Houston BBQ Smoke Trail

For a long time, if you wanted great Texas barbecue you drove to the Hill Country — to Lockhart, Taylor, or the ranks of little towns with a century-old pit out back. Then, in the 2010s, a handful of Houston-area pitmasters quietly rewrote the map. Killen's in Pearland, Gatlin's on the north side, and newcomers Truth and Pinkerton's started turning out brisket that landed on every serious statewide ranking, sitting comfortably next to Franklin and Snow's. This drive is a full-day pilgrimage through the joints that made Houston a genuine barbecue town. A word of hard-won wisdom: the best brisket sells out, sometimes by early afternoon, so start early, don't dawdle, and check hours before you go. Order the brisket fatty, get some ribs and a link of sausage, and don't skip the sides — this scene takes its dirty rice and its banana pudding as seriously as its smoke.