Order BBQ for Thanksgiving

8 best Houston barbecue joints for a smoking Thanksgiving feast

Let's be honest. The worst part of preparing Thanksgiving dinner is making the turkey.

Brine it? Flip it? Fry it? Cover it in foil? If so, for how long? Also, roasting a turkey takes up all that time in the oven that could be devoted to pies.

Instead of hassling with all that, consider buying a smoked turkey from one a local barbecue joint. Pitmasters know what they’re doing, and every meat tastes better with a little whiff of smoke.

This list isn’t comprehensive, but it does provide some options from both established players and up-and-comers in the barbecue scene. All are guaranteed to satisfy.

Feges BBQ
The Greenway Plaza barbecue joint has a full menu of Thanksgiving meats and sides. Choose from whole brisket (approximately 7 pounds, $130), turkey breast (approximately 3.5 pounds, $50), pork ribs (whole rack, $40 or half rack, $20) and sausage ($16 per pound, whole links). Sides options — loaded potato salad, braised collard greens, Moroccan-spiced carrots, sweet potato and banana mashers, mac and cheese, or cornbread stuffing — are available as half pan (7 to 10 portions, $30) or full pan (14 to 20 portions, $60). For dessert, consider PB&J chocolate cake, banana cream pie, or rum raisin bread pudding ($40 each). Orders via the restaurant’s website must be placed by Wednesday, November 14.

Killen’s Barbecue
Ronnie Killen’s acclaimed barbecue joint will once again offer whole smoked turkeys (14 to 16 pounds, $70), whole briskets ($95), and brisket tamales ($20 per dozen). Pair them with signature sides like creamed corn, mac and cheese, or coleslaw for $9 per quart. Email eat@killensbarbecue.com to order.

Roegels Barbecue
This Briargrove fave, and member of Texas Monthly’s prestigious top 50, offers bone-in hams and whole turkeys for $65 each. All the usual sides are also available for $6.95 per pint or $11.25 per quart. Call the restaurant 713-977-8725 by Wednesday, November 14 to order.

Buck’s Barbeque Co.
Jim Buchanan is offering whole turkey breasts (approximately 4 lbs, $55), whole briskets (approximately 9 pounds, $125), and whole ribeye rolls ($18 per pound, order by weight). Custom cooking is also available. Email orders or inquiries to jim@bucksbbqco.com. Orders must be received by 5:00 pm on Friday, November 16th.

Corkscrew BBQ
The Spring barbecue joint will offer its full menu of whole meats and sides for Thanksgiving pre-orders. Options include brisket (approximately 6 to 8 pounds, $20 per pound), turkey breast (3 to 4 pounds, $16 per pound), pork butt (4 to 6 pounds, $16 per pound), chicken ($12 each) and pork ribs ($26 per whole rack). Sides are available by the quart ($14), half pan (feeds 20 to 25, $45) or whole pan (feeds 75 to 80, $160). Orders via the restaurant’s website are due by Wednesday, November 14. Act fast. They sell out quickly.

Pappa Charlies Barbeque at Cypress Trail Hideout
The Cypress-area barbecue joint offers a variety of protein options for Thanksgiving: whole turkeys fried or smoked (approximately 12 to 14 pounds, $55.95), smoked turkey breast (approximately 5 pounds, $46.95), smoked ham (approximately 7 pounds, $45.95), and whole brisket (approximately 7 pounds, $18.95 per pound). Sides are available for $19.95 per half pan. Opt for packages of a turkey or brisket and two sides ($95) or four sides ($129). Add apple cobbler for $19.95. Order by November 18. Call 281-213-4136.

Henderson & Kane
This modern take on a general store in the Old Sixth Ward has a range of Thanksgiving options. Meat choices include whole turkey breast ($60), individual turkey legs ($7), smoked honey-baked ham ($60), racks of ribs ($35), whole smoked pork shoulder ($75), whole smoked brisket ($125), or half pound links of sausage ($9). Add tamales by the dozen: smoked brisket ($19), smoked pork ($19), smoked green chile and cheese ($17) or refried beans and cheese ($15). Then add sides such as potato salad, coleslaw, or mac and cheese for $35 each. Finish with one of the seven different pie options, including spiced pumpkin, pecan, or apple for $24.95. To order, email catering@hkgeneralstore.com by November 18.

The Pit Room
The Montrose barbecue joint is offering smoked turkeys (approximately 13 pounds, $85) and whole briskets (6 to 8 pounds, $100) as well as its signature sides by the pint ($6.50), quart ($11.25), or gallon ($40). Call the restaurant at 281-888-1929 by November 19 to order.

Feges BBQ has a full range of Thanksgiving options.

Photo by Carla Gomez

Feges BBQ has a full range of Thanksgiving options.

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NY Times names pioneering Houston restaurant to 'greatest Mexican' list

Photo by Julie Soefer Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau

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The New York Times included four Texas restaurants on its list of “41 of the Greatest Mexican Restaurants Across the United States.” Published Thursday, August 13, the Texas restaurants on the list are:

Burnt Bean Co., a barbecue restaurant in Seguin
Garcia’s Mexican Food, a Tex-Mex diner in San Antonio
Hugo’s, an interior Mexican restaurant in Houston
Nixta Taqueria, a creative taco concept in Austin

Mostly written by James Beard Award-winning food writers Brett Anderson and Bill Esparza, the duo “visited dozens of Mexicans restaurants across the country over the course of a year” to compile the list, the Times explains.

“This list is not an attempt to rank the best Mexican restaurants,” the duo write. “It is, rather, a mosaic of great places to eat, from food trucks to corner restaurants to tasting-menu counters. We hope it tells an expansive story about Mexican cooking in America today — a dynamic cuisine all its own, and as American as any food.”

As Texas Monthly’s No. 1 ranked barbecue joint, Burnt Bean Co. is already well known for its smoked meats, but the Times also hails its Mexican cuisine, which includes its signature Sunday morning menu with menudo, barbacoa tacos, and brisket huevos rancheros.

“You could call it Tex-Mex barbecue, but it’s just how barbecue is eaten in a state whose Mexican border is more than 1,200 miles long,” Anderson writes

Founded in 1962, Anderson hails Garcia’s for its consistency, affordability, and pioneering combination of smoked brisket tacos. “Garcia’s is what an idealized American diner looks like in this part of the country: housemade salsas, tortillas instead of toast and plates of nourishing food at prices that explain why some customers visit multiple times a day,” he writes.

The article credits Hugo’s for introducing the city’s diners to a deeper understanding of the breadth of Mexican cuisine. “Aged into a fine-dining lion in the cradle of Tex-Mex, Hugo’s still features longtime staples like banana leaf-wrapped cabrito, grilled octopus and sautéed chapulines, not to mention mezcals and Mexican wine,” Anderson writes.

“I’m so glad I took a risk taking that train to Houston and, eventually, opening Hugo’s,” Ortega said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment about being included on the list. “I had no idea how it would turn out, I just knew was it was the food that I grew up eating and it was different than what I was seeing in Houston at the time. It was – and is – the food of my heart, my family, my ancestors. The foundation of Mexican cuisine is making everything from scratch which is what we continue to do every day at Hugo’s, and at our other concepts, too. I am humbled and thankful.”

Operated by Edgar Rico and Sara Mardanbigi, Nixta has drawn lines of Austinites eager for its creative spin on tacos, which includes Asian ingredients such as fish sauce and furikake, as well as a dessert that nods to Mardanbigi’s Persian heritage.

“The reservations-only tasting menu, served Thursday through Saturday, further showcases the couple’s stunning creativity and ambition,” writer Priya Krishna notes. “But most of the time Nixta remains what it always has been: a counter taquería of the utmost excellence.”

Of course, knowing that the list isn’t a ranking makes it easier to understand the decision to pick Hugo’s as Houston’s representative — both for its historical significance and continued excellence. If Anderson and Esparza had decided to seek out a newer option, they could have considered restaurants such as, Michelin-starred Mexican tasting menu concept Tatemó; Modern Mexican-American restaurant Belly of the Beast, which is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Thomas Bille; Maximo, which is led by James Beard Award-winning chef Adrian Torres; or Casaema, the breakfast and lunch concept that earned a spot on the Times’ list of its favorite dishes of 2024.

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