This story was originally published in November 2021 and has been updated.

The Houston metro area has more standout barbecue joints than exist in many entire states. We have our favorites, of course. In 2023, Texas Monthly released a list of the best new barbecue joints in Texas. In the June 2025 issue we published our top fifty barbecue joints list, along with fifty more worthy of honorable mentions , but our barbecue recommendations don’t stop there. You can get a great meal of smoked meats at any one of these Houston barbecue joints.

In the City of Houston

Brisket & Rice

2025 Top 50

Phong Tran, his brother Hong, and Hong’s wife, Michelle Nguyen, combined their Vietnamese heritage with classic Central Texas barbecue to create this gem next to a gas station in far northwest H

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