food for thought

YouTube star ranks 3 top Houston BBQ joints against Texas' best

Corkscrew BBQ is one of the restaurants Weissman visited on his tour.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Making the perfect brisket is one of the most impressive (and unforgiving) culinary feats pitmasters face when finding their niche within Texas' vast barbecue landscape. But if you can get it right, there will be lines out the door with hungry patrons waiting to get their hands on it.

Sometimes you even get famous celebrities or popular internet personalities to stop by – such as YouTube star and Austinite Joshua Weissman. This chef-turned-YouTuber recently went on a statewide expedition to try some of Texas Monthly's best barbecue restaurants, and stopped by three Houston-area barbecue joints to give his honest review. To keep things consistent across restaurants, the chef ordered only one meat, brisket, and three of the barbecue world's most popular side: cole slaw, beans, and mac & cheese.

While many may snub the idea of "just another YouTuber" reviewing Texas barbecue joints, Weissman cut his teeth working in the restaurant industry, and was once the lead cook at Uchiko in Austin. His YouTube channel has amassed over 10 million subscribers, and he's written two New York Times Bestselling cookbooks.

YouTube star Joshua Weissman visited 17 barbecue restaurants around the state. Joshua Weissman/YouTube

With Texas Monthly's 2021 list (the newest edition will be released later this year) as his guide, Weissman documented his journey alongside new Texas resident and private chef Olivia Tiedemann. The duo also visited the four Texas barbecue restaurants that recently earned Michelin Stars.

Here are the Houston barbecue restaurants they visited, with their reviews:

CorkScrew BBQ, Spring
Brisket score: 24 out of 30 possible points (8 for brisket flavor, 9 for texture, 7 for salt level)
Sides: 7 out of 10 possible points

CorkScrew is the only Houston-area barbecue joint that has earned a Michelin star. Tiedemann said the juicy brisket was "texturally perfect," and Weissman enjoyed every side dish the restaurant offered. He specifically praised the mashed-yet-chunky texture of the potato salad and the refreshing (and not too rich) cole slaw.

While being interviewed by Weissman, Corkscrew owner and pitmaster Will Buckman compared smoking meat to a game of Tetris, where he's constantly juggling factors like the weather and wood moisture to develop their signature smoked brisket.

"You're basically putting all your eggs in one basket, 18 hours later you're hoping that it comes out right," Buckman said. "If you mess up, your day's ruined or your restaurant's closed."

Truth BBQ, Houston
Brisket score: 27 points (8 for flavor; 9 for texture; 10 for salt level)
Sides: 7.5 points

In 2021, Texas Monthly ranked Truth the No. 3 best barbecue in the state, lauding the brisket for "its deep, peppery crust and just the right measure of glossy fat to bring out the best in the lush, smoky beef."

Weissman was wowed by the presentation of the brisket with the four main sides (mac and cheese, cole slaw, potato salad, and baked beans). He and Tiedemann were also impressed with all factors of the brisket, from it's perfect salt levels to its "traditional Texas" beef flavor. As for the sides, they appreciated the mac and cheese's al dente pasta texture, and the sauce's creaminess. Weissman also called out the caramelized onion in the baked beans.

Truth BBQ meat platter You can't go wrong with Truth's barbecue platter. Photo by Eric Sandler

When Weissman mentioned to owner Leonard Botello IV that all pitmasters are very respectful to each other (and seemingly have no beef with one another), Botello had a classic response.

"I think it's because this job sucks, so we kinda all pay homage and respect to each other because we all know what goes into it," he said.

Tejas Chocolate & Barbecue, Tomball
Total score: 20 points (no point breakdown)
Sides: 6.5 points

Tejas began as a chocolatier in 2011, and built on its legacy by smoking meats just four years later. Now, the Tomball-based eatery has earned an esteemed Bib Gourband status from the Michelin Guide.

While Weissman said their meal was still a "solid plate of barbecue" that most patrons would enjoy, he admitted it wasn't as formidable as CorkScrew or Truth.

"If I'm being honest, it's better than any other Texas barbecue outside of Texas, but it really wasn't topping our first two," Weissman said. "The lean [brisket] was quite dry, and the fat was a bit too unrendered for Olivia."

However, he did say Tejas' carrot soufflé was a "non-negotiable" delicious side dish everyone must try, and he said the cole slaw topped with crumbled bacon was No. 1 in his book.

Other top Texas barbecue restaurants
Overall, Weissman ranked Goldee's Barbecue in Fort Worth the highest on the list out of the 17 total Texas barbecue restaurants he visited. He even invited Texas Monthly's barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn to join him during their final tasting.

Weissman had nothing but good things to say about Goldee's classic side dishes and its brisket, giving them overall ratings of 9.5 and 29.2 points, respectively.

"The [brisket] seasoning is ridiculous, it's exactly where it should be," he said. "It's got the smoke flavor I want, but it's not overwhelmingly smoky. This is worth traveling back for."

Goldees BBQ Fort Worth's Goldee's Barbecue was the highest ranked Texas barbecue. fortworth.culturemap.com

The Central Texas barbecue restaurants Weissman visited, with their ratings, include:

Burnt Bean Company, Seguin – 28.4 points for brisket, 8.7 points for sides
2M Smokehouse, San Antonio – 24.8 for brisket, 8 for sides
Franklin Barbecue, Austin – 26.5 for brisket, 5 for sides
Interstellar Barbecue, Austin – 26.9 for brisket, 9.3 for sides
La Barbecue, Austin – 25.5 for brisket, 8.8 for sides
LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, Austin – 28.8 for brisket, no score for non-traditional sides
Terry Black's BBQ, Austin – 24 for brisket, 6.5 for sides
Snow's BBQ, Lexington – 27.2 for brisket, 8.7 for sides
Louie Mueller, Taylor – 24.8 for brisket, 5 for sides

The other Texas barbecue restaurants Weissman visited include:

Evie Mae's, Wolfforth – 25.5 for brisket, 6 for sides
Panther City BBQ, Fort Worth – 19 for brisket, 8.5 for sides
Dayne's Craft BBQ, Aledo – 25 for brisket, 8 for sides
Cattleack Barbeque, Farmers Branch – 28.3 for brisket, 9.5 for sides

barbecue restaurants

One Day Only

Chef of Michelin-starred Texas BBQ joint pops up at Houston crawfish favorite

Photo by Quit Nguyen

Join Lucas McKinney for a crawfish pop-up this Sunday, May 17.

The pitmaster behind one of Texas’ Michelin-starred barbecue joints will be in Houston for a one-day-only crawfish boil. Evan LeRoy, chef and co-owner of Austin’s LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, will be at Josephine’s this Sunday, May 17 from 2-6 pm.

Part of the restaurant’s Backyard Boil pop-up series, LeRoy and Josephine’s executive chef Lucas McKinney have collaborated on a four dishes that will be served at the pop-up, which will take place on Josephine’s patio. They are:

Smoked Crawfish Boil Sausage on a Stick: andouille flavored pork sausage with crawfish, corn, and potatoes
Brisket and Cheddar Croquettes: Chopped brisket and cheddar cheese in a creamy bechamel. Scooped, breaded in panko, and fried til crispy
Oysters on the Half Shell: Pickled Onion Mignonette, Smoked Jalapeno Salsa, Kimchi Elote
Smoked Salsa Macha with Beef Tallow: Guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles, lime, soy, garlic, onion, pepitas, and pecans

The pop-up is part of LeRoy’s tour for his new book, New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling, which he co-wrote with Texas Monthly restaurant critic Paula Forbes. Released this week, the book contains almost 100 recipes for mains, sides, and desserts.

LeRoy & Lewis Evan Leroy ATX Evan LeRoy is coming to Houston this weekend. Photo by Briana Balducci

“Lucas asked me to participate in a crawfish boil this year, and it happened to line up with the release of the book, so I said yes,” LeRoy tells CultureMap. “The event format centers around a crawfish boil, along with some fried items and oysters, so it doesn't necessarily reflect the recipes in the book. Instead, we decided to bring a few dishes we’ve been working on over the past year or so, including the brisket and cheddar croquettes — which will definitely make it into my next cookbook.”

McKinney has already hosted pop-ups with the likes of ChòpnBlọk chef-owner Ope Amosu and Mike Pham of Trill Burgers.

“With these crawfish boils, I want each chef to bring their own perspective and let the menu reflect their personal style of cooking,” McKinney adds. “Events like this are really centered around community, collaboration, and introducing something fresh and exciting to Houston each time.”

LeRoy and Lewis has earned wide acclaim for its “new school” barbecue. In addition to being one of only four Texas barbecue joints to hold a Michelin star, it ranked No. 2 on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints. McKinney began patronizing the restaurant when his friend, pitmaster Cole Parkman, worked there.

“It’s incredibly good,” McKinney says. “Eating there feels like they’re telling you, ‘I know you think you like brisket, but this is what you should really like.’ I really respect that they’ve planted their feet firmly in the ground and committed to doing things differently. It all makes so much sense — and it’s delicious.”

Reservations (free) are required to attend the Backyard Boil at Josephine’s; both 2 pm and 4 pm seatings are available. Attendees will purchase food and drinks a la carte. Josephine’s regular menu will not be available at the pop-up. Copies of New School Barbecue will also be available for purchase.

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