Texas Barbecue with a Twist

Africa meets Texas

Distant Relatives
Austin

This food truck at Meanwhile Brewing was recently awarded a Bib Gourmand, a MICHELIN Guide distinction best known for providing good food at a good value. Chef Damien Brockway works in hits West African and Virginia roots on this menu. Everything from the spices and sauces to the sides reflects that heritage.

Inspector Notes: Meanwhile Brewing is home to a few food trucks, but Chef Damien Brockway's is the one to beat. It's barbecue, but certainly not your grandaddy's barbecue. Instead, there's more than a hint of new school in this cooking, with the chef's African diaspora inspiration coming through in the menu. There is a stern nose to tail and root to stem ethos here, where you'll find everything from pulled pork and brisket to chicken smoked using pecan wood and mixed hardwood. Classic pork sausage flecked with red pepper flakes impresses with its dialed-in flavor, but it's the chicken with chile vinegar butter that is the true standout. A rotating list of sides may include burnt ends with black-eyed peas and smoky spice-rubbed peanuts.

Smoke’N Ash
Arlington (Dallas/Ft. Worth)

Opened in 2018 by a Texan and Ethiopian husband and wife, Smoke'n Ash adds Ethiopian spices to their blend to create their singular “Tex-Ethiopian barbecue." There are also plenty of dishes that most don’t necessarily associate with a barbecue spot, including collard greens, awaze glazed offerings, pilaf rice, fried okra, as well as Ethiopian stews.

Inspector Notes: Husband and wife Patrick and Fasicka Hicks started like many other barbecue spots with a trailer smoker and weekend pop-ups, but that's where most of the similarities end. This casual Arlington spot with booth and table seating and a welcoming ambience bills its barbecue as Tex-Ethiopian. There are some typical Texan classics, but it's their barbecue seared with awaze, an Ethiopian-spice sauce, that truly stands out. Sold by the half-pound, platters are the way to go if you want to sample more of the offerings like skillfully smoked brisket and tender pulled lamb. They have the classic sides like mac and cheese and potato salad, but try something different like their collard greens, fried okra, or Ethiopian lentil stews.

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Asian Fusion

Houston is well known for its diverse Asian population and here in this one spot, there’s a tidy cultural fusion. Brothers Robin and Terry Wong showcase their Chinese heritage and pitmaster Quy Hoang displays his Vietnamese roots while also working in Korean flavors.

Inspector Notes: Few smokehouses celebrate the city’s diverse cultural footprint quite like this one, where Texas barbecue traditions merge with Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean flavors. Where else will you find a fried bao soaked in honey, layered with pork belly and topped with hot mustard and water spinach? How many pitmasters glaze their ribs in gochujang? Classic offerings of brisket and ribs satisfy, but the restaurant’s heart lives in the daily specials, which change with great frequency. Take a look around: A nearby table will always have a dish you wish you had ordered. How’s the brisket fried rice? What about that smoked char siu banh mi? Do you have room for the watermelon salad? These are questions for the next visit – and the visits after that.

Brisket and Rice
Houston

Chef-owner Hong Tran grew up in Texas with a Vietnamese mother who would often combine brisket with rice. That melding of cultures inspired a hobby that grew into this popular spot with an unlikely location.

Inspector Notes: Brisket fried rice by the gas station? Only in Texas. Chef Hong Tran originally cooked brisket as a backyard hobby but now finds himself running this bustling restaurant with his family in the greater Houston area. Long lines move quickly through this well-oiled operation, which shares a parking lot with people filling up their tanks. Practically everyone is here for the same thing, and Tran’s signature dish is a reflection of his Lone Star upbringing and Vietnamese roots: Jasmine fried rice tossed with fried egg and Chinese sausage packs proper wok flavor, and each order can come with two prime, melting slabs of brisket. No need to bother with the sides when you can fill up on the pork ribs, which are beautifully tender and delicately smoked.

Kemuri Tatsu-ya
Austin

A Japanese izakaya is most often associated with a laidback mindset, perfect for a fun night out, but they’re not often associated with Texan barbecue. Enter Kemuri Tatsu-ya, where your barbecue can be made into a bento box. It’s not traditional but it is terrific.

Inspector Notes: What do you get when you blend a Japanese izakaya with a barbecue joint? It's not a punchline—it's Kemuri Tatsu-ya. From the decor (think cowboy boots and whiskey bottles with teapots and lanterns) to the menu (corn bread taiyaki, anyone?), this East Austin spot blends the two worlds in the very best way. It's casual but laser-focused on quality. Choose from snacks and skewers like the grilled scallop and squash plated with saikyo corn brûlée. Smoked options, from brisket in a sesame-pecan rub to salmon collar, can be made into a bento box which arrive with koshihikari rice, serrano limón miso barbecue sauce, house pickles, and guacamole. Most dishes are intended for sharing, making this an ideal spot for groups.

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Middle Eastern Musings

Imagine tasting something so delicious it alters the course of your life? That’s precisely what happened to Kareem El-Ghayesh. The Cairo native took one taste, relocated to Austin, and left behind his career in business to focus on barbecue but he never left his roots behind. Instead, he brings his Egyptian heritage and the broader flavors of the Middle East to his singular offerings.

Inspector Notes: Barbecue is ubiquitous in Texas, but there's something deliciously different about KG BBQ. It's all due to owner Kareem El-Ghayesh. Raised in Cairo, he left behind a career in finance to move here to smoke meat, and Austin is very happy he did.

His food truck is located next to Oddwood Brewing, and there's always a line for this food that marries Middle Eastern twists with Texan barbecue tradition. From rubs and sauces that use sumac, cinnamon, and pomegranate to Mediterranean sausage with green olives, sun dried tomatoes, and feta cheese, the mashup is marvelous. Don't skip the boneless chicken thighs marinated in honey, thyme, and sumac and accompanied by a yogurt sauce. End on a sweet note like the rice pudding with pistachio butter and mascarpone.

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Deli Classics with a Twist

Mum Foods Smokehouse & Delicatessen
Austin

Matzoh ball soup isn’t the first side you’d expect to see on a barbecue restaurant’s menu, but it’s a popular choice at Mum Foods Smokehouse & Delicatessen, where classic deli foods meet Texas barbecue. This place is best known for their pastrami but before you think it’s classic New York deli pastrami, it’s not. Instead. It’s brined for ten days, rubbed with black pepper and coriander, and then smoked (instead of steamed), making for a delicious mashup.

Inspector Notes: Geoffrey Ellis and Travis Crawford are the brains behind this popular spot in Mueller that is equal parts Texas barbecue and delicatessen. Located in a shared space, it's a classic no-fuss spot with concrete floors and booths made from wooden slats, but you're here for the food, most likely the house-made pastrami sandwich. Brined, then rubbed with black pepper and coriander before being smoked, they take their meat seriously. Piled high on house-made rye sourdough with mustard, it's their signature item for a good reason. Other sandwiches, meat by the pound, a variety of sides like collard greens, potato salad, and chips and pimento dip, plus classics like matzoh ball soup are all worth a try too.

Hero image: Jody Horton / Kemuri Tatsu-ya