We have paid several visits to Baker’s Ribs in Weatherford, a family-owned restaurant that serves delicious BBQ and also offers free Bibles to anyone who wants one. Owners DeeAnna Krier and her husband/partner Brian Krier, moved to Weatherford in 2000 to operate the restaurant.
The couple met in 1994 at the original Baker’s Ribs in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas where Brian was a manager. DeeAnna’s company, Mercer Events & Promotions, worked with the restaurant and she later started catering for them on weekends. A nephew of the founder of Baker’s Ribs, Brian is a self-taught chef and award-winning Pit Master with 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry.
“Brian and I connected in friendship,” DeeAnna said, “then fell in love and married June 1996. I started working full time for Baker’s Ribs in Weatherford in January 2000, the same time we moved to Weatherford. We bought out our uncle in 2003 and incorporated Oink Oink Inc dba Baker’s Ribs as partners.”
Baker’s Ribs Thrives in Weatherford
Since taking over the Baker’s Ribs in Weatherford, the dynamic couple have seen their business thrive while they’ve also stayed closely involved in the local community. Their talents complement each other at Baker’s Ribs, where Brian serves as General Manager, Pit Master, and catering director while DeeAnna handles marketing and community outreach. Their smoked BBQ, home-style sides, and original fried pies (made fresh daily) have won a number of local, regional and statewide awards.
My house-bound husband and I first became fans of the restaurant during the pandemic, when we satisfied our travel urge by taking road trips to interesting small towns in easy driving distance from our home in Dallas. Weatherford, a city with lots of good restaurants and friendly people, soon became a favorite destination. We were especially excited to discover Baker’s Ribs, a welcoming place that featured great BBQ (including my husband’s favorite smoked ribs plus yummy scratch-made sides). After meeting the owners, who not only give away Bibles but display a prayer request box in the foyer, we knew we’d found our spot.
Baker’s Ribs Menu
Baker’s Ribs in Weatherford serves excellent sliced or chopped beef, ham, turkey, chicken, pulled pork, and sausage. We have gone through almost all the meats on the menu, and they’re all good. My favorite is Brian’s new seasoned brisket while my husband still loves the hickory smoked, juicy and tender ribs. All the sides are made from scratch, and include southern-style comfort foods like the Herb Dill potato salad and their famous fried pies, many from old family recipes.
DeeAnna says, “Brian smoked Creekstone certified Black Angus Beef Brisket without seasoning over raw Hickory wood for over 25 years. I encouraged him to make up a seasoning mix that would carry the name ‘Brian’s Kick’n Brisket.’ He did that and that’s what we are serving now. His mix of seasoning is a secret. It does include salt, pepper, garlic and more. The seasoned brisket is loaded on a rotisserie pit for 22 hours and the wood is still raw Hickory wood. The rotisserie pit helps the natural fat moisten the briskets and develops a very tasty crust or bark. “
Made From Scratch Dishes
“All of our side dishes are made from scratch daily and our fried pies too. We serve five different Tap beers, call drinks and Margaritas, plus sweet tea made in house and sodas. Our most popular sales are the Brisket, Ribs and the Herb Dill Potato Salad. Our most popular fried pie is Apricot, but Cream Cheese Cherry is my favorite and quickly becoming a favorite to our customers too,” DeeAnna said.
“We started giving Bibles away in 2008,” DeeAnna said. “We were averaging 60+ a month before Covid-19 hit us. From 2020 to date we average giving away 20 Bibles per month. We hold corporate prayer events around holidays and elections,” Deanna said.
Brian and DeeAnna Krier have two grown daughters, Heather and Hannah. As a community volunteer, DeeAnna serves the Children’s Advocacy Center, Center of Hope, and Meals on Wheels. She’s also an Ambassador for the City of Weatherford and 5 Star East Parker County Chamber of Commerce.
Prosper Your Neighbor
Like Brian, Deanna is an over-achiever and became an entrepreneur at a young age, starting Mercer Events & Promotions in Dallas in 1980. Now 61, she was honored in 2022 as Extraordinary Women of Parker County, and is the reigning Ms. Achievement –North America 2023. Her platform is “Prosper Your Neighbor, Prosper Yourself.”
That platform might also be the business model for Baker’s Ribs in Weatherford, as they have won many awards for their great food, service, and hospitality. Awards include Top 50 in Texas, Business of the Year (repeat winners), People’s Choice Award, and Global award 2021-New World Report North America Business Elite.
Baker’s Ribs and the Original Fried Pie Shop is located at 1921 S Main Street in Weatherford, phone 817-599-4229. Open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. All major credit cards are accepted. Bibles (and prayers) are still free of charge.
