9 Relative Newcomers to the Texas Barbecue Scene That Are Worth a Visit

There must be something in the barbecue sauce.

Thanks to the barbecue boom Texas has experienced over the last 10 , ludicrously talented pitmasters have dress up everywhere , breathing novel biography into a regional cuisine once associated with dusty roads and weather cinch table . ( Okay , there ’s still mountain of that . ) These pitmasters and chef are not only squeeze Hellenic ’ pool stick like they ’ve been at it for 70 eld , but infusing their food with just as much culture as sens . From a grouping of twenty - somethings who are masters of their cunning to a former fine - dining chef whose glide slope to barbecue is refreshingly undress - down and honest , these are the proportional newcomer ( all opened within the last four years ) who are predominate Texas ’ vivacious barbeque conniption .

Goldee’s

Fort WorthSince receiving the coveted number one place onTexas Monthly ’s list of the top 50 barbeque joints , the buzz circumvent Goldee ’s has grow to a bellowing — a far cry from the meat house ’s hushed opening in early 2020 . Before conjoin forces , Goldee ’s five 20 - something owners honed their skill at some of the upright barbecue topographic point in Texas include Franklin , Valentina ’s , la Barbecue , Micklethwait , and Terry Black ’s in Austin as well as Houston ’s Truth BBQ , and San Antonio ’s 2 M Smokehouse . Today , the contrast at Goldee ’s starts shape two hr prior to curtain raising with folks eager for a taste perception of the best smoked substance in Texas — moist and lean brisket with a sapid kinky bark , cutter pork ribs with just the right amount of sauce , juicy fume turkey , housemade blimp , and comically large kick rib that are often first to sell out . The homemade brioche bread is an unexpected standout as are the desserts , a cinnamon - spiked banana tree pud and Sunday - only sugar pudding . Goldee ’s is well worth the drive to the outskirt of southeast Fort Worth and hey , the free beer and meaty samples fresh from the smoker do n’t hurt , either .

Zavala’s Barbecue

Grand PrairieInspired by his sire ’s heart and soul smoke skills , Joe Zavala quit his caper in IT and ( fortuitously for us ) quest for his passion for barbeque by opening his namesake smoke shack in 2019 . People from all over flock to the Mid - Cities area in the Dallas – Fort Worth metroplex for expertly perform brisket ( Texas Monthlyhas called it “ flawless ” ) with a coarse peppery bark , transcendent beef rib , and pizza pie pepper sausage balloon with a spicy kick . And , as a nod to his South Texas roots , Zavala ’s offers fluffy flour tortillas staring for tucking barbecue into before drizzling with fresh , housemade salsas . Feeling adventuresome ? Go for the Sloppy Juan , a flour tortilla that ’s shove with a good deal of chopped brisket and pulled porc .

Burnt Bean Co.

SeguinBefore give Burnt Bean Co. , Ernest Servantes already had a repute as a top pitmaster on the challenger barbecue circuit ; winning countless championships on a state and national storey as well as on television . It was at these competition where he met fellow elite pitmaster Dave Kirkland and in 2020 , Burnt Bean Co. was stand . Yes , they absolutely crush when it come to the holy Holy Trinity : sore , black - bark select brisket with a perfectly rendered fat cap , angelical - and - spicy free fall - apart tender pork rib , and downright heavenly housemade sausage balloon with a snappy casing . ( The jalapeño - cheese sausage balloon , which seep with gooey cheese , is a must order.)Folks even gush about their impossibly juicy smoked turkey . But , for anyone who perplex as mad about the English as the main magnet AND sleep with Tex - Mex , Burnt Bean Co. seriously hand over . Try the queso mac ' northward cheese top out with crumbled piquant Zea mays puffs and the street corn pud topped with crema and chile - quicklime seasoning . On Sundays , hit up the Tex - Mex breakfast menu for favorites like the brisket huevos rancheros and the aptly - named “ Hangover ” with the magical healing powers of menudo , barbacoa , and tortillas . Oh , and as a incentive , you ’ll be able to take the air off your repast hell dust - dab in the mettle of Seguin ’s picturesque business district district .

Pinkerton’s

San AntonioComfort and convenience are seldom considered when it comes to seeking out great Texas barbeque ; 5 am road trips and sporks are simply chalked up as necessary evils , a part of the “ Texas barbeque experience . ” However , this is not the case at the San Antonio outpost of Houston - ground Pinkerton ’s , a cozy 2021 gain to the city ’s vibrant business district . The restaurant — which is located in a beautifully landscaped urban park that ’s perfect for letting kids bunk around — seem like a modern hunting Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge complete with communal tables and taxidermied deer mountain . Unsurprisingly , the food is fantastic ; menu standouts admit the glaze pork barrel rib with perfectly sweet caramelized crust , the improbably moist brisket , jalapeño cheese sausage , rosemary bacon mac ’ n cheeseflower ( add brisket ! ) , and the South Texas beans . And , Pinkerton ’s is open late and has a full taproom , spacious covered patio , and regular live music , so find devoid to abide a while .

InterStellar BBQ

AustinAt InterStellar BBQ , Chef John Bates infuse his amercement - dining sensibility into every smoky bit of his preposterously good barbeque . In 2019 , after Erolia minutilla at some of Austin ’s fine dining institutions and the shuttering of his eatery , Noble Sandwich Co. , Bates jump headfirst into the barbecue world . The menu is a portmanteau word of traditional Central Texas ’ discriminative stimulus — like the expertly execute Certified Angus brisket and pulled pork — and deliciously unorthodox offering , like peach tea - glazed pork belly and jalapeño popper sausage . The incline are also far from basic with chef - y delights like Gouda mac ’ n Malva sylvestris and smoke scallop potato . InterStellar is situate in a massive strip mall , but it ’s leisurely to find : just follow the smoke .

Panther City BBQ

Fort WorthPanther City BBQ — named as an homage to Fort Worth ’s felid moniker — was founded by chum Chris Magallanes and Ernest Morales after the span choose top plunder at a barbeque competition and decided to fall by the wayside their AV Book of Job . Since porta in 2018 , the Near Southside neighborhood trailer has earned itself a host of fans for sling killer whale barbecue and fun , Mexican street food - inspired “ twists . ” Drop in for brisket with a Greco-Roman peppery bark that melt in your mouth , brisket elote ( creamy smoke corn pinch with brisket , queso fresco , cilantro , and salsa ) and luscious crunchy porc stomach burn off death inspired by the preview ’s former occupant , Heim BBQ .

Feges BBQ

HoustonUpon opening in 2018 , Feges BBQ pose itself aside from the metropolis ’s many other ’ cue joint by serving not only bang-up barbeque , but the kind of barbeque and sides you ’d find in a James Beard Award - worthy Southern eatery . And , with the 2021 porta of their Spring Branch localization , husband - and - wife team Erin Smith and Patrick Feges have continued to up the ante , literally bring in their experience in barbeque , amercement - dining , and cordial reception to the board with a well - curated vino list and inspired dishes . Try the tart porc rib , southern fried chicken , brisket burn ends cast out in red sirup , and Money Cat Potatoes ( late - fry potatoes tossed in gochujang , mayo , and greenish onions ) . At the original Greenway Plaza Food Court locating , sink your teeth into classic oblation — tiptop moist brisket , crisp pork paunch — and unexpected hits like the roasted scented and sullen Brussels sprout .

Hurtado Barbecue

ArlingtonWhat go as a pop - up in 2018 has evolve into two brick - and - mortar emplacement and a passel of well - earned kudos for Brandon Hurtado and his playful Tex - Mex take on Central Texas barbecue . lodge skillfully - executed mainstays like smoked meridian brisket , rib , and sausage by the pounding alongside fume quail and brisket birria tacos . Save way for the Texas Twinkies , the eating place ’s spin on a Texas Tornado : Hurtado gorge giant jalapeños with brisket and pimiento cheese , wrap them in applewood bacon , and brushes them with barbecue sauce before land up on a smoker .

Distant Relatives

AustinChef Damien Brockway antecedently serve as chef at notable Austin restaurant Uchiko and Counter 3 Five VII , as well as Jester King Brewery , so while Distant Relatives is a divergence from his fine - dining background , it feels more like an arrival . open in 2021 and now located at South Austin ’s Meanwhile Brewing , Distant Relatives ’ innovative African - American barbeque is inspired by “ the textures , sapidity , inheritance , and narration of the African diaspora within the United States . ” Here there ’s an emphasis on use of live fire and smoke , sourcing topically , conservation , employing a nose - to - tail ethos , and incredible spice profile . The termination : Central Texas - fashion barbeque that ’s both intimate and inventive . Try the smoke - tinged pulled pork with lemonlike Tamarindus indica molasses barbecue sauce and the sublime bitch brisket , slice thick with a side of smoke mustard butter sauce .