Snow’s BBQ Is the Best Texas Barbecue Joint

Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, with pitmaster the badass Tootsie Tomanetz, is the number one barbecue spot of the state, according to Texas Monthly’s anticipated best barbecue joints list, which was just released for the year. The fifth edition also includes the previous number one place, Franklin Barbecue, knocked down to the number two slot. Other Austin places that made the ranked top ten is newcomer to the list Micklethwait Craft Meats from pitmaster Tom Micklethwait at number eight.

The Texas barbecue scene has changed greatly since the last update of the list in 2013. The rest of the 50 list is unranked with names like brand new 2M Smokehouse with former La Barbecue pitmaster Esaul Ramos, and other Austin spots like Freedmen's, Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ, and others. Scope out the rest of the lists below.

Owner Kerry Bexley started Snow’s BBQ in 2003, with Tomanetz as his pitmaster. The one-day-only barbecue spot opens on Saturday mornings beginning at 8 a.m., and still people line up to wait for brisket, ribs, turkey, and other smoked meats. She helmed from City Meat Market, where she started working without any barbecue knowledge in 1966.

Texas Monthly’s Best Barbecue Spots List

1. Snow’s BBQ, Lexington
2. Franklin Barbecue, Austin
3. Cattleack Barbeque, Dallas
4. Bodacious Bar-B- Q, Longview
5. Louie Mueller Barbecue, Taylor
6. Tejas Chocolate Craftory, Tomball
7. CorkScrew BBQ, Spring
8. Micklethwait Craft Meats, Austin
9. Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque, Wolfforth
10. Truth Barbeque, Brenham

The Entire Top 50 List

• Stillwater Barbeque, Abilene
• Tyler’s Barbeque, Amarillo
• Franklin Barbecue, Austin
• Freedmen’s, Austin
• La Barbecue, Austin
• Micklethwait Craft Meats, Austin
• Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew, Austin
• Terry Black’s Barbecue, Austin
• Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ, Austin
• Miller’s Smokehouse, Belton
• Truth Barbeque, Brenham
• Vera’s Backyard B-B-Que, Brownsville
• Fargo’s Pit BBQ, Bryan
• Payne’s Bar-B-Q Shak, Burnet
• BBQ on the Brazos, Cresson
• Cattleack Barbeque, Dallas
• Lockhart Smokehouse, Dallas
• Pecan Lodge, Dallas
• Top 5 BBQ, DeSoto
• 4-T’s Bar-B-Q, Forney
• Heim Barbecue, Fort Worth
• Baker Boys BBQ, Gonzales
• Rio Grande Grill BBQ & Tex Mex, Harlingen
• Blue Moon BBQ, Hearne
• Heavy’s Bar-B-Que, Hondo
• Gatlin’s BBQ, Houston
• Pinkerton’s Barbecue, Houston
• The Pit Room, Houston
• Roegels Barbecue Co., Houston
• Joseph’s Riverport Bar-B-Cue, Jefferson
• Snow’s BBQ, Lexington
• Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que, Llano
• Kreuz Market, Lockhart
• Bodacious Bar-B-Q, Longview
• City Market, Luling
• Smolik’s Smokehouse, Mathis
• Hutchins BBQ, McKinney
• The Smoking Oak, Mercedes
• Killen’s Barbecue, Pearland
• Pody’s BBQ, Pecos
• 2M Smokehouse, San Antonio
• The Granary ’Cue & Brew, San Antonio
• Hays Co. Bar-B-Que, San Marcos
• CorkScrew BBQ, Spring
• Louie Mueller Barbecue, Taylor
• Tejas Chocolate Craftory, Tomball
• Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ, Tyler
• Harris Bar-B-Que, Waxahachie
• Flores Barbecue, Whitney
• Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque, Wolfforth

The next barbecue list update from Texas Monthly comes out in 2021.

• The List: The Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas [Texas Monthly]
• How Snow’s BBQ Rose From Obscurity to Texas Barbecue Stardom [E]