Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Austin's defining plate: a post-oak-smoked whole-packer brisket, sliced thick against the grain, served on butcher paper with white bread, pickles and onions.
Central Texas brisket is German and Czech immigrant butchers' adaptation of the meat counter, dating to the 1860s smokehouses of Lockhart and Elgin. The Lockhart trio (Kreuz, Smitty's, Black's) refined slow-smoked beef in the 1900s; Aaron Franklin opened Franklin Barbecue in Austin in 2009 and rebuilt the technique for a James Beard run. The post-oak twelve-hour cook with salt-and-pepper rub is the canonical version, served by weight on butcher paper. The 'brisket trinity' of Franklin, Terry Black's and La Barbecue runs the current city benchmark.
7 editor picks for Smoked brisket in Austin, ranked by editorial score. All Austin signature dishes · Smoked brisket across every city.
Franklin Barbecue in Austin is Aaron Franklin's 2009 East 11th brisket pilgrimage, the James Beard-winning shop that codified central Texas barbecue.
OrderSmoked brisket
TipQueue from 09:30am or pre-order online for pickup; the brisket sells out by 14:00 on most days.
La Barbecue in Austin is Ali Clem's Cesar Chavez post-oak barbecue, a Michelin-recognised shop with a James Beard-recognised owner, sliced brisket.
OrderSmoked brisket and house sausage
TipThe kitchen runs Wednesday through Sunday only; order online ahead to skip the queue at 11am open.
InterStellar BBQ in Austin is John Bates and Brandon Martinez's North-side smokehouse on RR 620, a Michelin Star 2024-25 BBQ shop in the former Noble Pig.
OrderSmoked brisket and house sides
TipThe smoked-prime-rib special on Sundays sells out by 13:00; pre-order online for pickup.
Distant Relatives in Austin is Damien Brockway's modern African American BBQ trailer at Meanwhile Brewing's South Austin yard, a James Beard semifinalist.
OrderModern African-American barbecue
TipSit at Meanwhile Brewing's beer garden and order the BBQ to the table; the kitchen runs to 17:00.
Terry Black's Barbecue in Austin is the Black family's Barton Springs Road BBQ, a Michelin Plate winner from the 94-year-old Lockhart family lineage.
OrderSmoked brisket and beef ribs
TipThe line moves fast and the kitchen runs to 21:30 most nights; ask for fatty brisket and a side of pinto beans.
Micklethwait Craft Meats in Austin is Tom Micklethwait's BBQ smokehouse on Tanney Street, a Michelin Bib Gourmand kitchen relocated from the 12-year Rosewood.
OrderSmoked brisket and house sausage
TipThe kitchen runs Thursday to Sunday; pre-order online to skip the brisket-and-sausage line.
LeRoy and Lewis in Austin is the South Austin brick-and-mortar of Sawyer Lewis and Evan LeRoy's BBQ since 2023, a 5,000-sq-ft smokehouse known for beef cheek.
OrderSmoked brisket and beef cheek
TipBeef cheek is the kitchen's signature beyond brisket; order it before 13:00 or it runs out.
Smoked brisket makes more sense with someone from Austin explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Six East Austin smokehouses in three hours, including a MICHELIN One Star pitmaster and three Bib Gourmands. Skip every line, ride in an air-conditioned van, and come hungry.
11 hours
Get ready to have a road trip experience to the Capital of Texas. We will enjoy the beautiful hill country stopping at wonderful places.
Water activity · 6 hours
Join a guided boat tour of Lake Travis in Austin. Enjoy a BBQ lunch, swim in the lake, and learn about the area's history. Choose this tour to join a group and to meet...
