6 Essential BBQ Joints to Try in the Greater Houston Area

You can’t beat Houston when it comes to getting good barbecue. The best barbecue often comes from the small restaurants you only find out about through the locals, or you can get it from an upscale spot with an eclectic menu, and Houston is home to both. You’ll know you’re at one of the essential barbecues in Houston from the flavors and the aromas that you smell as soon as you walk up. Take a look at some of the best places to get delicious barbecue in the Houston area.

Gaitlin’s BBQ

Gaitlin’s BBQ Oak Forest is a family-owned and operated barbecue joint serving Southern barbecue. It first opened in 2010 and quickly became a hot spot in Houston. You know this place is good because the menu focuses on a few of their specialties instead of offering everything under the sun. It features sandwiches, meat by the pound, combo plates, and your favorite sides. 

A lunch or dinner at Gaitlin’s means brisket, ribs, turkey, or pulled pork. You can also get a whole chicken or homemade sausage. If you like your barbecue in a sandwich, choose from burgers, brisket, pulled pork, or rib sandwiches. The sides are all made fresh daily and include popular items such as potato salad, coleslaw, mac and cheese, and baked beans. 

Pinkerton’s Barbecue

Pinkerton’s Barbecue is the place to go in Houston when you want Texas-style prime brisket, smoked sausage, beef ribs, and unique sides to go with it. Pitmaster Grant Pinkerton is at the helm of this restaurant, perfectly smoking all the meats. You can get pork ribs glazed or dry rubbed, regular smoked sausage or jalapeño smoked sausage, Boudin, and turkey breast. 

Make sure you don’t fill up too much on all the delicious meat because the sides are just as delicious. Choose from potato salad, coleslaw, jalapeno cheese rice, South Texas beans, mac and cheese, or smoked duck and sausage jambalaya. 

Truth Barbeque

Truth Barbeque is one of the newer barbecue spots in Houston. It opened in 2019, and it’s run by pitmaster and owner Leonard Botello IV. He serves up authentic Central Texas barbecue and likes to push the boundaries of traditional barbecue dishes to give you something new. Every Saturday is whole hog barbecue, and if you want to get in on this delicious action, make sure you get there before 11 a.m.

The menu features meats by weight if you want to take some home, and you can choose from brisket, turkey, smoked pork ribs, smoked sausage pulled pork, and brisket Boudin. The plates come with one, two, or three meats and two sides. When it comes to your sides, you have several to choose from, including Brussels sprouts, collard greens, mac and cheese, pinto beans, and tater tot casserole. 

The Pit Room

The Pit Room serves traditional Texas barbecue. The owners and pitmasters are Houston natives and make their barbecue the Houston way — with smoke, love, and no sauce. You can choose from various smoked meats at The Pit Room.

The menu has brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, pulled pork, turkey, chicken, and sausage. All the meats are sold by the pound, or you can get a one- or two-meat sandwich. If you want a dinner plate, it comes with a choice of two sides and a slice of white bread. The sides are just as good as the smoked meats, with coleslaw, mac and cheese, mustard potato salad, charro beans, and green beans to choose from. 

This barbecue joint is slightly different from others in the area because they also offer tacos. You can get a chopped brisket taco that comes topped with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and salsa roja. The pulled pork taco is fantastic. It has pulled pork topped with cilantro, pickled red onions, cotija cheese, and salsa verde. The breakfast tacos will start your day if you stop by in the morning. All the breakfast tacos come with refried beans plus a choice of bacon and egg, potato and egg, pulled pork, brisket and egg, or ham and egg.

Roegels Barbecue Co.

If you want some of the best barbecues in Houston, head to Roegels Barbecue Co. Pitmaster Russell Roegels honed his skills at several barbecue spots before opening his restaurant with his own barbecue brand. The Houston Chronicle named Roegels one of the top 100 restaurants in Houston in 2015. 

The menu features meat by the pound, with lean brisket, moist brisket, pork ribs, turkey breast, and pork belly to choose from. You can also get smoked sausage, Boudin, chicken, burnt ends, and barbecue chicken. The dinner plates come with two or three meats, and if you like your barbecue in a sandwich, you can get those too. 

Make sure to save room for the sides. They’re made by Russell’s wife, Misty. She makes potato salad, creamy coleslaw, Texas caviar, mac and cheese, and loaded mashed potatoes. The Texas pinto beans are delicious, along with the green chili stew and marinated tomatoes and cucumbers. 

Triple J’s Smokehouse

Triple J’s Smokehouse has been a Houston staple since 1994. The menu has all your barbecue favorites, from smoked meats to burgers, baked potatoes, and traditional sides. All the meats come with bread and Triple J’s barbecue sauce, and you can choose from ribs, brisket, sausage, a half or whole chicken, and homemade beef links. The Ravens Bowl is a local favorite. It’s a full bowl of fries smothered in chopped beef and cheese. If you’re looking to indulge, this menu item is the way to do it.

Are You Ready To Explore and Try Some Great BBQ?

These are the places we’ll go when we’re looking for the best barbecue in Houston. If you’re needing a ride to help get you to your delicious lunch or dinner plans, stop by Monument Chevrolet. We’ve got a wide variety of new and used cars, trucks, and SUVs to help you find your next dream car.

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