New York Times
Brett Anderson’s recent New York Times article titled “The 20 Best Texas Barbecue Restaurants From the New Generation," has been making the rounds in foodie circles in and around Cowtown. In many ways, this news gives several Texas institutions validity in a realm usually set aside for fine dining establishments, white tablecloths and all. This time the spotlight has been placed on a select few pitmasters and crews, who have made their mark after years of trial and error though a smoky haze of slow cooked meats.
According to the article, the criteria for these establishments to be considered modern, is that they opened after 2011 and are serving more than the traditional brisket and ribs with cole slaw. This list was created by Anderson after he visited Texas seven times over a two-year period, to in fact find the best “new generation” BBQ spots around the Lone Star State.
Each spot picked had a quick write-up and photo with an explanation on what dishes you might want to try presented in alphabetical order in the article. Houston and Austin lead the way with five restaurants each. Tarrant County has three spots, and San Antonio claims two. No, Dallas didn’t make the list.
The remaining five restaurants span the state, covering Beaumont, Marfa, Weslaco, and two towns near Lubbock: Slaton and Wolfforth.
The three Tarrant County spots are as follows:
- Goldee’s Barbecue in Fort Worth, a popular newcomer that vaulted to fame after being ranked number one on Texas Monthly’s list.
- Smoke ‘N Ash Barbecue, an Arlington restaurant that has earned acclaim for its use of Ethiopian flavors.
- Vaqueros Bar-B-Q, a Grapevine spot that serves barbecue-influenced takes on Mexican dishes such as cochinita pibil and birria tacos.
Houston's entries include:
- Blood Bros. BBQ, Asian-influenced restaurant in Bellaire.
- Brisket & Rice, Asian-influenced restaurant in Northwest Houston.
- Gatlin’s BBQ, staple Black-owned restaurant featured in Netflix’s High on the Hog documentary series.
- Ray’s Real Pit BBQ Shack, a Black-owned restaurant in Third Ward.
- Truth BBQ, a Washington Avenue restaurant ranked third in the state by Texas Monthly.
Austin's entries include:
- Distant Relatives, known for incorporating flavors of the African diaspora.
- Japanese-influenced Kemuri Tatsu-ya.
- farm-to-table food truck LeRoy and Lewis.
- Valentina’s Tex-Mex BBQ, which just opened its new location in Buda in June.
Anderson also includes Barbs-B-Q, a restaurant in Lockhart that only opened at the end of May but whose three female owners boast serious resumes. San Antonio is represented by two Mexican-influenced spots: 2M Smokehouse and Burnt Bean Co., the restaurant in Seguin whose owners Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland earned nominations for Best Chef: Texas in this year’s James Beard Awards.
“A renaissance in Texas barbecue has transformed what was once a hidebound tradition into one of the country’s most dynamic vernacular cuisines, changing the landscape of American barbecue in the process — and turning Texas into the country’s ultimate barbecue destination,” Anderson writes.
“The new faces of Texas barbecue bring more to the craft than previous generations. They learned from traditional pitmasters, but many also come from fine dining backgrounds, or are self-taught. Many come from other countries. The food at each of their restaurants is testimony of an individual Texas experience; together they give voice to a population enriched by waves of new arrivals from other states and countries.”
