Here is one that nobody has mentioned. They pride themselves on only one location. it is called Hungry Farmer and you take 45 north 1st exit after 610 is Crosstimbers. One block east after the taco bell. They have great bbq and baked potatoes that can make anybody full. they are small, always busy, VERY affordable, and great food. also north right after the beltway on greens rd is a place called brown sugars or something close.
Try Nonmachers (?) off of Mason Rd. (south of I-10) in Katy...it's a little hole-in-the-wall but I'll take it over Goode Co. (which I like alot) any day. The meat at Nonmachers tastes better, but I love the sauce at Goode Co.. The ribs at Nonmachers are also very good. Our family also likes Bakers Rib a bunch. Nonmachers is the only one I'll drive 20 minutes to get to though. -thirty- Pain is inevitable, misery is optional.<P>
Cakes: yeah, that may be the case. I haven't been to either, but have eaten some catered food from "Mikeska's" on multiple occasions. Worst sausage I have ever taken a bite out of. Chicken was pretty good, though. I'll take your word on the one Mikeska's location. I'm just glad I live in Austin, now...so close to so many good BBQ joints, all of which are better than anything in Houston. Salt Lick, Cooper's, Crosstown, Kruetz's, etc. Dang it, I'm getting hungry... ******************* "What left a mark no longer stings, because grace makes beauty out of ugly things..." - Bono, All That You Can't Leave Behind
Pizzitola's hands down! Go in there, get some ribs, brisket and link, family style and then top the meal off with some banana pudding.
the WORST bbq in houston (or anywhere) is Drexlers. i have actually been there. clyde's mom served me herself. it was the most horrible thing i have ever eaten. just fyi. ----------- Austin, TX- Just one big coffee shop.
Ah, yes. I forgot about Dozier's in Fulshear. Although the Dozier family no longer owns the place, it is still very good. Also, the spicy brisket at Pizzatola's is excellent. "Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane."--Red
Goode and Company is, well, darned goode. I like to go there when we play Rice in baseball. Otto's is great for burgers, don't know about the BBQ. I don't know the smaller places, but will take notes for my next trip to smogville. When bongos are outlawed, only outlaws will have bongos.<P>
Man, this is almost like a philosophy question on the order of "what is truth?" or "what is beauty?" I mean, barroom sophists in Texas could expound upon this question --- and engage in fisticuffs over it ---- for years. Cakes "I was not aware that we had ever quarreled." ---- Thoreau, nearing death, when asked if had made his peace with God.
Carl's on 290. Just kidding.......Goode Co. hands down. "A quick glance showed him that she could be carrying no other weapons than those she was born with, which were potent indeed."
I remember when Jim Goode opened his first restaurant on Kirby. My cousin and I ate there once a week. Jim always worked the counter and called me "The Rib Man"...cause that's what I always ordered. All his places are good, and if you ever want wild game smoked, they do a bang-up job. As another poster said, equally good but requiring a 40+ minute drive, are the Hinzes in Wharton and Sealy. Their homemade pies are to die for!
Goode is outstanding. Jalepeno cheese bread is orgasmic. My favorite spot is the No-Name BBQ at 225 & Pasadena BLVD. The place is a dump but the food is outstanding. Try the pudding.
wassup-I too love their jalapeno cheese bread, even though my mouth is on fire when I'm done with it... "She's been backended more times than a Ford Pinto..." Triumph
What about Luthers? Man, I love living 2 minutes away from Goode Co.! "She's been backended more times than a Ford Pinto..." Triumph
It's only available through catering bookings, but Zack's Shack BBQ is as good as any I've had, especially the brisket.
i find goode company to be mediocre. nothing like salt lick. as far as houston, i like williams smokehouse. yum.
Everybody has their own tastes in BBQ, so I have to get to know somebody really well before I'll believe them. That being said, I think Goode's was one of the biggest disappointments I had when I moved here. People speak of it reverently, but I found it to be absolutely and utterly underwhelming. I was so disheartened that I have kinda given up on finding good BBQ here, since almost everyone raves about it (but I plan to try a few of those listed here before giving up completely). Plus, I don't trust a BBQ joint with souvenirs fancier than gimme caps or used knives, much less one with an entire building of kitsch. Though I did like the place on Voss with the pink pig somewhat, I haven't found anything here in the same league as Artz's, Sam's, Cooper's, or even the Salt Lick or Cotten's. Regarding Clem Mikeska's: Having grown up in T-town, I consider this my baseline for acceptable BBQ. It's not the best in the world, but it's pretty good stuff. The ribs aren't too impressive, but I love the brisket and sassige. One thing that I really love about Clem's, though, is the outstanding homemade bread -- I have never understood why so many places serve such fabulous BBQ with a sack of stale Wonder Bread (not even Mrs. Baird's). My only reasoning is that combining Clem's bread with Cooper's BBQ would be so good as to bring about the rapture. Clem's is good, honest, workin'-man's BBQ, and though it's not a worldbeater, it's a helluvalot better than Goode, IMO. Let the beatings now begin.
My biggest ever BBQ disappointment was Joe Cotton's. I mean, I'd heard for years "Joe Cotton's this" and "Joe Cotton's that." But the brisket was fatty, the sauce non-descript, and, maybe because I was there on a really rainy, humid day, the place smelled slightly of stale urine. I expected to find God, but instead I found R.C. Slocum. Damor: another great thing about Clem's is the herb-buttered potatoes. They rock. Cakes "I was not aware that we had ever quarreled." ---- Thoreau, nearing death, when asked if had made his peace with God.
Joe's BBQ in Alvin is well worth the trip. I pick it over goode anyday. " Surprised, Eddy? If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewed to the carpet I couldn't be more surprised..."
Never been to Goode's or Luling, but PE TE's Cajun BBQ is pretty darn good. Take I-45 South and Exit Dixie. Head east. At the corner of HWY 6 and Dixie. "Dying ain't much a living boy." Josey Wales to bounty hunter
I know with BBQ, you can get a bad plate at a good place, which can ruin one's impression of a joint, but I found Mikeska's to be one step above high school cafeteria food. I just don't see how anyone rates it so high. When bongos are outlawed, only outlaws will have bongos.<P>
Some very good places listed so far, but I'm sorry, my Granddad's BBQ is the best in Houston. Gimme a call if you want to do a taste test! HOOK'EM As we walked by the defeated aggie my Dad turned his head and said to me, "Don't stare at them. It's not polite."
I think we need to send a Hornsfans.com reconnaissance team down to Houston, gather up BBQ from the top 10 places, and do a blind taste test. Simply for the purposes of science, you know. Cakes "I was not aware that we had ever quarreled." ---- Thoreau, nearing death, when asked if had made his peace with God.
I volunteer as a judge. We also need to taste test all of the draft beers to determine which are the coldest. Hook'em Horns.
I think it depends what you want to eat. There is no better place for ribs in Houston than Pizzitola's. For brisket, Luling City Market is hard to beat. Greene's on Almeda has some sausage that will rip your insides out, it is great.
If my grandfather's doesn't count I have to go with Goode Co. or Luling's. My main problem with Goode Co. is that for a few years they seemed to be pretty inconsistent, but haven't had that problem in a while. This is the one on I-10 and I would still eat there every week even when they had this problem. Luling City Market is great and so is the actual one in Luling. Now as for the hamburgers Otto's blows away their own BBQ, but don't leave out Charlie's. That is classic.
One other thing to note about Drexler's. They have good ribs, everything else is bad. Jerry Pizzitola actually learned how to cook ribs from a similar style that James Drexler uses. By the way, best hamburger in Houston, does not go to Otto's. Try Lankford Grocery, just west of downtown of off Elgin.
