Wolf River Brisket and Abner’s Famous Chicken Tenders have opened in Crosstown Concourse, filling the two spaces that were vacated when Next Door American Eatery closed in March 2020 and Saucy Chicken moved to East Memphis this summer.

This is the third area Wolf River Brisket, owned by Kirk Cotham and Chad Foreman. The first opened in 2018 on Wolf River Boulevard at Houston Levee, followed by another in Olive Branch. It’s in the former Next Door space, the larger of the two vacated areas, at Crosstown.

We can argue with folks from Kansas City, the Carolinas and maybe even, for sport, with folks from Alabama and Georgia about who has the best pork barbecue. But there’s no point in even waging a claim when it comes to brisket; this is not cattle country and let’s give Texas its due.

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That’s not to say we can’t cook brisket in Memphis. Elwood’s has shown us it can be done, as has the Rendezvous, One & Only BBQ, Central BBQ, Interstate and, of course, the closed, at least for now, Bain’s Barbecue. I’ve had some that’s been great, some that’s been OK and some — please, don’t cut brisket with a deli slicer — that just wasn’t good.

The thing to know about Wolf River Brisket is that they’re not really trying to be a barbecue joint. They do brisket, but they also have smoked salmon, chicken and sausage. There’s no pork on the menu except for the sausage.

We made a lunch visit on Monday and they were out of a few things because of a busy opening weekend. But we were able to order a meat sampler and an order of queso, both to share.

The queso came with warm and crisp potato chips, not a single one of them limp from under frying. After eating a few it dawned on both of us — I was with Chris Herrington, who will tell you about Abner’s in a few days — that we were eating kettle chips that were warmed and seasoned in the oven, not fried on premises.

And it’s genius, a chip trick worth copying. Our server confirmed our conclusion, but said that normally the queso would be served with blue tortilla chips — they were out, depleted from the weekend and waiting on the delivery truck.

Even the nachos, he said, were being served on potato chips and people told him they liked them that way; I’m all about it, long a believer that good barbecue nachos require potato chips instead of tortilla chips.

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The meat sampler came with brisket, burnt ends and sausage, plus mac and cheese and an additional side. The sausage was our favorite — and it’s the pork, so big surprise. It was spicy, full of peppers, onion and bits of corn.

The burnt ends are the meat that is most like traditional barbecue, as they’re cooked, tossed in sauce and cooked again. The brisket was a little flat, but I’ve eaten at Wolf River Brisket on several occasions and know that it’s usually better; this location just opened, after all.

Something I’ve loved every time I’ve eaten at Wolf River Brisket, and something I also forget about from one visit to the next, is the cornbread cooked in a waffle iron. I always think it’s a waffle and am pleasantly surprised when I bite in the crisp cornbread instead.

The bar in the center of the restaurant — there’s no obvious changes since it was Next Door — appears well-stocked and ready to serve and there are signature cocktails on the menu. There’s a kids’ menu, four desserts including a pecan cobbler (not tried at this location but eaten and thoroughly enjoyed before, with ice cream), and a good selection of appetizers such as pimento cheese, queso, purple hull pea hummus and smoked salmon.

Wolf River Hospitality Group operates three Wolf River Brisket locations, six Abner’s in Memphis and Mississippi, nine Pyros Fire Fresh Pizza locations in Memphis, Mississippi and Alabama, and The Levee Creamery in Collierville.

Wolf River Brisket, 1350 Concourse Avenue, is open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. and 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Call 901-791-4389.