The 50 Best BBQ Joints2021
There's a new generation of Texas pitmasters in town, many of whom aren't satisfied with doing things the same old way. (Though fear not, staunch traditionalists: many are.)
Just a decade ago, Texans took our state’s basic barbecue meal for granted. It was the sacred trinity of brisket, pork spareribs, and sausage, served with potato salad, coleslaw, and beans on the side. The biggest decision diners had to make was whether they wanted ice cream with their peach cobbler. The lineup seemed as fixed as the brick barbecue pits in which the meats were smoked.
And it wasn’t just the menu that was unchanging. Places and personalities seemed perennial as well. Two of the many truths we held to be self-evident were these: Lockhart was the unchallenged capital of Texas barbecue, and Snow’s BBQ, in Lexington, and Franklin Barbecue, in Austin, were the best joints in the state. That pair of enormously admired institutions captured the number one and two spots on Texas Monthly’s 2013 and 2017 lists of the fifty best barbecue joints (Snow’s also ranked first in 2008, before Franklin opened). They epitomized old-school Texas barbecue at its finest. Aspiring and veteran pitmasters alike visited them as if they were shrines.
But in the past half decade or so, we’ve begun to notice that the winds of change are growing quite gusty. In cities and towns across the state, new joints have been opening, and young, ambitious pitmasters have been getting into the game. Because they’ve been inspired by Texas’s long and storied barbecue tradition, the Texas trinity still dominates, and brisket has only gotten more popular (and expensive). That said, the upstarts have lots of new ideas.
What distinguishes the Texas barbecue scene today? In a word: surprises. In another word: variety. We’re talking bacon burnt ends, beef cheeks, birria, blueberry-and-Gouda sausage, brisket-topped elote, and guava-glazed pork ribs. And those are just the meat offerings. Side dishes and desserts range as far afield as Big Red tres leches cake, blistered brussels sprouts, carrot soufflé, citrus-beet salad, and brisket fried rice. And we haven’t even gotten to the wine lists.
As you would expect at a time of transformation, compiling our Top 50 list was a challenge. Even we were shocked by some of the changes we felt compelled to make. The former lodestars in our firmament, Snow’s and Franklin, no longer occupy our first or second spots (though both made the top ten and are absolutely worth visiting). For the first time, sadly, no Lockhart joints made the list (though the venerated Kreuz Market does appear in our Honorable Mentions). But the flip side of those descents is that Texas barbecue boasts an exciting freshman class: 29 of the 50 entries are new to the list, including the rookie establishment that vaulted to our number one spot.
In short, if you were hoping for an argument that innovation is getting out of hand and it’s time to retrench and return to the simpler days of barbecue, you won’t find it here. But have no fear: if you’re an old-school stalwart who blanches at the thought of smoked cauliflower, plenty of places on our list will make you very happy.
Is Texas barbecue losing its soul, as some might fear? No. The staples aren’t going anywhere, and the rising generation of pitmasters prepares them as well as—and often better than—anyone ever has. The up-and-comers aren’t erasing anything; they’re adding to what we have and paying tribute to our culinary heritage by reinvigorating it.
Welcome to the brave new era of Texas barbecue. The best is yet to come.
Snow’s BBQ
Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque
Franklin Barbecue
Cattleack Barbeque
LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue
Burnt Bean Co.
Truth Barbeque
InterStellar BBQ
Goldee’s Barbecue
The Rest of the Best
Hurtado Barbecue
Distant Relatives
La Barbecue
Micklethwait Craft Meats
Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ
1701 Barbecue
Blood Bros. BBQ
Miller’s Smokehouse
LJ’s BBQ
Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que
Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue
Slow Bone
Smokey Joe’s BBQ
Terry Black’s Barbecue
Desert Oak Barbecue
Dayne’s Craft Barbecue
Smoke-A-Holics BBQ
Eaker Barbecue
Hutchins BBQ
Baker Boys BBQ
Zavala’s Barbecue
Feges BBQ
Brett’s BBQ Shop
Convenience West
Butter’s BBQ
Rejino Barbeque
Killen’s Barbecue
Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue
LaVaca BBQ
Brett’s Backyard Bar-B-Que
2M Smokehouse
Pinkerton’s Barbecue
Hays Co. Bar-B-Que & Catering
CorkScrew BBQ
Louie Mueller Barbecue
Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue
Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue
Guess Family Barbecue
Teddy’s Barbecue
Helberg Barbecue
Credits
Lead Writers
Patricia Sharpe, Daniel Vaughn
Writers
Josh Alvarez, Kathy Blackwell, Courtney Bond, David Courtney, Megan Creydt, Dan Goodgame, Michael Hall, Jimmy Ho, Claire Hogan, Christopher Hooks, Emily Kimbro, Paul Knight, Lauren Larson, Joe Levin, Paula Mejía, Victoria Millner, Doyin Oyeniyi, José R. Ralat, J.C. Reid, Ben Rowen, Patricia Sharpe, Dan Solomon, John Spong, Daniel Vaughn, Christian Wallace, Michelle Williams, Alainna Wurfel
Taste Testers
Josh Alvarez, Kathy Blackwell, Courtney Bond, Cat Cardenas, David Courtney, Megan Creydt, Amy Weaver Dorning, Dan Goodgame, Michael Hall, Jason Heid, Jimmy Ho, Claire Hogan, Peter Holley, Christopher Hooks, Emily Kimbro, Paul Knight, Lauren Larson, Joe Levin, Emily McCullar, Paula Mejía, Patrick Michels, Victoria Millner, Doyin Oyeniyi, José R. Ralat, J. C. Reid, Ben Rowen, Sarah Rutledge, Patricia Sharpe, Dan Solomon, John Spong, Mimi Swartz, Daniel Vaughn, Christian Wallace, Michelle Williams, Alainna Wurfel
Editors
Courtney Bond, Jeff Salamon
Copy Editors
Marilyn Bailey, Lea Konczal, Alicia Maria Meier, Sarah Rutledge
Fact Checkers
Sierra Juarez, Doyin Oyeniyi
Designers
Emily Kimbro, Victoria Millner
Photo Editors
Claire Hogan, Kayla Miracle
Art Producer
Darice Chavira
Interns
Lauren Castro, Ben Moskow, Jillian Price
Illustrator
Marianna Fierro
Developers
Tim Biery, Elijah Schow
Managing Editor
Anna Walsh