By Tony Parente
Last week, on a business trip to Houston, Texas, I had the opportunity to stop into one of the Lone Star state’s premier BBQ institutions: Pinkerton’s. My colleagues and I had been asking around the hotel where we should go for a great BBQ. The answers kept coming back
“You gotta go to Pinkerton’s!” So away we went, and were we glad we did.
The restaurant has a very unassuming way about it, with wood ceilings and walls and large wood tables and bench seats. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. After getting a tutorial on ordering, we grabbed our trays and went in-line to the cafeteria. Moving along, we picked out our meats, which are sold by the pound, and then headed down the line to grab our sides. I went with the brisket, a link of boudin, some ribs, and smoked chicken wings. For sides, I rode with the tangy coleslaw and the jalapeno rice. Everything was excellent. The brisket was my favorite. It is tender and juicy, with a perfect bark surrounding the meat. The ribs were a close second. Just the right amount of smoke and fall off the bone tender. Wow.
I have would be remiss if I didn’t mention the coleslaw. Like so many BBQ places that are worth going to, Pinkertons takes pride in their sides. The coleslaw is great! The nearest comparison I can think of is the old-school slaw at KFC back in the day. I’m not a fan of KFCs current version, but the old one was spot on, and so is Pinkerton’s. Last and by no means least was the banana Foster’s pudding. OMG. The perfect sweet after all that delicious smoked goodness.
It was a great experience, and it got even better when the pit master, Marc, invited us back to see the smokers and gave us a peek at where the magic happens. Unlike some other renowned BBQ spots, Pinkerton prides itself on having enough meat to last till the last customer. We arrived late, but Marc assured us there was always enough to eat at Pinkerton’s. To prove his point, he noted that the pits run around the clock for the most part, with each giant smoker holding 25-30 briskets each. The smoke at Pinkerton’s is strictly stick, and they use mesquite and oak. The oak is used to “finish off’ the brisket.
Pinkerton’s was started by Houston native Grant Pinkerton, who grew up fascinated with Texas tradition, especially cooking meat. After college, Grant returned to Houston and turned his passion for BBQ into a small business that has grown into two celebrated restaurants in Houston and San Antonio. As well as the restaurants Grant leads a competitive BBQ team “Come and Eat It” which has several major BBQ titles under their belt including The Memphis Beef World Championship in 2019 and 2021. Pinkerton’s has been a regular on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ Joints list since 2017. In 2018, Grant was named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list.
Pinkerton’s is open at 11 am Tuesday through Sunday
Pinkerton’s Barbecue
1504 Airline Dr,
Houston, TX 77009
(713) 802-2000
