Burnt Bean. Hands down. Terry Black's runner up.
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I've only been to one myself, and Tejas was the standout. The food was very good, and the time the owner spent showing us around before opening was way above and beyond anything we could have expected.
For anyone that is hesitant to come to a MeatUp because you aren't a people person, join the club. I don't people well, and have a hard time hanging out with people I don't know. My girlfriend Lisa is the same way. But having taken the plunge, I'm now scheduling my vacation time around MeatUps.
I'm sure we gave off an anti-social vibe spending most of our time outside and away from the group, but not once did anyone make us feel anything less than totally welcome when we did test the waters and spend some time with the group. So if you prefer to hang out on the fringes and not dive into the people pool, you can always sit by us. With you not talking, and us not saying anything, we'll get along great. *Bonus points if you get the reference.* And if you do happen to flirt with mingling, you'll find a great bunch of people that you share at least one common interest with and will make you feel welcome.
Bottom line, There is great food to be had, and as much social interaction as you want, but no pressure to be something you're not. Even my anti-social self had a great time, so you can too.Comment
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klflowers It's that lazy eye he has. You never know if he's talking to you or the ceiling... -
Come to think of it, I don’t like most of you guys either. Why do we do these MeatUps anyway?
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I can try to create a google spreadsheet with State, City, Establishment, Food Rating, Hospitality, Maybe Date? and whatever else that we can use for ALL Meat Ups, the issue would be agreeing to a score from those that attended? It would be a living document and subject to sabotage but fairly easy to repair.Comment
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Only got to a few of those listed during a previous Meatup. Definitely Burnt Bean was my favorite. Terry Blacks was so cool because you could walk into the pit and hang out with the pitmasters. They would talk to you and explain anything that you asked. They also had business cards which they gave to you, cool touch. Every place we visited the entire staff was beyond friendly.Comment
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During our BBQ MeatUps, our group has been able to tour many of the pits, meet the various Pitmasters and get answers to our questions during our visits. This is so cool to do while enjoying great BBQ and fellowship with our AR family.Comment
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EDITS AND UPDATES TO THE LIST…..
For those interested, I went ahead and added our recent BBQ visits, along with a few changes. I decided to add BBQ joints that 2 or more Pit Members may have visited together and any Mini-MeatUp places that were visited. I also thought it might be interesting to include any Top 50 In Texas awards, along with their Top 10 rankings if earned. I used the latest Texas Monthly edition for this, which came out last year, 2025. I did not include any honorable mentions or past Top 50 rankings before 2025. I’ve also included a mention of the BBQ joints listed that earned a Michelin Star.
1. Brett’s Backyard BBQ - Rockdale - CLOSED
2. Louie Muellers - Taylor……Top 50
3. Snows BBQ - Lexington……Top 50
4. 1775 Texas Pit BBQ - Bryan/College Station
5. Kreuz’s Market - Lockhart
6. Black’s BBQ - Lockhart
7. Millers Smokehouse - Belton……Top 50
8. Old 300 BBQ - Blanco
9. Burnt Bean - Seguin…….#1 ranking in the Top 50 [Michelin screwed up not giving them a star, if ya ask me]
10. Black’s Barbecue - San Marcos
11. Hays Co. Bar B Que - San Marcos…..CLOSED
12. San Marcos BBQ - San Marcos
13. Valentina’s - Buda…..CLOSED
14. Interstellar BBQ - Austin……#6 ranking in the Top 50 - Michelin Star winner
15. KG BBQ - Austin…….Top 50
16. Leroy and Louis - Austin…….#2 ranking in the Top 50 - Michelin Star winner
17. Terry Blacks - Lockhart
18. Barb’s B Que - Lockhart……Top 50
19. Smitty’s - Lockhart
20. Corkscrew BBQ - Spring……Top 50 - Michelin Star winner
21. Bar A BBQ - Montgomery……Top 50
22. Tejas BBQ - Tomball
23. Truth BBQ - Houston……#9 ranking in the Top 50
24. Redbird BBQ - Pt. Neches…..#4 ranking in the Top 50
25. 1701 BBQ - Beaumont……Top 50
26. Goldee’s Bar B Q - Fort Worth…….#3 ranking in the Top 50 - Michelin Star Winner
27. Hurtado’s - Arlington
28. Brisket & Rice - Houston……Top 50
29. Cattleack - Farmers Branch…….Top 50
30. Panther City BBQ - Ft. Worth……Top 50
31. Dayne’s Craft Barbecue - Aledo…….#7 ranking in the Top 50
Out of all the places I’ve gone, my 3 favorite places are Burnt Bean, Terry Black’s in Lockhart and a newbie, for me,……Hurtado’s in Arlington. Considering many things like food quality, atmosphere, price, wait times, friendly employees, etc. this list was an easy one for me. Any new favorites for y’all?
Last edited by Panhead John; October 28, 2026, 05:24 PM.Comment
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The Arlington MeatUp was my second one. We’ve been to a lot of places non-MeatUp.
My faves: 1. Louis Mueller’s in Taylor. 2. Terry Black’s in Lockhart. 3. Hurtado’s in Arlington. 4. Goldee’s in Ft Worth. 5. Kruez Market in Lockhart.Comment
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The only ones I haven’t been to are…Miller’s Smokehouse, KG BBQ, Bar A BBQ, Truth BBQ, Redbirds, 1701 BBQ, and Brisket and Rice. I’ve been to 52 different Texas BBQ joints, and for some it is not worth returning.Comment
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Them you go back to just in case they had more food poisoning cases than normal when you were there.
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LA Pork Butt Didn’t you attend all 3 of the MeatUps in Rockdale? If so, that’s where we left from to go to Miller’s Smokehouse in Belton, it was about an hour away near where Uncle Bob lives. -
Panhead John Yes, I attended all three, but I didn’t go to Miller’s Smokehouse with y’all. Texas Larry and I went to Louie Mueller’s in Taylor. It was the best beef rib I ever had.
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Goldies also has a Michelin star. And you're right, Burnt Bean not having one is a mistake.Comment
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