I don't know. I've never had decent BBQ in Houston at any hour of the day, sad to say. Goode's was about as good as I've ever had in that city and it wasn't really worth mentioning.

goode company? yoh man very very average...as they are so high volume they pre-cook briskets and re-heat when demand dictates. unnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnacceptable

ray's is by far one of my favorites in texas (3rd ward and iah concourse b, although i haven't tried iah b)
gatlin's (recently got faymous = lineups = me not going there anymore)
brisket house (austin good)
virgies
hickory hollow (chikin fried steaks)
luling city market (a lot of people don't like it but i've never had a bad meal, i stick to ribs and brisket...it's in galleria so it's above average cost...close to goode's on the other side of us59)

houston does ribs and links well, brisket aint central austin good sadly

i'm still looking for more suggestions on places in htown

Try Corkscrew BBQ up in Spring (between The Woodlands and Houston). I used to goto Pit Master, Pappas, and occasionally Rudy's before Corkscrew came around. Don't like the hype or the line but it's good stuff, esp. the sausage and brisket.

cool man i'll check it when i'm to/from bush

but wait isn't this jj watt's favorite place? if so...awman lineups...:(:(

lining up longer than 15 minutes for bbq in texas is :confused:
not taking phone orders is :mad:

^^
I have to agree - if you have not tried Q39 yet, please do. It is the (relatively new) kid on the block in KC. Really good. I also have never had a bad experience yet at Jack Stack.

At the medium end, my fav is still Smokin' Guns

Green Street Smoked Meats is my go to for Chicago.

I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on Killen's? I've never been, but the local paper up here raves about 'em.

http://texasbbqposse.blogspot.com/20...ns-bbq-is.html

i'm back in iah in less than 30 days and it's gonna be places i've never been:
-brisket house
-killens
-fat bao (not bbq but whatever)

then my tried trusted true
-ray's
-hungry farmer (for a cheap loaded bake or chili cheese fries or something)

meat here in africa is ^^^^ but these people can't smoke or do ribs worth ----

i will report back

technically its not in Houston, but given the scale of the state, the 3 Rudys location are always always consistent and good.

Goode's is dog food.

There are actually a few tiny shops, many of them recent, that are supposed to be good. havent had the opportunity to try.

That's actually hilarious because I work near there but have never heard of this place. Looks delicious, I'll have to check it out.

I'm doing a small road trip with my son in August to knock some new states in the mid-west on our quest to do all 50. Besides the sites, I am hoping to have some great food and used this thread as inspiration. We are starting in Nashville and ending up in Tulsa. Here is what I got so far:

Nashville to St Louis via Mammouth Cave National Park

St Louis - Bogarts Smokehouse

Kansas City - Joe's Kansas City Smokehouse

Betonville - (could not find any standout food options in NW AR)

Tulsa - Elmers

Am I missing anything good? Anyone familiar with the routes and thinks there is a place along the way worth stopping at?

Not BBQ, but just off the square in Bentonville there is a food truck that does really great crepes at lunchtime called Crepes Paulette. It's near Crystal Bridges which I highly recommend you stop in and see if you are going through Bentonville. If you want higher end, then The Hive at the 21c Museum Hotel is the best option around that area too.

I need something to do so in AR so your Crystal Bridges recommendation is noted. Crepes will be a welcome change, can't do BBQ at every meal over the 5 days. Thanks

Take the Crystal Bridges recommendation as a strong urging. The main exhibits are free, it's only special exhibits that have a charge. Leave time to walk the grounds as the trails are beautiful including the Frank Lloyd Wright house. http://crystalbridges.org/

Best BBQ I've had is definitely in Austin and Kansas City, but among local options, I think The Smoking Pig in San Jose, CA is the best in the Bay Area.