chron.com | tubular tv | comics | games | horoscopes | iPhone | Quick Search
Jerry Pizzitola and Tim Taylor of Pizzitola's.: Nick de la Torre : 29-95
If you’re craving what Texas Monthly has called the state’s best brisket, then it’s a quick two hour trip to barbecue bliss in Lexington, Texas, 121 miles from Houston.
For Jerry Pizzitola, owner of Pizzitola's Bar-B-Cue, that first visit to Lexington was an interminable drive home. Pizzitola and his partner Tim Taylor had joined a group of Houston barbecue aficionados on a tour of Hill Country barbecue spots back in January. The outing -- a three car caravan -- was led by J.C. Reid, a frequent contributor to 29-95 who is known for his appreciation of all things barbecue.
The group arrived at Snow’s BBQ about 9:30 a.m. to find a long line and it wasn’t long before the day’s allotment of brisket was gone.
“On the ride back from Snow’s, you could see the smoke coming out of Jerry’s ears,” Taylor said.
“I was mad,” Pizzitola said after tasting Kerry Bexley and Tootsie Tomanetz’s brisket. I thought brisket is brisket. I didn’t know there was so much room to improve.”
It was a barbecue epiphany for a man who has earned a good living for more than 30 years by cooking meat.
The goods: brisket, ribs, sausage and chicken as served at Pizzitolas.: Nick de la Torre : 29-95
After tasting the brisket, “we sat out back at Snow’s for a couple of hours,” Taylor said. “Jerry was like a CIA agent taking in all the details. He was asking lot of questions.”
“(Bexley and Tomanetz) started sharing information,” Pizzitola said. “I wanted to understand the wow factor.”
With one of Snow’s frozen briskets tucked in the car, Pizzitola and Taylor began the drive back to Houston and formulating a plan of action.
“(Jerry) took it as a personal challenge,” Taylor said. “He started working 24/7.”
And for the past six months, Pizzitola and his three long-time pitmasters have been tweaking their already popular brisket.
Slicing the brisket.: Nick de la Torre : 29-95
Of course, Taylor isn’t surprised at Pizzitola’s tenacity. The epiphany at a Lexington picnic table wasn’t the first time in their partnership that Pizzitola had pursued a better bite.
“Jerry reacts to what customers are saying,” Taylor said, “so when we kept hearing about ‘burnt ends’ in the dining room, we started investigating.”
The investigation led them to Kansas City, where the burnt ends of a brisket are considered the best part of barbecue.
After trying the barbecue at Arthur Bryant’s and Gates, two widely-popular KC barbecue spots, the pair sat for hours with general manager Case Dornan of Jack Stack Barbecue and talked ribs, as well as burnt ends.
So what changes have been made since that fateful January visit to Snow’s?
First thing was a change in Pizzitola’s meat purveyor, as well a change in the size of the brisket itself. Instead of 14 to 15-pound brisket, Pizzitola now buys 10 pound briskets. And it’s trimmed brisket. That’s new, too.
And then there’s the whole prep and cooking.
The crew behind the barbecue: David Reynoso, David Estrada, Lexi Moore and senior pitmaster Carlton Gould.: Nick de la Torre : 29-95
Pizzitola and his three pitmasters have spent hours experimenting. Wrapping briskets at different intervals, logging times and temperatures. All just to perfect a bite of brisket, to achieve “the wow.”
Pizzitola says his longtime pitmasters, many of whom have been with him since the beginning, have been open to his pursuit of perfection.
“They have a lot of pride. And it wasn’t like what we were doing was bad,” said Pizzitola, who as a boy ate at Shepherd Drive Barbecue where John Davis was the pitmaster. Pizzitola bought the business from the Davis family in 1983.
“It’s been a rocky road -- this quest for perfection,” Taylor said. “But then we started hearing from customers.”
Both said the reviews have been positive, but there’s still work to be done.
“It’s better,” Pizzitola said of his brisket, “but it’s not where we want it to be. Not now. Not yet.”
Pizzitola’s will be featured on a “Best of the Bayou” episode of the Cooking Channel’s Road Trip with G. Garvin at 8 p.m. on July 24. Pizzitola’s senior pitmaster Carlton Gould will offer tips for backyard barbecuers.
Pizzitola's Bar-B-Cue: 1703 Shepherd Dr., 713-227-2283
I guess I've had the pre-epiphany ribs and brisket. Several visits worth left me unconvinced as to the raves for their foods. Dare I try one .... more ... time ?
I wasn't impressed on my only visit but I'll certainly give them another try now. Thanks for the review.
I commend Jerry's efforts to meet the standards of Snow's Brisket. I gladly trek the 2-hour drive for what I and others agree is the best brisket in Texas. I think Pizzitola's Bar-B-Cue is outstanding, especially the ribs and would love to be able to get the "brisket of the gods" here locally. Good luck with your quest Jerry, I look forward to trying out your brisket very soon.
A little pricey, as far as BBQ goes, but excellent!!
It's not bad bbq....but a ton of rednecks. Get ready for a lot of rubbernecking if you're black or mexican american.
Well, I have been a fan of Pizzatola's Bar-B-Cue for some time. I guess to each their own. It is certainly not the cheapest barbecue in town, but for me it is the best. I haven't noticed much of a change in the past few months though to be honest. It tasted great before and it tastes great now. Again, I guess it comes down to how you like your barbecue. I know I am not the only one that likes it.
you can't do country barbeque in the city, where cooking is a craft, not a product.
craft wins over mass production every time.
it'll always be better in Lexington, Taylor, Lockhart, etc., but good luck anyway.
well said!
I was not impressed by their BBQ when I tried it a year ago. The meat was dry, didn't taste smoked and really nothing special.
Glad to hear they are trying to improve. Houston needs better BBQ. I'll have to give them another try..
I made the trek to Snow's right after Texas Monthly voted best BBQ...im going to be honest...spent $30 to eat there and bring home...i eat BBQ all over Texas and the South...ill drive to Lockhart, Luling or Taylor at the drop of a hat...but the meat i got at Snow's was the sorriest mess i have ever eaten..if i want pot roast ill cook a pot roast...if i want steamed brisket ill go to Snow's...Guys its not all about tender alone..its the marriage of low heat and smoke....BTW, i tried to eat what i brought home and threw it out...i bought samples of all they had...all hype because of the location and short hours...if youre going to drive go to Smitty's in Lockhart or Luling City Market in Luling.
To me, the ribs are near perfection. Simply and cooked well with care. They are hardly a "production" shop, as one commenter stated. The meats are consistently cooked well and the service and atmosphere make it my favorite BBQ in town.
For me and ribs, every time it's Pizzitola's.
I liked it very much, it was also very expensive.
Dined here for the first time a few weeks ago. The ribs were good, sides were mediocre. I did not appreciate the male/female pricing??? What's up with that? The male prices were IMO overpriced while the female were about what you would normally expect to pay. Also, the rib plate only included 3 small ribs. Will likely not return.
If you have any experience at all, you never cook a brisket that weighs more than 11 pounds. Even then, you can judge the potential tenderness by trying to bend it in the cyrovac package, some are better than others. At the same time you avoid any brisket that is too small like a 7 pounder and you are wasting time and money cooking the flat by itself. It's hard to imagine that they have been doing BBQ since 1983 and are just now beginning to question their technique.
I voted for Pizzatola's BBQ for the Best in Houston, only because I haven't tried all the others like Thelma's or Virgil's. I would also like to tell the owners of Pizzatola's that they should have gone down to LockHart, TX and visited Black's BBQ, then possibly a drive over to Austin to hit Franklin's BBQ or JMuller BBQ Trailer just South of Franklin's. Between Snow's and Black's, IMHO lies the BEST BBQ in Texas alone.
Excellent bar b q but the sauce is to watery
50 bucks for two for lunch and I was still hungry. Jalapenos are extra cost. The pictures above are not as generous as I remember. I was almost done when the owner came over to my table to ask how everything was, and then pointed out that i had forgotten the bread which was between two plates. I lifeted the plate to look at the bread to be dissapointed that it was buck a loaf white bread. Not impressed for the money.
If you traveled to KC to "learn" bout brisket-you wasted your time.
Arthur Bryant's and Gates - has beens and bad tasting.
Typical KC brisket- thin smoke ring and a sugar-sweet sauce. The people in KC say "its all about the sauce"- uh...no....its all about meat/fire/smoke.(and sauce last). I have NEVER had good brisket in KC.
If you tripped to KC to investigate - i question this whole article. Besides- TM traveled to KC about 10yrs ago and gave pretty bad reviews to everything KC - except Jakes? or Dannys? or something.
I frequent Pizzitola's at least once a month and am nevr disappointed. The ribs are easily the best in HOU. The brisket is very good although I do believe there is room for improvement too. Don't hesitate if you have not been there before. You won't want to miss this diamond.
Just try the sausage at Pizzitola's it's the best. I have been eating Bar-B-Q in the Houston area for 65 years or so and have yet to find any place to match Pizzitola's in all types of Bar-B-Q meats.
Great service, great food and steady as a rock time in and time out.
When you are the best and still trying to get better speaks volumes about Jerry and Tim.
tnx for the article..i'd really like it if you would write more about the specifics: which, temperature, why size matters, type of wokd, marinades, etc. etc, etc.