maples had the best brisket. There are a couple that were close, but Maples was the best.

I might be confused, but I'm thinking that is on the west side of the property?

I might be confused, but I'm thinking that is on the west side of the property?

You are correct. I changed my post.

Great news.... Zach had told me about this, he figured out that I was OK BBQ Anonymous after I posted here about a whiskey I drank there, and had projected a Spring opening but I hadn't heard any new news on it.

Not sure if it's still his plan but he said he will only be open weekends, I think he said Fri-Sun, and he will only be cooking so much and when it's gone it's gone... Pretty sure he wants to concentrate on quality over quantity.

^

Very similar to the original Maples trailer, only this place will have indoor seating.

This sounds like a hit to me, and that is a cool development.

^

Very similar to the original Maples trailer, only this place will have indoor seating.

This sounds like a hit to me, and that is a cool development.



Yep.... That was the first thing I thought when he told me where it was.... And Dead People pulls in pretty steady traffic to that area. So I think he may have potential to draw people in just with the smell.

^

There will also be a brewery and tap room at the east end of this project.

Linwood has a chance to blow up. Lots of possibilities.

Hopefully the brisket will be a little more like the real Texas version.

Edge Craft to bring Central Texas BBQ to the core (https://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=737-Edge-Craft-to-bring-Central-Texas-BBQ-to-the-core)

After serving as pitmaster for the short-lived but highly regarded Maples, Zach Edge learned a great deal.


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That experience has led to the creation of a Central Texas barbecue restaurant of his own. Edge Craft will open Friday 7/30 in the renovated complex alongside Dead People's Stuff.

The new restaurant at 1900 Linwood will be open for business Friday, Saturday and Sunday to start, opening its door at 11 a.m. and staying open until sell-out with the likelihood of adding more days with time.

All the meats are cooked by Edge himself in the adjacent custom smokehouse and sliced to order by the man himself.

Meats include prime brisket, pork spare ribs, house sausage made from the brisket trimmings, turkey and pulled pork.

The sides are given the same kind of attention with a grown-up version of mac & cheese, collard greens with bacon, baked beans, fried okra, coleslaw, potato salad and smoked elote with in-house-made crema.

For now, soda and beer will be served in cans. Beer will largely be domestic and inexpensive, with some local craft offerings as well.

There is a stand-alone bar near the rear of the renovated industrial space which will be opened down the line.

In addition to Dead People's Stuff, a barber and Edge Craft, the Linwood development will be adding Cross Timbers Brewing Company with a large taproom and covered patio at the east end. Cross Timbers should open in a couple of months.


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I'm not a food critic but that first picture is a sampling plate of all the meats with a side of elote and collard greens.

Everything was excellent and the space and setting are really cool.

They are being very smart by only starting with 3 days a week and going until sell-out. Will allow them to have tight control of quality and get their quantities right, then go from there.


I was really impressed.

Super excited to be a regular here. I loved Maples, so I am looking forward to having this close by.

When Maples was a trailer, it was similar to this new place. But you had to stand outside in the elements and eat there, too.

This space is really cool (literally and figuratively) and the vibe is great.

And when Maples converted to a restaurant, they ran into that terrible problem of having to cook meat all day and not being able to deliver quality as consistent as anyone would like, plus huge overhead.


This is a lot like Jo-Bawb's, but with much better space and enviornment. And if the food is better elsewhere in OKC, I haven't had it.

Pete, it looks like Linwood is really starting to pick up some steam, are there more things in the works there?

Pete, it looks like Linwood is really starting to pick up some steam, are there more things in the works there?

Not really, unless you want to include the project at 2nd & Klein with Fair Weather Friend Brewery.

It's a massive area and this is going to take a lot of time.

Glad to see Zack making another run at OKC... Central Texas style had made some headway here with Maples in OKC and Deckle and Texlahoma in Edmond.... Then we lost Maples and Deckle and I haven't been to north Edmond in a long time so I don't know how Texlahoma fared through the pandemic.

Glad to see Zack making another run at OKC... Central Texas style had made some headway here with Maples in OKC and Deckle and Texlahoma in Edmond.... Then we lost Maples and Deckle and I haven't been to north Edmond in a long time so I don't know how Texlahoma fared through the pandemic.

Very interested to see your feedback after you get a chance to try Edge.

Awesome setting! That is a real Texas BBQ vibe in that building. I loved Maples, but found the interior buildout to be a clash. It was too sterile-looking. Glad to see Maples live on in some way. That briscket looks great.

Man I can't tell you how excited I am for this, pass this every day on my way into the city for work and somehow missed the original post!
Was talking with friends about about driving back out to Wellston to get some good bbq here in the next couple weeks and looks like my trip just got a lot shorter haha.
I ended up driving there and poking my head around the lot on Sunday after I saw the instagram post, is the brewery just going to be in the back patio area or is it going to take the place of that Sacred Soul place? Fence was too high to see what the brewery setup looked like.

is the brewery just going to be in the back patio area or is it going to take the place of that Sacred Soul place? Fence was too high to see what the brewery setup looked like.

It is going in the back of the building on the east side:

https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=46077&p=1148916#post1148916

I'm not a food critic and am a bit of a BBQ neophyte but I tried all the meats and I thought they were all excellent.

I wouldn't have expected it, but the ribs and pulled pork were my favorites. Both very juicy and tender and full of flavor. I'm a big sauce guy and I didn't even use any after I had sampled both the house and spicy; they were good but not needed and only masked the flavor.

The smoked turkey was surprisingly good as well. That and the sausage had a great, smokey taste.

The brisket was very good, I just don't have the knowledge to properly size it up. I know that is generally the standard by which BBQ is judged, so I'll leave that to others.

I had the collard greens and smoked elote as sides. They were both fantastic, IMO. The elote is from smoked corn and made with in-house crema and severed cold. Holy cow it was good.

Their mac & cheese looked interesting because they use gouda and a couple of other cheese, not Velveeta. And the potato salad is a German version I believe, which I bet is very good. Just way too much to try in one sitting.


I was really impressed with everything and loved the space and setting. And Zach just oozes passion for what he is doing and is limiting the hours to guarantee he can personally cook and slice every bit of meat. That means showing up at 4AM.

They are starting with only Fri-Sat-Sun which is super smart. Will allow them to get their feet and maintain quality.


I really hope they are a wild success and I have a feeling they will be.

When Cross Timbers opens (hopefully in early September) this will be a cool little gathering spot. I love the authentic feel of the area; still very rough but that is a big part of the charm.

We need a Roger review of the place!

I loved Maples. I went a ton and got a lot of people to try it. I was sad when they closed down. I'll be trying this out soon.

We need a Roger review of the place!

I loved Maples. I went a ton and got a lot of people to try it. I was sad when they closed down. I'll be trying this out soon.

Agreed! Very much looking forward to Roger S's impressions.

My initial impression is that this place is better than Maples; and I liked Maples.

Can’t wait. In that area some for lunch. Hope to catch them on their 3 day work week.

+1 waiting for Roger.

I learned really fast during the time I ran the blog not to get my hopes too high about new places. There was only one occasion when I learned of a new place that I could let my guard down and that was when David Bouska told me they were opening Butcher BBQ at a contest I was judging.... I had no doubt those guys were going to knock it out of the park.

Having had Zack's product at Maple's and having spent a few hours over there talking with him about BBQ and knowing his passion about it. I have absolutely no doubt I'm going to love what he's doing at Edge Craft...... Especially since I know I mentioned a few times here that I wanted to try small batch BBQ here myself when I was looking at getting into the business.

Now I will go ahead and say I will have one complaint possibly...... I didn't see any Big Red in the pic that had the sodas in it and when I'm in Texas eating BBQ you can bet I'm drinking Big Red with it..... Unless I have a designated driver.... Then it's Shiner..... Which may be a sin in Texas but I prefer Shiner to Lone Star. ;)

On the plus side since I mostly drink Big Red Zero.... I loaded up on it while I was in Texas a few weeks ago. So I can bring my own!

^

You should recommend Big Red to Zach.

They may be planning to add it already, as they aren't even open yet.

No Big Red?!?! What will they take from us next? Our slice of white bread?!

No Big Red?!?! What will they take from us next? Our slice of white bread?!

agreed. to truly be Central Texas BBQ... they need Big Red

No Big Red?!?! What will they take from us next? Our slice of white bread?!

Well I'm not expecting to see any saltines or ordering your meat in one line and your sides in another either.... Not that ordering in separate lines will disappoint me..... The saltines maybe a little. ;)

Just traded texts with Zach and he said they will definitely be carrying Big Red.

He said he's been waiting to get it in bottles but there has been a national bottle shortage. So, at least in cans and hopefully in bottles down the road.

Can we cool it with all the talk about Edge Craft? It's making my wait time on Friday go through the roof:tongue:

Can we cool it with all the talk about Edge Craft? It's making my wait time on Friday go through the roof:tongue:

You better get there early. They are going to sellout fast.

Just traded texts with Zach and he said they will definitely be carrying Big Red.

He said he's been waiting to get it in bottles but there has been a national bottle shortage. So, at least in cans and hopefully in bottles down the road.

okay good... then i will be checking it out...

Just traded texts with Zach and he said they will definitely be carrying Big Red.

He said he's been waiting to get it in bottles but there has been a national bottle shortage. So, at least in cans and hopefully in bottles down the road.

It can be tough to find around here when there are no shortages and Big Red Zero is practically non-existent around here..... I think Big Red is bottled by Dr Pepper now and Dr Pepper has been dealing with shortages for awhile.... The Casey's by my house was down to a handful of bottles in their case yesterday but had plenty of every other brand of soda they offer.

You better get there early. They are going to sellout fast.

I'm planning on getting there early and taking a lawn chair.

I'm planning on getting there early taking a lawn chair.

Haha...

Take photos!

I'm planning on getting there early taking a lawn chair.

LOL..... Hope you start a trend for him... Make Edge Craft the Franklin's of Oklahoma!

Reminder they open today.

Hours are 11 a.m. to sell out Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The wait is at least an hour, but they have complimentary beer while you wait.

The wait is at least an hour, but they have complimentary beer while you wait.

Photos please.


And free beer!

Photos please.


And free beer!

Check your email. I sent a picture.

The ribs were the best I've ever had. The sausage was sold out. The brisket was good, but not outstanding. The turkey was very good and the pulled pork was fine (not my favorite meat). The okra was outstanding, the cole slaw was a bit to vinegary for my taste, the smoked elote was very good and not something you often see on BBQ menus. The beans were typical BBQ restaurant beans, good but nothing special.
All in all, very high quality place. I'd rate it slightly ahead of Clark Crew, but not quite at the level of Butcher Block in Wellston. That may change if I just happened to catch them on an off day for their brisket.

I'll definitely go back when the new wears off. The wait was over an hour even though I got there slightly after 11:00. The line was still very long when I left and many people left after seeing how long the line was. This place is going to be a huge hit.

^

I absolutely loved that smoked elote.

And the collard greens were surprisingly good.

The whole vibe of the place is very cool.


Very happy to hear there was such a good turnout. I'm sure after they get rolling they'll increase their quantities and add more days.

Courtesy of catcherinthewry:

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I couldn't fit everyone in the picture. There were at least 10 people behind the guy in the gray shirt. At it's longest there were probably 30 people behind that point.

We pulled in right as they were opening the doors and had about a 45 minute wait. I'm sure it will smooth out as they get settled in and the initial anticipation dies down. I was also told that the BBQSnob from Texas Monthly was the first in line but I haven't been able to verify that his last Instagram post was on the 22nd from somewhere in Minnesota.... Knowing he's been travelling and has inlaws in OKC... It's quite possible he was there.

I didn't get a beer but a couple of co-workers did. They both had beers from the brewery opening at the other end of Dead People's Stuff and both enjoyed them. The beers had cilantro, coriander, and lime and I wish I had tried one because I love cilantro.... Think they also had some Stonecloud beers available too.

Now for the food..... which is showing up rotated in the preview but appears to rotate correctly if you click it... at least on my browser

16992

I really had no doubts about Zach's skill as a pitmaster but he still told me not to judge him on his first day and also commented he was still working on dialing in his new smoker..... Well as a former two-bit, hack, wannabe, Q blogger.... I'm here to judge!

We'll start with something I would usually not order but since I was threatened if I didn't bring BBQ home with me I would have some privileges taken away... So I just ordered some of everything! ..... So my thoughts on the turkey..... It was moist, tender, and simply seasoned with mostly salt and pepper.... Normally I would never go to a BBQ joint and order turkey but I would order this turkey again.

I never cared much for the pulled pork I tried at Maple's so I'm taking a wild guess here and saying he changed his recipe a little because while not the best pulled pork I've ever had. It was moist, tender, and had good flavor... I also tried a bite of it with the spicy sauce and the sauce complemented it well.

The spare ribs were cooked perfect, tender but not falling off the bone, but I hope he looks at getting a different supplier for his ribs because they were kind of thin on the top. Once again he stuck with the simple salt and pepper dominant rub and I really enjoy that flavor profile.

The sausages are made in house and some people might find them a touch salty but I thought they were great as did everyone in my group. Right now he just has one flavor but I'm betting that as he gets settled in we get some more options.... I'm hoping for a jalapeno version or hotter.

And now for the brisket...

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I didn't see him slip the burnt ends in my order, no one else at my table got them and they definitely aren't on the menu or something you typically find in Central Texas, So I may have gotten the star treatment that I always tried to avoid when I was a super-secret anonymous blogger but if he ever offers them to you... Don't pass them up because they were great!

I went with moist(fatty) brisket and it was as good as most I have had in Texas. Had a great bark and that salt and pepper profile that Central Texas is known for.

I'm not going to say everything was absolutely perfect on their opening day but it was close enough that I'm not going to quibble with the few minute details that most people are never going to notice.... Plus he admitted he's still learning how that new pit cooks. I have no doubt he'll get it all dialed in.

For my sides I had okra, mac and cheese, and collard greens..... The okra was crispy and well seasoned. I had heard some people say the mac and cheese was bland. I thought it was solid, had good cheese flavor, and the pasta was cooked great..... I absolutely hate overcooked pasta and this was holding together nice..... I was already pretty full by the time I got to the greens but they bite I took I liked.

^

Thank you so very much.

Pretty darn high praise coming from you on the very first day.


I'm hoping their success will result in more such places. Jo-Bawbs seems to fit the bill but with all the crappy BBQ spots in town, we clearly have room for more high-quality offerings.

BTW, Zach had mentioned when I interviewed him that meat supply is incredibly constrained right now.

^

Thank you so very much.

Pretty darn high praise coming from you on the very first day.


I'm hoping their success will result in more such places. Jo-Bawbs seems to fit the bill but with all the crappy BBQ places in town, we clearly have room for more high-quality offerings.


I've only had Jo-Bawbs once and I wasn't impressed but it was also late and we got the scraps because they were pretty much sold out.... So I don' hold that against them as much as I do us for being stragglers and don't really have an opinion on them yet.

I will say that just with Edge Craft and Clark Crew entering the scene here we have about 1000% better BBQ in OKC right now than we did when I was blogging and there are a few other places that have really stepped up the game here..... I though Pig & Butcher was pretty solid when I ate there about a month ago... I'm sure there are some others but I've really not eaten much BBQ other than my own since Covid started..... Hadn't even been in any type of restaurant until I had my 2nd shot back in March.

BTW, Zach had mentioned when I interviewed him that meat supply is incredibly constrained right now.

I noticed that when I was looking for meat for my Independence Day cook.... I normally prefer to cook a 10-12 lb brisket and I couldn't find anything anywhere less than 16 and even then the pickings were slim..... Prices are still pretty inflated too.... I paid close to $100 for my brisket at Winco.

I couldn't fit everyone in the picture. There were at least 10 people behind the guy in the gray shirt. At it's longest there were probably 30 people behind that point.

I'm the guy in the red shirt at the right edge of that picture next to the guy in the gray shirt..

I'm the guy in the red shirt at the right edge of that picture next to the guy in the gray shirt..

I was the guy in the Thunder shirt drooling at all the meat you took back to your table:p

I was the guy in the Thunder shirt drooling at all the meat you took back to your table:p

HAHA.... I'm glad it was all great because we're going to be eating BBQ for a few more meals now.

Wanted to say that I was also very pleasantly surprised by the turkey.

It's not something I normally would have ordered but it was darn good, with a nice smokey taste.

That's a good thing because I have pretty much stopped eating red meat, so I'll have a good entre option. Plenty of delicious sides, thankfully.


Also really looking forward to the brewery (Cross Timbers) opening in this complex in the next 1-2 months. The whole development is very cool in a non-contrived way.

Wanted to say that I was also very pleasantly surprised by the turkey.



The only other place I've ever had smoked poultry that I would order again is at Butcher.

We pulled in right as they were opening the doors and had about a 45 minute wait...
was looking for the line 'bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated' and left disappointed. : )

i've been making a lot of sausage lately... all of the pics i've seen of edge craft's (yours included) look a little grey. does it look like that in person? if so, i guess they're not putting any cure #1 in there. i *think* they made the hot dogs in house at maple's... while i loved that place, i absolutely hated the hot dog that i tried from there. granted, i take some responsibility for ordering a hot dog at a barbecue joint. it wasn't cured at all and basically had no spices in it... basically took two bites and said, 'nope.'