Every four years, Texas Monthly releases its best barbecue list, detailing which eateries are must-tries for brisket, ribs and pulled pork alike throughout the state. Here are seven Greater Houston-area spots that made the list. • CorkScrew BBQ. Owned by husband-and-wife team Will and Nicole Buckman, this local favorite opened in 2011 out of a trailer and relocated to a brick-and-mortar building in historic Old Town Spring in 2015. Among the eatery’s most popular items are the Black Angus Prime all-natural brisket, the beef ribs, Duroc pulled pork and whole chickens, all cooked by a red oak wood rotisserie pit. 26608 Keith St., Spring. 832-592-1184 • Gatlin’s BBQ. Former defensive back at Rice University, Greg Gatlin opened this Cajun-inspired barbecue joint in 2010, boasting brisket, baby back and St. Louis-cut pork ribs and house made sausages cooked in a hickory and oak indirect-heat pit. 3510 Ella Blvd., Houston. 713-869-4227 • Killen’s Barbecue. Owned by Ronnie Killen, this eatery is known for its wet-aged brisket, signature beef rib, bone-in pork belly and newly added dry-aged brisket, all paired with a homemade mustard-based barbecue sauce. Opened in 2014, the barbecue joint smokes its meats in a post oak, hickory and pecan wood-fired rotisserie smoker. 3613 E. Broadway St., Pearland. 281-485-2272 • Pinkerton’s Barbecue. Opened by Grant Pinkerton in 2016, this family-run barbecue joint offers staples, such as brisket, glazed and unglazed pork ribs and beef ribs, cooked in an unorthodox fashion starting with mesquite and finishing with post oak in an offset smoker. Homemade sides and desserts round out the eatery’s repertoire as well as an extensive cocktail menu. 1504 Airline Drive, Houston. 713-802-2000 • The Pit Room. Co-pitmasters Michael Sambrooks and Bramwell Tripp opened this barbecue joint in 2016, boasting USDA Prime beef and Berkshire-Duroc pork, smoked in a post oak offset smoker. Signature items include the pork ribs, chicken and turkey and three types of house-made sausages including the Czech (beef), jalapeno-cheddar (pork) and black-pepper garlic (venison). The eatery also offers a condiments bar, homemade desserts and tortillas made with brisket fat drippings. 1201 Richmond Ave., Houston. 281-888-1929 • Roegels Barbecue Co. With a signature of using pepper in an almost overzealous fashion, husband-and-wife Russell and Misty Roegels opened this restaurant in 2001. The family-owned eatery is revered for its brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, pulled pork and crispy-skinned chicken, all perfected in a post oak indirect-heat pit. The meats are paired with homemade sides and desserts. 2001 2223 S. Voss Road, Houston. 713-977-8725 • Tejas Chocolate Craftory. Originally opened as a bean-to-bar chocolate business, brothers Scott and Greg Moore and Michelle Holland opened this surprise barbecue joint in 2015, operating out of the oldest building in Tomball. Alongside chocolatier confections, the eatery is known for USDA Prime brisket, beef short ribs and pork ribs perfected in the double propane tank smoker, known as the “Black October.” The restaurant also offers breakfast tacos and homemade Spanish-infused barbecue sauces. 200 N. Elm St., Tomball. 281-892-1700 To see the 10 Austin-area barbecue joints that made the list, click here.