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Posted
2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

This.

And I gotta tell you, as something of a BBQ fan (see username), I've been around and experienced Texas BBQ for decades now.  Including back in the era when most readily available barbecue was decidedly mediocre (think little roadside joints good for chopped beef sandwiches, or urban places that were chains like Luther's, local joints like Bert's, or even small town outfits that were decidedly meh).  There were a handful of "classic, great" joints.  The Lockhart places, Louie Mueller's, Cotten's, Luling City Market, etc.  And yes, Snow's (kicking myself for not going back when a client in Lexington told me I needed to come visit one Saturday for barbecue, back when it was still a local secret).  It was a big deal to go to one, like a special road trip from town, or you stopped at one when you happened to be heading that way to go fishing or somesuch.  We loved 'em, and going was a treat.  Read "Legends of Texas Barbecue" to get a feel for what I'm talking about.

Then, the "craft barbecue" movement kicked off.  It largely overlapped with the birth of internet food discussions and reviews.  John Mueller opened his place on Manor Road.  Got lots of buzz and attention.  Then Aaron opened his trailer, and a focus on a real "perfectionist," refined approach to smoking traditional Texas barbecue kicked in.  And this movement has produced some AMAZING food.  I love it.  I can get world-class, make you change religion barbecue at a dozen places in Austin alone now.

But fucking hell and goddammit.  In a quest to out-barbecue-snob each other, everyone is disdainfully looking down on places that are, and remain, glorious cathedrals of deliciousness.  Fuck that shit.  I've had plenty of high-end, "new gourmet" brisket from many of the places on the TX Monthly list.  And I have to tell you, give me a top-end bite of brisket from 20 of those places, side-by-side, and I would be hard-pressed to tell you the difference.  They are ALL amazing.  Sure, any place can have an off day, etc.  But bottom line, we live in a world where you can get 10-out of-10 quality barbecue at dozens of places.  And people are arguing whether it's really a 10, or is it a 9.98?  What the fucking fuck?  We're entering the "that supermodel has pointy knees, would not bang" territory of barbecue discussion.  

It's fucking stupid.  It's barbecue bro snob culture, and it's fucking stupid and annoying.  And it's killing what we love.  You know who DOESN'T engage in that bullshit?  A guy who has literally made Texas barbecue his passion and career, Daniel Vaughn.  He genuinely appreciates the embarrassment of riches we now have.  And he's not denigrating any place by putting it in the 11-50 category.  The bottom line is that, aside from a unique twist here and there (egyptian style seasonings, or brisket fried rice), every one of these places is making barbecue that would have been the best barbecue you've ever tasted 25 years ago.

I'm brisketexan, and I love good barbecue, and I appreciate the fine folks who make good barbecue, which can now be found all over the state.  And I think that people who take this shit so seriously that they feel the need to "out craft-bbq-bro" people in their snobbery fucking suck, are missing the entire point, and are fucking up the barbecue experience for the rest of us.  Lighten the fuck up, don't take it - and yourself - so fucking seriously.  And if you ever say anything about Tootsie and Snows that isn't along the lines of "it and she are a Texas treasure, and we're all fortunate to have them around to experience," you should probably re-examine your life.

mr pimp GIF
 

Damn straight - This fucking arguing over BBQ being a 9.8 or 9.9 is terrible. There is an amazing amount of great BBQ in this state and we are all better off for it. 

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Posted
19 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

so yeah, they are fringe top 50. But I would def lump Snows-level bbq and experience in with Lockharts stuff and some of the ol school goodies like I said. If you want a good BBQ experience, snows is just as good as Salt lick, coopers, smittys, and LM. Im not sure what else to tell you. 

Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) / X

Posted (edited)
28 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Jesus christ, ill spell it out for you. Places with better cue than Snows:

 

 

Zavalas

Tejas

Lavaca

Truth

Franklin

Interstellar

Mum

Goldees

Daynes

Leroy and lewis

Burnt bean

Reese bros

KG

Terry blacks

Veras

La bbq

1701

Mimsys

Ntx smoke

Smoke n ash

Cattleack

Pinkertons

Micklethwait

Desert oak

Panther city

Hutchins

Barbs

Eaker

Sunbird

Bar A

Rejino

B4

2M

Corkscrew

Butters

Helberg

Distant relatives

Evie maes

Hurtado

Millers

 

 

Places that are on equal footing with Snows BBQ:

Stanley

Smoke sessions

Killens 

Pit room

Hutchins

Teddys

Morenos

Louie mueller

Brisket and rice

Mimsy

Stiles switch

Briscuits

Hill City Chop house

Hallelujah

 

 

so yeah, they are fringe top 50. But I would def lump Snows-level bbq and experience in with Lockharts stuff and some of the ol school goodies like I said. If you want a good BBQ experience, snows is just as good as Salt lick, coopers, smittys, and LM. Im not sure what else to tell you. 


2008 #1
2013 #2
2017 #1
2021 #9

Tootsie - James Beard Semi-Finalist

So in the past 20ish years only 3 spots have achieved Rank 1 other than Snows and those spots are Goldees, Burnt Bean, and Franklin. So go on with your complete dog shit opinion you stupid mother fucker. Which in 2021 they were ranked ahead of most of the places you listed. Who knows their actual ranking now but I'd bet it's ahead of most of the places you also listed.

Edited by BurntOrange&White
Posted
Just now, BurntOrange&White said:


2008 #1
2013 #2
2017 #1

Tootsie - James Beard Semi-Finalist

So in the past 20ish years only 3 spots have achieved Rank 1 other than Snows and those spots are Goldees, Burnt Bean, and Franklin. So go on with your complete dog shit opinion you stupid mother fucker. 

And when did those places open? Also, might wanna take a look at the other places on a few of those lists. Not very stiff competition.

 

Other than St Arnold, Shiner was the one of the top Texas “craft” beers in 2000. That was when there were only a few Texas craft breweries on the scene. 
 

Now? Hell they arent even in the top 100-200 breweries in the state. Competition has made them obsolete. Even tho shiner had what many considered decent beer in 2000, and an INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE that had even gave out free beer! they are losing market share every year.

 

Just because something is iconic doesnt mean its good. And goldees and burnt bean and franklin are worth waiting in line, unlike snows

Posted (edited)
8 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

And when did those places open? Also, might wanna take a look at the other places on a few of those lists. Not very stiff competition.

 

Other than St Arnold, Shiner was the one of the top Texas “craft” beers in 2000. That was when there were only a few Texas craft breweries on the scene. 
 

Now? Hell they arent even in the top 100-200 breweries in the state. Competition has made them obsolete. Even tho shiner had what many considered decent beer in 2000, and an INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE that had even gave out free beer! they are losing market share every year.

 

Just because something is iconic doesnt mean its good. And goldees and burnt bean and franklin are worth waiting in line, unlike snows

Two time ranked #1, multiple top 10 finishes, meanwhile other places have closed down, not even listed, etc. Continue being a complete fucking moron. Consistency over 2 decades is unmatched, well it goes back even further honestly. You're mad you have a shit opinion and get called out for it. 

 

Kind of crazy that for as bad as it is that it's been ranked higher and achieved more than places you've mentioned. Even as short as 4 years ago.

 

Edited by BurntOrange&White
Posted
1 minute ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Two time ranked #1, multiple top 10 finishes, meanwhile other places have closed down, not even listed, etc. Continue being a complete fucking moron. Consistency over 2 decades is unmatched, well it goes back even further honestly. You're mad you have a shit opinion and get called out for it. 

 

Consistency? They are open one day a week lolol. And yes other places have closed, thats how shitty bbq was back then. 
 

kinda fucking easy for a place with zero overhead and open to public for 2 hours a week to stay open. 
 

I see you have totally ignored the list I posted. Thats either because A) you havent tried but maybe 3-4 joints from that list B) You have no rebuttal because I am correct C) Youre likely around 50 years of age, tried a couple of joints on the top 50, and have concluded that its worth waiting 6 hours in line for. If so, you need to try more cue

 

jesus christ u old dudes and ur hard on for Snows. I said this same shit on the shag thread in 2017 about coopers, the lockhart joints, luling cm, etc and got the same response then

 

well, how are those joints now? Thats right, they are good to go to and nice for a history lesson, but there is better BBQ everywhere

 

 

im arguing with morons

Posted (edited)
1 minute ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Consistency? They are open one day a week lolol. And yes other places have closed, thats how shitty bbq was back then. 
 

kinda fucking easy for a place with zero overhead and open to public for 2 hours a week to stay open. 
 

I see you have totally ignored the list I posted. Thats either because A) you havent tried but maybe 3-4 joints from that list B) You have no rebuttal because I am correct C) Youre likely around 50 years of age, tried a couple of joints on the top 50, and have concluded that its worth waiting 6 hours in line for. If so, you need to try more cue

 

jesus christ u old dudes and ur hard on for Snows. I said this same shit on the shag thread in 2017 about coopers, the lockhart joints, luling cm, etc and got the same response then

 

well, how are those joints now? Thats right, they are good to go to and nice for a history lesson, but there is better BBQ everywhere

 

 

im arguing with morons

You are the biggest fucking moron here. 

Edited by BurntOrange&White
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Posted
Just now, GreenspointTexas said:

Please, expound on how Snows is better than the places I listed. Ill wait

 

also, throw in some bullshit about how waiting in line makes the bbq taste better than other places

Let’s take just one that you listed. Pit Room. It’s garbage half the time. They’ve legit served me the worst tray of BBQ that I’ve consumed in the past decade.

Posted (edited)
4 minutes ago, royiv said:

Let’s take just one that you listed. Pit Room. It’s garbage half the time. They’ve legit served me the worst tray of BBQ that I’ve consumed in the past decade.

Worst in the past decade? I highly doubt it but ill take your word

 

also, of the other 53 joints I listed, wanna take a stab at any others? U picked one time at one joint

 

exactly my point tho. There are easily 50 or more joints that have just as good, if not better cue. And that list is just of the ones ive tried, that i thought were better. There were some on the top 50 that were worse. And some i have yet to even go to. So that number may be even higher

Edited by GreenspointTexas
Posted
5 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Worst in the past decade? I highly doubt it but ill take your word

 

also, of the other 53 joints I listed, wanna take a stab at any others? U picked one time at one joint

 

exactly my point tho. There are easily 50 or more joints that have just as good, if not better cue. And that list is just of the ones ive tried, that i thought were better. There were some on the top 50 that were worse. And some i have yet to even go to. So that number may be even higher

Dude, you need to quit huffing the gas in the OR. Or maybe you need to huff more. 

Posted (edited)

And now I want to go eat at Stanley's and drink Shiner.  Weird.

Honestly, I just heard about that East TX Rust place in Gilmer last week, and really would like to try it since it made the Honorable-Mention list, but it's in Gilmer.

 

Edited by dcbc
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Posted
4 hours ago, RPM said:

Was surprised to hear a trailer in Decatur made the list. Seen the place but never stopped there.

Review of North Texas Smoke Barbecue in Decatur – Texas Monthly

Great brisket. Ribs were very good. I don't remember trying their sausage. But I do remember how much I liked their grits. Better than Goldee's grits. 

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Posted
On 5/27/2025 at 12:18 PM, HRSchenker said:

Glad to see B4 in Mabank made the list. Still surprised that Brix didn't crack the top 50. I feel like they were really close in 2021 but not enough to push them over the edge this year. 

I feel like DFW as a whole got crushed. All of the good Q seems to be moving south which sucks because I hate driving but at the same time it means new flavors and experiences.

Nolan at B4 has been working hard to make that list.  He is a good guy but can be pretty thinned skinned, especially to anything negative online.  Their BBQ is good.  

Posted

I think somebody mentioned it above but I'm surprised that Tejas completely fell out of the top 50. That was a top 10 place not that long ago and from what I can see online, Scott Moore is doing the same things he's always done and is even introducing specials that look pretty good. He hasn't commented on the list coming out online that I've seen.

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Posted
32 minutes ago, C-Man said:

I think somebody mentioned it above but I'm surprised that Tejas completely fell out of the top 50. That was a top 10 place not that long ago and from what I can see online, Scott Moore is doing the same things he's always done and is even introducing specials that look pretty good. He hasn't commented on the list coming out online that I've seen.

Agreed.  It was in my Top 5 coming out of our barbecue tour in 2017.  I stopped there in November and had a great meal.

Other really good barbecue joints that fell out of the Top 50 and are now in the Honorable Mention: Hurtado, Terry Blacks, Zavala's, Micklethwait, Blood Bros, Feges, Roegels, Stanley's.

There is only room for roughly 50 joints in the Top 50 and there are clearly many more great barbecue joints in Texas. For that I am grateful.

I'm not aware of any joints outside of Texas that would make the Honorable Mention, let alone Top 50.

 

Posted
55 minutes ago, C-Man said:

I think somebody mentioned it above but I'm surprised that Tejas completely fell out of the top 50. That was a top 10 place not that long ago and from what I can see online, Scott Moore is doing the same things he's always done and is even introducing specials that look pretty good. He hasn't commented on the list coming out online that I've seen.

That was one that stood out to me. I haven’t been out there in a couple of years since it’s pretty far out there for me, but it’s one that I’ve always had as one of the top tier in the Houston area. My wife has been bugging me to go back out there (and to Snow’s - ha!) so we might need to get on that to see what’s up.

Posted
43 minutes ago, Jerry Callo said:

Agreed.  It was in my Top 5 coming out of our barbecue tour in 2017.  I stopped there in November and had a great meal.

Other really good barbecue joints that fell out of the Top 50 and are now in the Honorable Mention: Hurtado, Terry Blacks, Zavala's, Micklethwait, Blood Bros, Feges, Roegels, Stanley's.

There is only room for roughly 50 joints in the Top 50 and there are clearly many more great barbecue joints in Texas. For that I am grateful.

I'm not aware of any joints outside of Texas that would make the Honorable Mention, let alone Top 50.

 

I wonder if there was a concerted effort to exclude Hurtado and Terry Black's as they become "chains" almost (TB's for sure). Zavala's was a curious miss. A buddy of mine is a BBQ guy and he loves Zavala's. He's ordered it for his last two events at his house and I have to admit I didn't love it.

As far as places outside Texas that would make it, Lewis Barbecue in Charleston SC would almost certainly be among the top 50 in Texas IMO. It's terrific.

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Posted
12 minutes ago, C-Man said:

I wonder if there was a concerted effort to exclude Hurtado and Terry Black's as they become "chains" almost (TB's for sure). Zavala's was a curious miss. A buddy of mine is a BBQ guy and he loves Zavala's. He's ordered it for his last two events at his house and I have to admit I didn't love it.

As far as places outside Texas that would make it, Lewis Barbecue in Charleston SC would almost certainly be among the top 50 in Texas IMO. It's terrific.

I was going to say the same about Lewis, though I haven't had it since 2019. 

Posted

Josh Weissman went to Tejas (go to 5:34) in this video and didn't give it high marks for brisket.  Bonus points for having Olivia Tieds in this video who is now taking YT by storm. His Top 3 are Goldee's, L&L & Burnt Bean, which is pretty on par with what most seem to say around here and the interwebs.

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Posted
53 minutes ago, Pablo said:

Josh Weissman went to Tejas (go to 5:34) in this video and didn't give it high marks for brisket.  Bonus points for having Olivia Tieds in this video who is now taking YT by storm. His Top 3 are Goldee's, L&L & Burnt Bean, which is pretty on par with what most seem to say around here and the interwebs.

This was great! I love Olivia! (Did I hear right in the vid that she's moved to Texas???)

Posted
51 minutes ago, C-Man said:

This was great! I love Olivia! (Did I hear right in the vid that she's moved to Texas???)

haha, yeah, I went back and confirmed.  Likely she moved to Austin as well.

Posted
5 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

Agreed.  It was in my Top 5 coming out of our barbecue tour in 2017.  I stopped there in November and had a great meal.

Other really good barbecue joints that fell out of the Top 50 and are now in the Honorable Mention: Hurtado, Terry Blacks, Zavala's, Micklethwait, Blood Bros, Feges, Roegels, Stanley's.

There is only room for roughly 50 joints in the Top 50 and there are clearly many more great barbecue joints in Texas. For that I am grateful.

I'm not aware of any joints outside of Texas that would make the Honorable Mention, let alone Top 50.

 

Hurtado and Micklethwait have never been that good. Glad they dropped. Also good to see Cattleack get dropped from the top 10 - terrible hours and the food doesn’t justify them. I don’t think Dayne’s deserves top 10, maybe not even top 50. 

Posted

Deserving:

Top 10: Burnt Bean, Goldee’s, Truth, Interstellar. Would have kept Panther City in there over Dayne’s.

Top 50: Franklin, Stiles Switch, Cattleack (top 50 but not top 10 and more deserving than Slow Bone), Pinkerton’s, CorkScrew, Louie Mueller

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Posted
3 hours ago, Mittens said:

Count me as an Olivia fan. 🖕

Sorry to neg you (I'll balance it out somewhere).  But that was the only appropriate reaction.  IYKYK

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Posted (edited)
56 minutes ago, Sal said:

Deserving:

. . . .

Top 50: . . . Louie Mueller

I've mentioned this before, but for posterity's sake, I ate there last November.  The beef rib was very good, but I don't know that it lived up to the hype (and LaBBQ's was far better).  The brisket was the most disappointingly bland thing I've eaten in a while.  No bark.  Flavor seemed pretty meh, too.  It was tender.  I mean, just do what you do to the beef rib.  It would be fine.  The sausage was pretty old school meat market, which is nostalgic, but not particularly delicious.  I dropped over $100 for lunch on that with 1 side.  For the sake of the old joints hanging in there, I'm okay with Top 50 because we're spoiled with BBQ in Texas and it's all relatively good in the known places.  But if they'd dropped to honorable mention, I would have understood why.  Still, I hope they're open for another hundred years.

Edited by dcbc

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