Low and Slow Writing

12 Houston barbecue joints profiled in Texas author's beautiful new book

This hefty book highlights the behind the historical connections that make Texas Barbecue so interconnected.

Photo by Brianna Caleri

Most Texans know our barbecue traditions are more complicated than a bit of salt, pepper, and smoke, but how much else is there to say? For Austin-based food and travel writer Veronica Meewes, the answer is: a lot. Her new 512-page book, Texas BBQ: The Art of Low and Slow, covers the subject in great detail, from long restaurant and pitmaster profiles to shorter blurbs that weave the complicated web of who's who in Texas 'cue. Gorgeous photographs round out this feast of a coffee table book.

It's not revolutionary to profile regional barbecue joints. Texas Monthly certainly has that covered already. This book stands out not just for its beauty — including embossed lettering and a cloth wrap that looks and feels like a high-quality denim apron — but for the depth at which it chronicles each establishment.

Texas BBQ: The Art of Low and Slow table of contents Big photos make Texas BBQ fun to flip through.Image courtesy of HarperCollins

Some of the more notable entries like Goldee's Barbecue in Fort Worth, Truth BBQ in Brenham and Houston, and Aaron Franklin in Austin get six to 10-page spreads. Each is written in a way that the reader would understand if they simply flipped to their favorite restaurant, but during long reading sessions, bigger narratives start to unfold. (Nerds with free time: Count the times Louie Mueller Barbecue is mentioned. Partiers: Take a shot for each.)

That may sound repetitive, but these extensive histories offer a taste of the little details other, more common accounts don't; for instance, the nicknames and specs of some pitmasters' favorite smokers, or that there's a popular misconception that 2M Barbecue in San Antonio stands for "two Mexicans." (It's actually a nod to the owners' grandfathers, Ignacio Márquez and Joe J. Melig Jr.) That level of information for 75-plus barbecue spots took Meewes two years to compile.

In between these comprehensive histories, there are snippets of more general knowledge: a barbecue glossary, a breakdown of different types of wood and knives, and a profile of two popular barbecue education courses.

Since the book is organized by region — North, East, Central, South, and West Texas — it's both a great semi-personalized book for Texans who love their hometowns and a useful travel guide. The profiles in each section are listed below.

The title of this book could be a tongue-in-cheek reference to how it's written, with a clear passion for getting to the bottom of things, finding the flavor, and trimming very little fat.

Author Veronica Meewes at la Barbecue.Photo by Alex Gray

Texas BBQ is published by HarperCollins, with an original release date of November 11. It is available via the publisher for $50, or as an ebook for $34.99, as well as from other stores across Texas and major online retailers. This is Meewe's fifth book.

North Texas

Goldee’s Barbecue- Fort Worth
Panther City BBQ- Fort Worth
Cattleack Barbeque- Dallas
Zavala’s Barbecue- Grand Prairie (Dallas area)
Smoke-a-Holics BBQ- Fort Worth
Heim Barbecue- Fort Worth & Dallas
Sabar BBQ- Fort Worth
Dayne’s Craft Barbecue- Aledo (outside FW)
Hutchins Barbeque- MicKinney & Frisco (Dallas area)
Lockhart Smokehouse- Dallas
Smoke’n Ash BBQ- Arlington

East Texas

Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue- Tyler
1701 Barbecue- Beaumont
Blood Bros BBQ- Houston
Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue- Tomball
Bar-A BBQ- Montgomery
Bodacious Bar-B-Q- Longview
Sunbird Barbecue- Longview
Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue- Crockett
Martin’s Place- Bryan
Khoi Barbecue- Houston
Harlem Road Texas BBQ- Richmond
Gatlin’s BBQ- Houston
Pizzitola’s Bar-B-Cue- Houston
Feges BBQ- Houston
Killen’s Barbecue- Pearland, Cypress, Shenandoah
Redbird BBQ- Port Lavaca
Patillo’s Barbeque- Beaumont
Brett’s BBQ Shop- Katy
Roegels BBQ Co.- Houston
CorkScrew BBQ- Spring

Central Texas

Franklin Barbecue- Austin
Louie Mueller Barbecue- Taylor
la Barbecue- Austin
LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue- Austin
Micklethwait Craft Meats- Austin
InterStellar BBQ- Austin
Kreuz Market- Lockhart
Snow’s BBQ- Lexington
Eaker Barbeque- Fredericksburg
Rossler’s Blue Cord BBQ- Harker Heights
Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que- Llano (and other locations)
Miller’s Smokehouse- Belton
Southside Market & Barbeque- Elgin, Bastrop, Austin & Hutto
The Original Black’s Barbecue- Lockhart, Austin, San Marcos
Terry Black’s Barbecue- Austin, Lockhart, Dallas, Waco
Distant Relatives- Austin
Rollin’ Smoke BBQ- Austin
Mum Foods Smokehouse & Delicatessen- Austin
KG BBQ- Austin
Stiles Switch BBQ and Brew- Austin
Smitty’s Market- Lockhart
City Market- Luling
Black Board Bar B Q- Sisterdale
Victorian’s Barbecue- Mart
Viteks’ BBQ- Waco
Guess Family Barbecue- Waco
Helberg Barbecue- Woodway

South Texas

2M Smokehouse- San Antonio
Burnt Bean Co.- Seguin
Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que- Brownsville
Teddy’s Barbecue- Weslaco
Reese Bros. Barbecue- San Antonio
GW’s BBQ Catering Co.- San Juan
Lavaca BBQ- Port Lavaca
Butter’s BBQ- Sinton

West Texas

Perini Ranch Steakhouse- Buffalo Gap
Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque- Wolfforth (outside Lubbock)
Brantley Creek Barbecue-
Hallelujah! BBQ- El Paso
Desert Oak Barbecue- El Paso
Brick Vault Brewery & Barbecue- Marathon

Profiles:

Daniel Vaughn
M&M BBQ Co.
Chief Firewood
BBQ Confessional
Houston Edgeworks
Camp Brisket (at Texas A&M)
Chud’s BBQ
Mill Scale Metalworks
Jess Pryles/Hardcore Carnivore
Brisket Country
The Sausage Sensei
Matti Bills (Three Six General, Howdy Child)

books barbecue texas history chefs pitmasters

eating for a cause

3 more Houston restaurant charity dining events raising money in August

Photo by Marco Torres

Ceviche clasico is a signature dish at Pacha Nikkei.

For food-obsessed Houstonians, August provides the opportunity to “dine out and do good” by scheduling a meal or two at establishments participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks, the annual charity dining event with almost 300 participating locations.

Building on that event’s success, other restaurants are holding their own charity dining events next month, including a new offering from one of Houston’s most successful hospitality groups. Here’s a quick look at these three initiatives.

Pappas Restaurant Weeks

For the first time ever, Pappas Restaurants has launched its own charity dining initiative that includes its more than 80 locations in eight states. From August 1 to September 7, every Pappas restaurant — a network that includes everything from 24-hour diner Dot’s Coffee Shop to the Michelin-recognized Pappas Bros. Steakhouse — will run specials with corresponding donations to that market’s food bank.

For example, Pappasitos Cantina, the company’s popular Tex-Mex concept, will serve a three-course, $40 menu that includes a $5 donation to the food bank. The menu includes choices such as tortilla soup, chicken fajitas, pork carnitas, and tres leches. Diners can upgrade to beef fajitas or add an order of queso for an additional charge.

Both Little’s Oyster Bar and Yiayia’s Greek Kitchen, the company’s fine dining seafood and Greek restaurants, are serving three-course, $65 menus that include an $8 donation to the Houston Food Bank. At Little’s, the menu includes options such as shrimp cocktail, clam chowder, Gulf grouper, Texas redfish, and flourless chocolate tort. At Yiayia’s, diners may select dolmades, eggplant dip, hummus, chicken souvlaki, pastitsio, and the signature baklava cheesecake.

Pappas Bros.’ menu costs a hefty $90 per person, but carnivores may choose from an eight-ounce filet, 14-ounce, dry-aged New York strip, or 16-ounce, dry-aged, Prime ribeye. The menu also includes a choice of salad or gumbo with key lime pie, cheesecake, or sorbet for dessert.

Even the company’s more casual restaurants are participating, with Pappas Bar-B-Q donating $1 from a $15 sandwich meal, Dot Coffee Shop donating for every $6 dessert sold, and Pappas Burger donating $1 for every milkshake sold.

"Giving back has always been part of who we are as a family, and we wanted to create a program that every Pappas brand could be part of," Pappas CMO Christina Pappas said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment about the new initiative. "Pappas Restaurant Weeks brings all of our concepts together to support local food banks in the communities we serve. With more than 80 restaurants across eight states and 10 brands, this gives us the opportunity to make an impact in every market where our guests and employees live and work. What I'm most excited about is that guests will be able to visit our website and watch the total raised grow each day. They'll be able to see the difference they're making just by dining with us."

National Deli Month

As it has since 2016, Kenny & Ziggy’s is participating in this event that celebrates Jewish delicatessens in the U.S. and Canada. The restaurant’s three-course, $48 menu includes classic Jewish fare such as matzo ball soup, kishka, chopped chicken liver, Hungarian goulash, braised brisket, and Roumanian steaks. Entrees are paired with sides such as kasha varnishkas, noodle kugel, mashed potatoes, fries, and onion rings. Finish the meal with cheesecake, rugelach, or 7-layer cake.

Kenny & Ziggy’s will donate 10-percent of each meal sold to the Holocaust Museum Houston. In addition, each diners who orders the Deli Month menu will receive a ticket to Anne Frank: A History for Today, an exhibit developed by the Anne Frank House (Amsterdam) that will be on display at the museum from August 14 through January 31, 2027.

Dining for Venezuela at Pacha Nikkei

The West Houston restaurant is donating five percent of all food sales from August 1-31 to World Central Kitchen’s disaster relief efforts that are feeding people who suffered loses during the recent earthquake. Led by chef-owner Masaru Fukuda, the restaurant is known for ceviches, sushi rolls, and entrees such as lomo saltado and arroz con mariscos.

“This cause is especially meaningful to me because I have family living in Venezuela, and seeing the devastation has been heartbreaking,” Fukuda writes on Instagram “Venezuela has also shown so much love and support to Pacha Nikkei over the years, and we are incredibly grateful for all of our Venezuelan guests who have become part of our restaurant family. As chefs, we believe food has the power to bring people together—and in times like these, it can also bring hope.”

Photo by Marco Torres

Ceviche clasico is a signature dish at Pacha Nikkei.

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