"We all craved something to celebrate in 2020, and pitmaster Matt Horn was more than happy to oblige. Despite the odds, Horn finally gave his meticulously prepared meats a permanent home in September of last year, and since then, the plumes of oak-scented smoke have drawn diners from near and far to an industrial corner of West Oakland like ships to a lighthouse. The self-taught pitmaster began pulling glistening slabs of slow-cooked Central Texas-style brisket from his massive smoker back in 2018, when his pop-ups drew long lines of diners seeking paper-wrapped packages of snappy house-made sausage and tubs of eggy potato salad. Now it’s all available by the pound, served on metal trays, along with the requisite side of pillowy white bread, though you’ll probably still have to stand in line." - Lauren Saria