The 12 Best BBQ Joints in Texas, Ranked
We drove 2,400 miles, stood in 14 lines before sunrise, and ate more brisket than any doctor would sign off on.
MGBy Maria G.September 19, 2026 · 6 min read
There are debates in Texas you don't start unless you're ready to finish them: high school football, breakfast taco supremacy, and — above all — who smokes the best brisket in the state.
For this ranking we set some rules. No chains. No reheats. Every joint visited at least twice, unannounced, and judged on brisket, ribs, sausage, and the intangible feeling that you'd line up again tomorrow.
What we found wasn't just great barbecue. It was a state's worth of obsession — pitmasters who tend fires like newborns, sides that outshine most restaurants' mains, and lines that turn into friendships by the time the doors open.
