You Only Get One BBQ Week in Texas. Here’s How to Spend It.

For the ultimate Texas BBQ road trip, Daniel Vaughn helps The Smoke Sheet program seven days of must-visit joints centered around Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth.

NOTE: This article originally appeared in The Smoke Sheet. Be sure to take a moment to sign up for The Smoke Sheet newsletter here and get all of the latest BBQ and grilling news.

If you had one week to hit up the best joints in Texas, how would you program that trip? During a recent chat for book research, we asked Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn what he would consider for a trip like this.

From that conversation, we present the following trip, made with several caveats. The biggest problem from the get-go, according to Vaughn: “If you’re starting and ending in Austin and you’re spending a week in Texas, then you’ve got to choose. Do I want to go toward Houston, or do I want to go to Dallas-Fort Worth?”

Sadly, no version of a week in Texas lets you visit every good spot, and we aren’t interested in pretending otherwise. So here is a week built around several spots we highly recommend.

For this agenda, you land in Austin on Monday morning and fly out Sunday night. We ended up picking DFW over Houston, but it wouldn’t be too hard to swap them. While driving on this theoretical trip, don’t forget to stop at Buc-ee’s for snacks to bring home (you can skip the brisket). 

LeRoy and Lewis is the best barbecue you’ll ever eat on Monday. (Photo via LeRoy and Lewis / Facebook)

Monday: Austin

After you get in town, head straight to LeRoy and Lewis, because almost nothing else is open. Pitmaster Evan LeRoy continues to push the boundaries of barbecue, and his recipes, like a smoked cheeseburger and sliced beef cheek, have traveled to other restaurants around the country. Then you should grab a light sampler of meats, sides, and desserts at Terry Black’s Barbecue, another rare open-on-Monday joint.

Louie Mueller Barbecue is a must-visit. (Photo by Ryan Cooper)

Tuesday: Taylor

Louie Mueller Barbecue was Vaughn’s very first answer when we asked what people must go to. They are closed Sunday and Monday, and a weekday visit gets you the cathedral of smoke with fewer crowds. Order a beef rib and anything else that calls your name. Swing back to Austin, and if you’re somehow still hungry, grab the daily special at Stiles Switch.

You won’t have a bad bite on the platter at Franklin Barbecue. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)

Wednesday: Franklin and Interstellar

You knew it was coming. Franklin Barbecue is the focal point of the day, and we recommend getting in line before 8 a.m. with a camping chair. “Going to Franklin Barbecue on a Saturday is the worst day you could possibly go. Go on a Wednesday or a Thursday,” Vaughn said. The same logic applies to Interstellar BBQ, as it’s easier to get into when the weekend crowd is at work. Both of these stops are non-negotiable.

Cattleack BBQ’s Toddfather sandwich lets you try multiple meats at once. (Photo via Cattleack BBQ / Facebook)

Thursday: Dallas

Start your day with a quick meal at Helberg Barbecue just outside Waco, which Vaughn notes is one of the best stops between Austin and Dallas. Then drive north 2 hours to Cattleack BBQ in Farmers Branch before they close at 2 p.m., since they only serve Wednesday through Friday. Round out the late afternoon or early evening at Smokey Joe’s. Fit in a long walk and sleep in Fort Worth.

Goldee’s Barbecue is well worth showing up by 8 a.m. for. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)

Friday: Fort Worth

Goldee’s Bar-B-Q runs Friday through Sunday only, so this is your window, and you must be in line by 8 a.m. It remains one of the best barbecue joints in the state. Panther City BBQ is not optional either. Add Smoke-A-Holics if you can still eat, or drive west to Aledo for Dayne’s Craft Barbecue to get a taste. Then drive south for a few hours that evening, because Saturday starts early.

All the classics at Snow’s Barbecue. (Photo by Ryan Cooper)

Saturday: Tootsie Time

Start at City Meat Market in Giddings at 8 a.m., where Snow’s pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz learned to cook barbecue. Saturday is the only day the full menu is out at opening. Then drive to Snow’s BBQ, 15 minutes north. Vaughn’s tip, credited to Kerry Bexley, is to let the first rush clear and join in around 9:30 for a shorter wait, with most of the menu still available. Snow’s is only open about four hours a week, all of them on Saturday, and it remains one of the longest lines in American barbecue. (It’s also where Sean and Ryan of The Smoke Sheet met!) Try as much as you can and say hi to Tootsie. Snow’s usually sells out by noon, which leaves the afternoon to run south to San Antonio’s 2M Smokehouse. They may have sold out of a few items by then, but try what you can because it’s all top-notch.

The barbecue breakfast at Burnt Bean Co. is legendary. (Photo via Burnt Bean Co. / Facebook)

Sunday: Seguin and Lockhart

Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin serves breakfast one morning a week, and this is it. Ernest Servantes is another name on Vaughn’s cutting-edge list, and the breakfast menu sells out before the lunch crowd shows up, so line up well before the 8 a.m. opening. Then head north to Lockhart. “It’s too important to the history of Texas barbecue” not to stop by, Vaughn said. First, join the line at new-school wunderkind Barbs B Q and then make your final stop at Kreuz Market for a taste of BBQ history. Then get back up to Austin for your flight out.

What We Missed (Dearly)

This theoretical trip missed all the greats in Houston. There are so many good spots that we can’t even get to them in this paragraph, but we have to at least mention Truth, Blood Bros., CorkScrew, Pinkerton’s, Feges, Bar-A-BBQ, Roegels, Harlem Road, and Brisket & Rice. 

It also misses other important spots around the state, such as Stanley’s in Tyler, Redbird in Port Neches, Miller’s Smokehouse in Belton, Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque in Wolfforth, City Market in Schulenburg, and LaVaca BBQ in Port Lavaca.

The solution to the problem? Go back for a second trip as soon as you can to hit everything you missed the first time around.