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Pitmasters slinging chopped brisket and pulled pork sandwiches a couple of decades ago wouldn’t believe how creative today’s barbecue sandwiches have become. I recently wrote about the evolution of smoked meat on bread and included some of my favorite sandwiches, such as one that features smoked-mushroom duxelles and another that gets a swipe of chicken liver pâté. In my research, I found a bevy of classic sandwich types interpreted through a barbecue lens: Using smoked beef only improves a French dip, a BLT will always be better with bacon that’s cured and smoked in-house, and a cheesesteak, perhaps the most challenging sandwich to re-create, can be upgraded with brisket. Here’s a look at some of the best barbecue sandwiches around the state.
Banh MiBlood Bros. BBQ, in Bellaire
Char siu pork loin, pickled daikon and carrots, fresh jalapeño, and cilantro mingle inside an airy baguette from local French Riviera bakery. The cooks use a thick swipe of house-made chicken liver pâté as the base for this gloriously overflowing Vietnamese classic.
Runner-up: Helberg Barbecue, in Woodway
BLTMum Foods Smokehouse & Delicatessen, in Austin
Geoffrey Ellis, owner of Mum Foods, only adds the BLT to the specials board when tomatoes are in season and he can buy them locally. Their juices meld with the generous layer of mayo on beef-tallow Texas toast. I normally prefer thin and crispy bacon on a BLT, but Mum’s thick-sliced bacon, cured and smoked in-house, is a great example of the more toothsome variety.
Runner-up: One90 Smoked Meats, in Dallas
Grilled CheeseSmoke Shack, in San Antonio
I’m not sure whether Smoke Shack originated the brisket grilled cheese sandwich, but it was the first place I saw serving one. Let’s clear up one thing first: Every brisket grilled cheese can more accurately be described as a brisket melt. This one gets plenty of chopped brisket on buttered Texas toast with American cheese slices that give it proper gooeyness. Try the classic version or get it “Steve-Mo” style, with sautéed onions and jalapeños.
Runner-up: Smokin’ Z’s BBQ, in Bayou Vista
CheesesteakTruth Barbeque, in Houston
Finding a great smoked-meat cheesesteak in Texas was more difficult than I thought it would be. Most places pour queso over chopped brisket in a split roll. I prefer the Cooper Sharp cheese often used in Philadelphia cheesesteak joints. I understand the regional appeal of using queso, but my beef is with not mixing the cheese into the meat. Truth Barbeque gets that. The cooks there chop the brisket on the flattop with a mix of American, provolone, and Swiss cheeses and then top it with more provolone slices that melt into sautéed onions and bell peppers. A few brisket burnt ends serve as garnishes for good measure.
Runner-up: Two Goose, in Austin
The chopped cheese from LeRoy and Lewis.Photograph by Daniel VaughnChopped CheeseLeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, in Austin
LeRoy and Lewis’s smoked burger is already famous, but its cousin might be even better. The chopped cheese is not on the regular menu, but you can always order one at the counter or the bar. The main ingredient is the same half-pound patty used in the smoked burger, and the cooks chop it up on the flattop with sautéed onions and loads of American cheese. It goes into a hoagie roll with chopped iceberg lettuce and diced tomatoes. Look for sandwich specials such as the smoked meatball sub and the smoked Italian beef for more variety.
Club SandwichPecan Lodge, in Dallas
This joint calls it a Texicali Turkey, but the sandwich has almost all of the elements of a club. The house-cured bacon is crisp, and the arugula and tomato protruding from the edges obscure the slices of perfectly ripe avocado underneath. Oaxaca cheese is browned on the flattop before crowning folds of thinly sliced smoked turkey, and each side of the buttered and griddled sweet sourdough bun gets a squeeze of basil mayo. It’s unlike anything else on Pecan Lodge’s menu, and it became my new favorite thing to order there after the first bite.
Cuban SandwichPachuco’s, in Midland
Smoked pulled pork with mustard sauce brings the barbecue element into the Pachuco’s Cuban, which also features thick slices of ham, dill pickle chips, and melted Swiss cheese. The bread isn’t ideal—it’s more of a hoagie roll than crusty pan cubano—but it is buttered and then pressed to squish all of the elements together, just like with a traditional Cuban sandwich. Most important, it’s not overstuffed, showing the proper restraint.
Runner-up: Stiles Switch BBQ (monthly special), in Austin and Cedar Park
French DipThe Switch, in Austin
Rather than going the obvious route and using smoked brisket, the Switch employs tri-tip for its French dip. The thinly sliced beef is pink in the center with a stout bark and is topped with melted Swiss before being pressed into a fresh French roll. The rich jus, as dark as cola, steals the show as it soaks into the bread with every plunge.
The French dip from the Switch. Photograph by Daniel Vaughn 
The Texicali Turkey, from Pecan Lodge. Photograph by Daniel Vaughn
MuffulettaParish Barbecue, in Austin
Texas barbecue with a Cajun flair is Parish Barbecue’s forte, and its cooks make everything in-house for this classic New Orleans sandwich, including the circular seeded roll, the cured and smoked ham, and the olive salad. It’s served hot, with melted Swiss and a pickle spear on the toothpick that holds this behemoth together.
PastramiMum Foods Smokehouse & Delicatessen, in Austin
This sandwich has so few elements that the ingredients have nowhere to hide. Thankfully, the folks at Mum Foods bake their own rye bread, slather their own spicy mustard onto each slice, and layer lean and fatty slices of the best pastrami in Texas between them. It’s simple perfection.
Runner-up: Cattleack Barbeque (special), in Farmers Branch
Po’ Boy3rd Coast BBQ, in Spring
They call it the Whoa-Boy at 3rd Coast BBQ because this sandwich is huge. Get your choice of one or two barbecued meats—I love the combo of fatty brisket and lean smoked turkey—along with crunchy chipotle slaw and Shiner Bock cheese on a French roll from Gambino’s, in New Orleans.
Runner-up: Parish Barbecue, in Austin
ReubenRoegels Barbecue Co, in Houston
Every Thursday, folks line up at Roegels Barbecue Co for its pastrami Reuben. Thick slices of house-made brisket pastrami are topped with house-fermented sauerkraut. Misty Roegels makes the Russian dressing and whole grain mustard. In an unusual move, Swiss cheese slices are heated directly on the griddle, and the thin, browned layer of cheese that’s left behind is scraped off and added to the buttered and griddled rye bread for an extra dose of umami.
Runner-up: Mum Foods Smokehouse & Delicatessen, in Austin
Fried-Chicken SandwichSlow Bone BBQ, in Dallas
After the Popeye’s fried-chicken sandwich went viral in 2019, Slow Bone created its own smoky version called the Chickalicious, made with breaded and fried smoke-brined chicken tenders. A layer of both sweet and sour pickles provides more crunch, and the sriracha aioli brings the heat. Heavily dressed chimichurri slaw ties the sandwich together on a toasted challah bun.
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