Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ Joints 2025: Full List, Newcomers & Must-Try Dishes Revealed

Lead Smoke Signals: Texas Monthly Unveils 2025 Top 50 BBQ List Smoldering anticipation ended today as Texas Monthly published its 2025 “Top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas,” the definitive ranking that resets the state’s smoky pecking order every four years. Beyond bragging rights, inclusion means instant pilgrimage traffic, media buzz, and—if history repeats—lines curling around the block by sunrise. The New No. 1 Seguin’s Burnt Bean Co. leap-frogged past 2021 champ Goldee’s to grab the crown, a meteoric rise fueled by chef-owners Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland’s brisket huevos rancheros breakfast program, weekend Korean beef back ribs, and the cult-favorite bourbon-peach-cobbler taco. Judges praised “barbecue perfection in a small-town museum setting,” a nod to the joint’s renovated Main Street digs. Top Ten Highlights • Burnt Bean Co. – Seguin • LeRoy & Lewis – Austin (up from #3), now serving brisket seven days a week and experimenting with bacon ribs and miso-glazed carrots. • Goldee’s BBQ – Fort Worth, sliding to #3 but still drawing 3-hour waits for its post-oak brisket and Laotian sausage. • Redbird BBQ – Port Neches, the highest-ranking newcomer, lauded for a saffron-laced koobideh sausage wrapped in house-baked pita. • GW’s BBQ – San Juan, vaulting the Rio Grande Valley onto the national stage with Cantonese duck and chicken-fried brisket. • InterStellar BBQ – Austin, keeping innovation on high with peach-tea-glazed pork belly burnt ends. • Dayne’s Craft Barbecue – Aledo, celebrated for the blueberry-Gouda sausage and the OG brisket burger. • LaVaca BBQ – Port Lavaca, merging Tex-Mex flair with Gulf Coast gumbo and smoked tamales. • Truth Barbeque – Houston, where crowds cheer as doors open for brisket boudin and pepper-jack links. • Evie Mae’s – Wolfforth, cementing West Texas’ presence with legendary beef ribs and green-chile grits. Regional Shake-Ups Central Texas still dominates with 18 spots, but coastal and border regions made their loudest showing yet. Seven joints from the Houston metro cracked the list, while the Valley landed two (GW’s and Teddy’s in Weslaco). East Texas, historically under-represented, saw Sunbird (Longview) and Brendyn’s (Nacogdoches) break through, signaling a statewide leveling of the smoke field. What’s Hot in 2025 1. Global Flavors at the Pit – Persian, Pakistani, Egyptian and Laotian seasonings now mingle with salt-and-pepper classics, reflecting Texas’ demographic mosaic. 2. Breakfast Brisket – From Burnt Bean’s Blue October croissants to Dayne’s kolaches, pre-noon sales are booming. 3. Veg-Forward Sides – Grain-bow salads, jalapeño Caesar slaws and pesto-stuffed turkey cater to lighter palates without dulling smoke credibility. 4. Rising Brisket Prices – The statewide average hit $29/lb; Austin’s LeRoy & Lewis crossed the $40 threshold, a data point sure to fuel menu engineering debates. 5. Michelin Momentum – CorkScrew (Spring) and La Barbecue (Austin) retained newfound Michelin stars, proving white-tablecloth inspectors will queue for paper-tray fare. Method Behind the Madness Barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn’s tasting team logged 14 weeks on the road, visiting 319 contenders before secret revisits locked the order. This cycle’s spreadsheet reportedly ballooned to 120 “serious” candidates, sparking internal debate over expanding to a Top 100—but tradition, and page limits, prevailed. Economic Impact Historically, Top 10 designees see year-over-year revenue spikes exceeding 40 percent, according to data shared by previous winners. Local chambers are already touting the potential hotel and gas-pump windfall—especially in smaller towns like Seguin and Port Neches, where eateries double as tourism anchors. How to Plan Your Pilgrimage • Arrive before 8 a.m. for elite spots; some, like Snow’s in Lexington (still Saturday-only), form lines at 4 a.m. • Weekdays beat weekends—except Monday, when many joints rest or prep. • Follow social channels for sell-out alerts and rotating specials such as brisket-fried rice (Houston’s Brisket & Rice) or beef-rib ramen (GW’s). Looking Ahead With pitmasters pushing boundaries—from saffron to Szechuan peppercorns—the next four-year cycle promises even more diversity on Texas’ steel smokers. For now, the 2025 Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ list sets a new gold standard—and gives road-tripping carnivores 50 mouth-watering reasons to fuel up and head out.