The Best Barbecue in Houston

Few smokehouses celebrate the city’s diverse cultural footprint quite like this one, where Texas barbecue traditions merge with Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean flavors. 

Inspector notes: "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 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.

Inspector notes: "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."

In the quiet city of Pearland, native Texan Ronnie Killen barbecues like few others in the Lone Star state. Everyone waits patiently before doors open at 11 a.m., when the crowd moves fast through, what used to be, the city’s first school cafeteria.

Inspector notes: "Sourcing from Snake River Farms, Killen offers a first-class beef rib smoked just out back that is a silken delight and sings of smoke, salt, fat, and pepper. You could cut it with a spoon. And regardless of what your doctor says, order those melting cubes of pork belly burnt ends tossed in a pepper jelly sauce. Brussels sprouts and collards sopping in potlikker offer some reprieve from the meat. First timers won’t have room for dessert, but veterans never lose sight of the crème brûlée bread pudding."

Barbecue competition is steep in these parts, but in just a few short years, pitmaster Grant Pinkerton, who lives above the restaurant, has made a name for himself. The number of deer heads mounted on the walls of this low-slung joint makes you wonder whether beef is really on the menu, but indeed it is.

Inspector notes: "Everyone starts with the hulking beef rib, which often sells out before midday, and thick, melting slabs of prime-grade brisket cooked over mesquite and oak. Like all good barbecue, neither piece wants for sauce. Not to be outdone are the brilliantly tender St. Louis-style ribs, which are glazed to order in a sweet sauce made with dehydrated vegetables. Keep an eye on the back wall where daily specials are written in small print."

The wait to order is rarely long, and the amount of seating indoor and outdoor is bountiful. In a region where eating barbecue can require considerable advanced planning, such accommodations are a welcome change of pace.

Inspector notes: "Who had the brilliant idea to use brisket trimmings to make tortillas? The credit might possibly belong to this Montrose smokehouse, which delivers prime USDA brisket and beef rib excellence. With a side order of warm tortillas and a lashing of sweet sauce, the combination is spot-on. Speaking of sides, the refreshing marinated tomato salad or the surprisingly spicy charred beans pack a lot more flavor than expected. Early risers can drop in for a quick breakfast taco."

Although the acclaimed original location in Brenham is little more than a roadside shack, this Houston Heights sequel from owner and pitmaster Leonard Botello IV is a gleaming model of modern efficiency.

Inspector notes: "Fortunately, the cooking still has plenty of soul: the brisket is expectedly solid, while smoked pork ribs and house-made sausages are a cut above. Surprisingly, sides like collards, beans and corn pudding—or even the more rarified tater tot casserole with crisp fried onions— might even be the highlight, offering the flavorful, rib-sticking quality of lovingly homemade dishes. If, somehow, you manage not to fill up on the tantalizing savory options, those with an implacable sweet tooth can tip the scales with hefty slices of house-made cake."