Where To Find The Best Texas Bbq

If you've ever considered creating a travel itinerary around a single food, Texas BBQ offers one of the finest trails of pits and platters. Great barbecue serves as a journey through Texas history and culture — one you'll emerge from feeling well-fed and wiser. The good news is that if you're cruising from the Port of Galveston, there are plenty of incredible barbecue options within an hour's drive. And if you're up for a longer trip, there are several legendary barbecue restaurants you can visit, as well.

The origins of Texas barbecue go back to the indigenous people of the Caddo Nation, who used traditional cooking methods for preparing venison and other game in the territory of present-day East Texas. In later years, Spanish settlers, Mexicans, African Americans, German and Czech immigrants, plus cowboys from the Chisholm Trail days, contributed their own smoke, spices and cooking techniques to the craft. Forget whole hog — in Texas, it was often the whole steer that historically was offered up at big community gatherings.

Today, beef remains king in Texas barbecue. Texas has been a proving ground for pitmasters, smokers and chefs to make their mark on barbecue. Though the world typically paints Texas barbecue with one brush (beef brisket, beef ribs and beef sausage), that brush is generally emblematic of Central Texas or Hill Country barbecue styles. You'll find these items on the menu throughout the state, but you'll also find surprising discoveries. For example, chopped beef is an uncelebrated yet enduring part of the menus in Dallas and East Texas. In South Texas and throughout the state, Tex-Mex-style barbecue showcases barbacoa and carnitas. And in large cities like Houston and Austin, Asian influences are giving rise to even more flavors.

Pull up a chair at a beloved barbecue joint and you'll find that your tools are humble: pink butcher paper, a sack of white bread, paper napkins and plastic utensils. In some places, you're even encouraged to bring your own sides. It's about as authentic an experience as it gets and a fabulous way to start or end your trip to explore Texas BBQ. Here's where to go and what to eat when you get there.

1. Leon's World's Finest Bar-B-Que, Galveston

You don't even need to leave Galveston to enjoy some quality 'cue. Leon's is a small, family-run restaurant serving up pork ribs that will have you licking your fingers, plus some of the best sides — red beans and rice, boudin and, for dessert, rum cake and buttermilk pie.

Distance from Port of Galveston: 3.5 miles/10-minute drive

2. Pinkerton's Barbecue, Houston

The eponymous Houstonite pitmaster who helms Pinkerton's cranks out award-winning beef ribs and brisket using mesquite wood fire and post oak to finish. Side options include smoked duck and sausage jambalaya as well as jalapeño cheese rice. Try some smoked bread pudding for dessert.

Distance from Port of Galveston: 55 miles/1-hour drive

3. Blood Bros. Bbq, Bellaire

If you'd like to sample one of the styles that's particularly reflective of Houston, head here, where the changing menu reflects the influence of global cuisine and its intersection with barbecue. Examples might include Korean gochujang-glazed ribs, Chinese-Vietnamese smoked char siu pork banh mi, smoked brisket and gai lan chow fun.

Distance from Port of Galveston: 58 miles/1-hour drive

4. Truth Bbq, Houston

Truth BBQ has topped statewide best barbecue lists with its simple yet delicious recipes. You can order up the Texas Trinity here (brisket, pork ribs and smoked sausage) or order a one-, two- or three-meat plate with your choice of sides, and pull up a spot at one of the covered picnic tables.

Distance from Port of Galveston: 54 miles/1-hour drive

5. Feges Bbq, Houston

Feges has two Houston locations: The original is on East Greenway Plaza, and there's a newer, larger location a bit farther away on Long Point Road. There are a few more greens and veggie options on the menu here than other Texas barbecue joints, which can be a welcome change, alongside sinfully delicious sides like hogfat cornbread and loaded potato mash, which is only available at the Long Point location.

Distance from Port of Galveston: 55 miles/1-hour drive

6. Coastal Que Bbq & More, Matagorda

The tiny coastal town of Matagorda is an under-the-radar destination that's beloved by local anglers and beachcombers. Coastal Que is a seasonal barbecue restaurant open May to October featuring sweet and smoky ribs and crave-worthy sides, such as tater tot casserole.

Distance from Port of Galveston: 98 miles/2-hour drive

7. Ko Korean Grill, Beaumont

If you'd like to try Korean barbecue, head to the town of Beaumont, a culinary hidden gem in Texas that has been influenced by its proximity to the Gulf Coast and Louisiana, as well as Vietnamese shrimpers who immigrated here in the 1970s. At Ko Korean Grill, you can cook your meal on your own tabletop grill or choose from a variety of combo options.

Distance from Port of Galveston: 81 miles/2-hour drive

8. Snow's Bbq, Lexington

Snow's is one of a handful of nationally and internationally known Texas barbecue restaurants, helmed by Norma Frances "Tootsie" Tomanetz and featured on many TV shows, including "Chef's Table: BBQ." Like many of these well-known establishments, prepare for a wait if you decide to visit — but as they say in Texas, sometimes you've gotta risk it for the brisket.

Distance from Port of Galveston: 175 miles/3-hour drive

9. Franklin Barbecue, Austin

Franklin Barbecue — offering exquisitely crafted brisket in addition to smoked turkey and sausage — arrived on the Austin scene in 2009. Many have credited the restaurant for elevating Texas barbecue to even loftier heights. Lines here tend to be tailgate-style affairs, with people sipping Lone Star beer and meeting new friends while they wait.

Distance from Port of Galveston: 213 miles/3.5-hour drive

10. Black's Barbecue, Lockhart

If you have your heart set on a true barbecue pilgrimage, head to Lockhart, Texas — a fairly relaxing drive on country roads from Houston. Lockhart is where you'll find the most famous Texas barbecue restaurants: Black's as well as Smitty's Market and Kreuz Market. Each is unpretentious. Just order up your meat plates or brisket by the pound and load your treasures up onto butcher paper. Sample your way through all of them to find your favorite.

Distance from Port of Galveston: 207 miles/3.5-hour drive