The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2025 Edition
Texas barbecue has improved so dramatically since Franklin Barbecue's 2009 opening that Texas Monthly's barbecue editor faced an unprecedented challenge: 120 contenders worthy of the magazine's top-50 list, compared to only slightly more than 50 in previous years. The transformation reflects the democratization of excellence—first-rate brisket and house-made sausage are now commonplace rather than rare—while pitmasters increasingly experiment with global influences, from smoked koobideh sausage to Korean beef ribs to jerk chicken. The resulting rankings showcase a Texas barbecue landscape that honors both traditional smokehouse mastery and bold culinary innovation, with only 7 joints from the 2013 list making this year's rankings.