Where to Find the Best Barbecue in San Antonio
This story was originally published in March 2022 and has been updated. San Antonio barbecue is ever evolving, but it has deep roots, as evidenced by the old-school brick pits that are still operational around the city. Good tortillas arenβt hard to come by here, and neither is excellent smoked chicken. We have our favorites, of course. In the June 2025 issue, we published our list of the top fifty barbecue joints, along with fifty more honorable mentions, but our barbecue recommendations donβt stop there. You can get a great meal at any one of these San Antonio joints.In the City of San Antonio2M Smokehouse2025 Top 50This barbecue spot quickly became the best in town after it opened in 2016, helping usher in a Sanβ¦The post Where to Find the Best Barbecue in San Antonio appeared first on Texas Monthly.
Bo Moreno grew up in Austin but spent his summers with his paternal grandparents in Odem, near Corpus Christi. On Sunday mornings his grandmother would prepare breakfast, and he would ride the few miles to Sinton with his grandfather to pick up barbacoa. Moreno canβt recall the name of the now closed shop they went to, but, he says, βI can tell you how to get there.β Eggs, refried beans, and tortillas were everyday breakfast foods, but barbacoa was a monthly treat, an experience he tries to re-create with his Sundays-only version at Moreno Barbecue, in Austin.Moreno doesnβt use the whole cow head, as the cooks in Sinton did. Instead, he makes his only with beef cheeks. βYou donβt get that greasy and gritty taste,ββ¦
There are plenty of wife-and-husband teams who run barbecue joints, but at El Tejas Twist, in Forney, a town about 25 miles east of Dallas, the whole family is involved. Customers order from Esmeralda Alaniz, who patiently explains the vast menu. Her husband, Fernando Serrato, prepares the orders. Fernandoβs sister Carolina Benavides makes the sides, while her husband, Victor Benavides, mans the smokers outside. Carlos Serrato, Fernandoβs brother, is the utility man who helps in all roles. Together, they produce a unique variety of barbecue and Tex-Mex dishes at a joint that remains inexplicably under the radar after three years of being open.βPeople love the menu because they can mix it up,β Fernando explained. Barbecue platters, stuffed baked potatoes, and Texas Twinkies are just theβ¦