This weekend, the Houston-area chapter of the Chowhounds boldly declared, "We don't need no stinkin' Texas Monthly surveys!" as Pearl Bar played host to the first annual Chowhound BBQ Smackdown to find the best barbeque in Houston. The results were surprising, to say the least.
The Houston Chowhounds are a group of food bloggers (pro, semi-pro and amateur), food lovers and industry insiders from around town who arrange various meet-ups and events for fellow foodies, ranging from casual to competitive. Saturday's BBQ Smackdown fell solidly into the latter category.
The six contestants for the Smackdown were culled from a number of barbeque restaurants around town, both new and old, revered and unheralded alike. None of the contestants were informed that their food was going to be judged. And the taste testing was performed blind (not with actual blindfolds, of course...) so that no bias could enter into the competition, either from the restaurants' end or the judges' end.
Restaurants were judged on the holy duo of Texas barbeque: brisket and pork ribs. Sauce was served on the side, so that the ribs and brisket could be critiqued solely on their own merits. Each meat was judged in five sub-categories, including smokiness, tenderness and moistness. And the thirty judges ranked their favorites in each main category, with winners announced after a solid two hours of debate, discussion and devouring.
Want to know which smokers were supreme? Which pits were peerless? Which barbeque was boss? Houstonist has the answers for you, after the jump.
The dark horse of the competition was Pierson & Company, a little BBQ shack off Tidwell in Oak Forest. Family-owned and operated, this spot deserves a lot more credit than it's currently getting. The Houston-area barbeque market is a tough one, but Pierson's has 'em all beat when it comes to their melt-in-your-mouth brisket (winning the number one spot). Their succulent pork ribs ain't too bad, either (coming in at number two).
The breakdown broke like this:
Brisket
- Pierson's
- Burns BBQ
- Luling City Market
- Swinging Door
- Goode Company
- Kozy Kitchen
Pierson easily won the brisket category, with Burns BBQ a somewhat distant second. The judges were surprised at the last and second-to-last place winners, with Kozy Kitchen's brisket being called "rubbery and nearly inedible" and Goode Company's only "mediocre at best."
Ribs
- Luling City Market
- Pierson's
- Burns BBQ
- The Swinging Door
- Goode Company
- Kozy Kitchen (tied for fifth place)
Luling City Market (not to be confused with the original Luling Bar-B-Q in Luling, Texas) barely edged out Pierson in the ribs category, with Goode Company and Kozy Kitchen once again rounding out the bottom in a tie for fifth-place. Houstonist advises sticking with the turkey or wild game when taking out-of-towners (or just yourself) to Goode Company, and avoiding Kozy Kitchen altogether if you want good barbeque.
You may notice that some of your favorite restaurants aren't listed here. "Why," you may inquire, "isn't Pappas listed? Where is Demeris? Or Thelma's? Or that young upstart Virgie's?" Houstonist has those answers for you, too:
- The Smackdown coordinators could only choose six out of about eight hundred barbeque joints in town, so some cuts had to be made.
- Thelma's and Virgie's were originally two of the six competitors.
- However, the proprietor of Thelma's was allegedly so ugly to the head Chowhound when she attempted to place an order (in person), that the Chowhounds decided anyone who was that rude didn't deserve any business or publicity.
- Virgie's did them one worse, by accepting the huge order and even confiming it the day before, but closing up shop when the Chowhound courier went to pick up the order on the day of. Luckily, an alternate competitor -- Goode Company -- was able to put together the enormous to-go order with only twenty minutes notice.
If you're still worried about your favorite joint not getting a shot at fame and glory, don't despair. Next year's Chowhound BBQ Smackdown will see the top three restaurants (Pierson, Burns and Luling City Market) compete against three all-new competitors. Will your favorite make the cut?
More importantly, if you want to be a judge next year (or just wanna hang out with some local foodies and engage in a little eating-for-sport), make sure to check out the Houston Chowhounds website.
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