American Airlines is bringing a taste of Texas to the skies with a new partnership that lets passengers enjoy barbecue from one of Dallas’ most famous smokehouses on select flights…as a BBQ-loving omnivore, I’m a lot more impressed than One Mile At A Time!
American Airlines Partners With Pecan Lodge To Serve Texas Barbecue In First Class
American Airlines has teamed up with Pecan Lodge (Which I have not personally tried, but understand is a gold standard for BBQ in Texas) to offer a limited-time onboard menu on select first class flights between Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and New York (LGA and JFK).
The Pecan Lodge collaboration will roll out as a preorder option. American says the featured dishes will rotate, starting with a barbecue platter in February and shifting to a brisket sandwich in March:
- February 2026: barbecue platter featuring brisket and smoked sausage, paired with creamy mac and cheese and crisp coleslaw
- March 2026: chopped brisket sandwich with roasted green beans and creamy potato salad
Yum…makes me want to fly via Dallas to New York.
American is also framing this partnership as part of its broader customer experience push heading into its centennial year. Rhonda Crawford, American’s SVP of Customer Experience Design and Strategy, explained:
“As we celebrate American’s centennial anniversary in 2026, we’re looking forward to delighting our customers in new ways that honor unique regional tastes, beginning right here in our home state through one of the most beloved barbecue restaurants in Texas. Our customers deserve nothing but the best, and Pecan Lodge is certainly that.”
Whether this becomes a one-off marketing deal or the start of more serious regional food collaborations remains to be seen, but it is at least the kind of partnership that feels like a win, much like Delta’s collaboration with Shake Shack.
CONCLUSION
I’m always a bit skeptical when airlines promise restaurant-quality food onboard, but partnering with a well-known local institution like Pecan Lodge is a smart way to make the First Class meal feel more intentional, especially out of DFW. I’d have to imagine (hope…) that Pecan Lounge has insisted upon certain minimum levels of quality before putting its name on these dishes. If American can execute this well, it is an easy win: a recognizable name, a product passengers actually want, and a meal that connects to the place it is coming from.
Kudos to AA for its recent investments, including Bollinger Champagne, Lavazza coffee, and free Wi-Fi onboard.
> Read More: American Airlines Upgrades Coffee: Lavazza Coming To Flights And Lounges
> Read More: Free Inflight Wi-Fi Begins Today On American Airlines Flight
“If American can execute this well”
I think we should aim for cromulent at best.
Going for cromulent!
As the resident Texas BBQ snob on your reader list, I’ll give AA full credit for trying something creative with a local joint. My real question is whether they can pull off the brisket. You have to be real careful reheating brisket, or it dries out. And there’s very little worse in life than dry brisket. The chopped beef sandwich and sides should be pretty easy to pull off, though, as long as the bun isn’t dripping wet.
(As an aside, though I acknowledge I risk tarring and feathering from other BBQ snobs for saying this, Pecan Lodge isn’t close to the best BBQ in the DFW area in my opinion. It’s one of those places that generates hype by making you stand in line for an hour, but I didn’t think it was worth it. If you really want some serious ‘cue, call me next time you’re here and I’ll introduce you to the beef rib at Hutchins or Terry Black’s.)
What a tasty surprise! As “America’s history is built on seeing the possible,” AA follows the same route. Well done!
Hutchins BBQ in Dallas is also a great option… Incidentally, note that the iconic Michelin Guide expanded to Texas for the first time in 2024, awarding stars to four barbecue spots. La Barbecue, InterStellar BBQ, LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, and Corkscrew BBQ got Michelin stars.
For what it’s worth, if you like Texas-style BBQ, I recommend checking out the Texas Monthly Top 50 list, which comes out every four years. Interstellar and LeRoy and Lewis are in the most recent top 10. The other two are in the Top 50.
https://www.texasmonthly.com/interactive/top-50-bbq-2025/
With respect, I doubt any self-respecting Texan will be utilizing a french guide to choose their bbq. You’d have to be a weird person to use the Michelin guide for brisket.
The recent Michelin ratings in Texas were basically a scam. The state travel authority paid to have restaurants rated for exactly this kind of publicity.
Much of the way Texas is run is a scam.
1990, With far more finance jobs (and overall jobs) added in Texas recently vs New York state, hardly… And more financial service jobs in the state of Texas vs New york as well. To say nothing of other parts of the diverse texas economy
But this is about BBQ and, as said, no one is going to a New Yorker for advice on bbq. You enjoy your burnt ends (the scraps of real bbq)
Julie, as an Austin resident, the collapse of the tech industry and subsequent collapse of home prices somewhat speaks otherwise. Texas indeed exploded from 2018-2022, but from what I’ve seen, there’s been a bit of an exodus back to the coasts. To keep it aviation related, look at all the int’l routes AUS has lost over the last 3 years. There’s a lot of ’em.
Julie, ah, yes, quantity over quality, a perfect example of Texas. Thank you for the laughs. Yee-haw.
And, Jerry’s onto something, not just Texas, but now-deep-red states like Florida, also. Property taxes and insurance are a real burden; those on fixed incomes living in aging-condos are also facing unsustainable special-assessments, especially after Surfside. They’ve been very lucky the past few seasons to not experience a significant hurricane. And, the pandemic is over, so, many better-off folks finally lost-interest, had to RTO, and are back in CA, NY, WA, MA, IL, etc. Not to mention, in TX, FL, and other red-states, there’s the lack of any relevant social safety net, and anti-worker and anti-consumer policies, etc. Like, don’t get me wrong, in winter, Miami is a nice place to be super-rich; however, both TX and FL are horrible places to anything but rich.
@Jerry
Austin is a very different economy from the rest of Texas. Don’t believe the articles suggesting Austin represents the entire state. It doesn’t.
Texas is still #1 for most new residents while California and New York state are still leaving the most.
https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/5674558-movers-relocated-to-these-states-the-most-in-2025-u-haul-report-suggests/
1990
Conjecture is fun but, as posted above, facts are another. Texas and Florida still lead the nation in new residents
Serve it to me in a lettuce cup instead of that white roll, and I’m there.
I’ve never seen it offered or requested that way. But, really, not a bad idea.
Preorder on limited flights between…..sounds like less than 100 covers a week being generous.
No way this makes financial sense for either party.
BBQ is the most overrated, over-scrutinized cuisine on Earth and I grew up with it in TX and order a whole brisket mail-order every July 4th from Franklin, so I appreciate it wholeheartedly.
At 30k feet shredded meat of any provenance doused in sauce will do the job. Can’t say it would be my first choice. I try to eat as light as possible unless it’s a splurge in int’l first class. I am a big fan of the burger and fries in CX F.
I do make a point to pick up a torta at Tortas Frontera when I pass through ORD but they are surprisingly light.
Would’ve preferred burnt ends, but, anything is better than their awful AA sliders…
I doubt anyone really cares what a New Yorker views as good bbq
Naw, burnt ends is delicious, specially Kansas City style; has nothing to do with me or where I live.
I stopped reading when I saw the word “Dallas.” The most exciting thing to happen to Dallas BBQ in the last year was the announcement that the McRib was going to be a permanent figure on the McDonald’s menu.
The McRib… *no rib meat included*
(May be some pig anus, but, that depends on your definition of ‘other cuts’ and ‘restructured pork.’)
LOL. Oh, Jerry.
Jerry
Spoken like a true Austin snob
Sorry about you all losing international flights. DFW & IAH are only gaining more international.
I’ll just connect in MIA 😉