Gulf Coast
At Pappas Delta Blues Smokehouse, the smoked brisket is the star of the show–the prime-grade Creekstone brisket literally has its name in lights on a marquee above the front door.”That meat’s gotta be perfect,” says chef Michael Velardi, who has been with the Pappas restaurant group for 27 years, 15…
The Pit Room is still in its early phases. They plan to add dinner hours soon, and the menu will continue to grow. Look for some of the items next door at Jackson’s Watering Hole, which Sambrooks also owns. You might remember that name as the bar where Pappa Charlie’s…
Julian’s is a good barbecue joint with the potential to be great. And for Corpus Christi, it is as good as it comes.
Pitmaster Randy Witt does an admirable job of getting the superb smoked chicken and giant spare ribs tender, without drying them out.
Tejas Chocolate Craftory is proof that great Texas barbecue can happen anywhere, even in a chocolate factory.
Husband-and-wife owners Russell and Misty Roegels have been operating at this location since 2001, but three years ago they said goodbye to their Baker’s Ribs franchise and went their own way. Their hallmark is pepper—lots of it. The bark on the brisket and beef rib is a thing of black…
Big cities in Texas all seem to have a beloved barbecue retreat outside of town. It’s a joint far enough away that you really need to leave the city to get there. For Dallas it is Clark’s Outpost in Tioga, San Antonio has the original Rudy’s BBQ in Leon Springs, Austin…
Pizzitola’s is a legend wishing it could play the new game where juicy briskets trump years in service. Maybe they shouldn’t change a thing. Yes, they have some issues with consistency that are inherent in the equipment that helped make them famous, but maybe we should be happy to get…
An edited version of the menu is painted on the building, and the quotations around “homemade” sausage are accurate. The Garners have worked with a local meat market to make sausage to their specifications, and the result is worth the effort. It’s got a punch of seasonings that go beyond…
It’s big, it’s bright red, and Jackson Street BBQ is a great new option for Texas barbecue in downtown Houston. Opened earlier this year, it’s a joint venture between Houston chef Bryan Caswell and local pitmaster Greg Gatlin. The two joined forces on a menu with plenty of variety, and…
The transition from competition barbecue to commercial barbecue can be challenging.
“The good smell in Evadale” is the tag line painted on a wooden fence beside Chuck’s Bar-B-Q and Burgers which sits about thirty minutes north of Beaumont. Folks say the local paper mill produces a stench, and the smoke from owner Chuck Howard’s pit is sometimes the only relief. I…
In a restaurant where links and ribs are so popular, brisket can be an afterthought. None of the great seasoning found on the other meats was present on the dull beef. A half chicken was also dry and under-seasoned, and a swim in the sauce was badly needed to liven…
Spring, Texas is evidently large enough for more than one great food truck. This town of 50,000 just north of Houston has been home to Corkscrew BBQ, a Texas Monthly Top 50 selection, since 2011. Now, just five minutes east is a new food truck park where BBQ Godfather sits…
The rest of the meats need some work to get to the same level as the brisket. A link of jalapeño sausage was smoky and flavorful, but dry. These links will be familiar to anyone who enjoyed them at Snow’s BBQ in Lexington. They share a supplier in Hildebrandt Meat Market…
In a strip center just south of the University of Houston campus you’ll find some of the best fried catfish you’ll ever eat, and some great barbecue to go along with it.
The link is smoky, salty and juicy. There isn’t much more you can ask for in a good sausage.
Meals are served up on nifty little cedar planks (no red plastic here), and patrons can eat at the tall tables inside or snag a picnic bench outside in the beer garden.