Central Texas barbecue joints make Texas Monthly's Top 50 list

Central Texas barbecue joints make Texas Monthly's Top 50 list

May 27, 2025 / Forbes LA /



In Texas’ state-designated BBQ capital, two legendary Lockhart families run the town’s most iconic barbecue joints as a rising star joins the scene — and all vie for coveted spots on the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ list. Explore our project online now and watch the documentary June 5 at 7 p.m. on the KXAN+ smart TV app.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Fourteen Central Texas barbecue spots ranked on one of the industry’s most prestigious lists of the year.

Texas Monthly’s Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints list was released Tuesday, spotlighting new winners for 2025. The list only comes out every four years — the previous edition was released in 2021.

The top 10 for this year include:

  1. Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin
  2. LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin
  3. Goldee’s Barbecue in Fort Worth
  4. Redbird BBQ in Port Neches
  5. GW’s BBQ in San Juan
  6. InterStellar BBQ in Austin
  7. Dayne’s Craft Barbecue in Aledo
  8. LaVaca BBQ in Port Lavaca
  9. Truth Barbeque in Houston
  10. Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque in Wolfforth

Six other Austin barbecue spots placed in the top 50; these include the Briscuits food truck, Franklin Barbecue, KG BBQ, La Barbecue, Mum Foods Smokehouse and Delicatessen, and Stiles Switch BBQ.

Joints outside of Austin that placed on the list include: Barbs B Q in Lockhart, Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Miller’s Smokehouse in Belton, Rossler’s Blue Cord Barbecue in Harker Heights, and Snow’s BBQ in Lexington.

In San Antonio, 2M Smokehouse and Reese Bros Barbecue were in the top 50. Houston-based Pinkerton’s Barbecue also placed on the list, with Texas Monthly noting that “the San Antonio location is just as good.”

To learn more about how Texas Monthly compiles its famed list, we sat down with barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn. He talked about how his team of tasters works to narrow down thousands of restaurants from all over the state. Each is ranked based on scores for their brisket, ribs, turkey, sausage and sides. 



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I am an editor for Forbes Washington DC, focusing on business and entrepreneurship. I love uncovering emerging trends and crafting stories that inspire and inform readers about innovative ventures and industry insights.

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