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"A Tennessee-based, family-owned chain founded in 1984 in Memphis, Corky's BBQ has racked up plenty of accolades at home and is now plotting an expansion into Texas, enlisting a franchisee to open up to three Houston locations (the first expected before September) and later pushing into Dallas–Fort Worth. Corky's serves Memphis-style barbecue that emphasizes pork over Texas-style beef: meats are smoked over hickory and charcoal; brisket appears on the menu, but the real focus is ribs and pulled pork, which are piled onto nachos and sandwiches and even served alongside the chain's quirky Corky's spaghetti—a pairing the writer calls bizarre. In Houston the chain will have to battle established Texas-born barbecue restaurants when it debuts later this year." - Amy McCarthy