There’s more than one way to barbecue in Texas. Each region has its own “distinct approach to the ’cue,” influenced by the cooking styles of 19th-century German and Czech immigrants, Mexican Americans and Indigenous and enslaved people, said Houstonia.
The classic East Texas style “dominated” Houston for decades, with pitmasters focusing on “slow-roasted meats and sweet, tomato-based sauces,” said Houstonia, but by the 1960s, the techniques of Central Texas — sprinkling briskets with salt and pepper and cooking them over indirect heat — started to become more commonplace.
Today, Houston is at the center of a vibrant barbecue scene that offers those traditional styles alongside new ones influenced by Asian and Tex-Mex flavors. Visit any one of these eight beloved institutions, and you’ll leave full of delectable meat and appreciation for Houston’s take on barbecue.
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Brisket and Rice
What do you get when you combine Vietnamese cuisine with Texas barbecue? Brisket & Rice, a “bustling” restaurant that shares a parking lot with a gas station, said The Michelin Guide.
Chef Hong Tran’s signature dish is his pull-apart tender brisket served with barbecue fried rice, a “reflection on his Lone Star upbringing and Vietnamese roots,” said The Michelin Guide. Adding pickled jalapeños and onions takes the dish to the next level. Other favorites include the homemade house and jalapeño sausages, “delicately” smoked pork ribs and a pulled-to-order pork sandwich on a potato bun. Don’t forget banana pudding for dessert.
Burns Original BBQ
The late Roy Burns started sharing his iconic barbecue with the public in 1973, dishing out plates of brisket and ribs from a pickup truck on the side of the road. His family is still operating Burns Original BBQ, now in an “old school” building “smack-dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood,” said Texas Monthly.
During your visit, the hardest decision you’ll make is whether to go with the “saucy” pork spare ribs, robust chopped beef sandwich or massive loaded baked potato that’s “so big the Styrofoam lid has to be taped down,” said Texas Monthly. Make it easy on yourself by coming with a few friends and ordering one of everything for a finger-licking feast.
CorkScrew BBQ
Barbecue lovers in Houston routinely make the trek to the suburbs to enjoy CorkScrew BBQ in Spring. Owners Will and Nichole Buckman operate a “love letter to smoked meat,” with all sides and sauces made in house, said Travel and Leisure.
CorkScrew is famous for its smoked brisket, but the pulled pork and pit-smoked beans “steal the spotlight,” said Travel and Leisure, thanks to the “perfect blend of seasoning and sauce.” For dessert, try the cobbler of the day.
Gatlin’s BBQ
Pitmaster Greg Gatlin has perfected the art of “decadent” barbecue enhanced by “craveably” sweet and balanced sauces, said Bon Appétit. The “marbled, juicy and glorious” brisket, like all the meat on the menu, has a “punchy” aroma, thanks to hickory smoke, and the chopped meat sandwiches on “buttery” Texas toast have a “rich, bacon-like taste.” For a little of everything, try the Gatlin’s Kitchen Sink sandwich, a behemoth of sausage, sliced brisket, onions and jalapeños, with sides of the “well-seasoned” collard greens and Cajun-style dirty rice.
Pinkerton’s
The star of the show at Pinkerton’s is the “hulking” beef rib, which is all but guaranteed to sell out by early afternoon, said The Michelin Guide. Pitmaster Grant Pinkerton has “made a name for himself” with his delicious meats, smoked over oak and mesquite.
The sweet, sticky St. Louis-style pork ribs are “brilliantly tender,” said The Michelin Guide, and the duck-and-sausage jambalaya offers a welcome bayouland change of pace. After looking at the menu, check out the back wall, where “daily specials are written in small print.”
The Pit Room
The flavors of Texas and Mexico collide at The Pit Room. Bite into one of the chopped brisket tacos “drizzled with salsa roja and served on tortillas freshly griddled in rendered brisket fat,” and you can see how the two “marry beautifully,” said Bon Appétit. The Pit Room, founded by Michael Sambrooks in 2016, uses two custom barrel-style offset smokers and a vertical sausage cooker, resulting in “standout” meats.
Stop in early for “decadent” pulled pork hash and egg tacos, said Bon Appétit. Or wait for lunch and grab one of the “hefty” beef sausages with a side of “exceptional” elote and “hearty” charro beans.
Roegels Barbecue Co.
You should visit Roegels Barbecue Co. any chance you get, but Thursdays are special. That’s when you can order the state’s’ “best pastrami Reuben,” said Texas Monthly.
During visits the other days of the week, you can’t go wrong with the house-made sausages, “newly perfected” by owners Russell and Misty Roegels, and the ribs, said Texas Monthly. Sample a little of everything by ordering The Trinity (a quarter pound each of sliced brisket, pork ribs and sausage, plus two sides) or the Texas Two-Step sandwich with brisket and sausage.
Truth Barbecue
Set your alarm — you’re going to want to beat the crowds at Truth Barbecue. Fans arrive well before opening to line up for “what may be Houston’s best version of the classic Texas Trinity,” said Southern Living. That would be a heaping plate of Truth’s “superb” brisket, pork ribs and smoked sausage. The “impressive” sides are just as delicious, with owner and pitmaster Leonard Botello pulling out “all the stops” with his “creamy, cheesy” tater tot casserole, thick corn pudding and loaded baked potato salad.
