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On the Road

Our Visit to Killen's Barbecue: With Great Barbecue Comes Great Popularity

Before we developed our own brisket recipe, we traveled to Texas to learn from the experts.
By Published Aug. 28, 2018

Where We Went

Map of Pearland, Texas

Pearland, Texas

You guessed it: Pearland gets its name from the abundance of pear trees in the region.

Staff Photographer Steve Klise and I traveled to Pearland, Texas, to try some of the most popular barbecue food the Lone Star State has to offer. We left with more than just the taste of good barbecue — we returned to the test kitchen with cooking and smoking tips from the owner of Killen's Barbecue, Ronnie Killen, which led us in the development of our own Texas-Style Brisket recipe

I arrive at Killen's Barbecue in Pearland, Texas, a short time before the doors open for lunch. Already, a line has formed below the massive oak out front. Following the trail of smoke, I wind my way around the back of the restaurant. Ronnie Killen has yet to arrive today, so I meet up with pit master Manny Torres. He's the guy feeding the pits that churn out the stellar barbecue Killen's has become famous for. “When people come up to me and tell me the food was amazing, it makes it all worth it. No matter how dirty I get,” says Torres. However, he is quick to give Killen credit for the food; he and Killen have worked together for more than 12 years, and there's a deep mutual respect.

Ronnie KillenManny Torres
Killen's Barbecue's owner and operator Ronnie Killen (left) and pit master Manny Torres (right), photographed speaking to us in two of the restaurant's seating areas.

As we walk over to the pits, Killen shows up and begins describing how he prepares his brisket: He cooks it at 225 degrees for 16 hours over a combination of smoking oak, pecan, and hickory wood. Hickory, he says, is too strong, and if you're not careful to add it sparingly, it can impart a bitter or acrid flavor to the food.

Before the brisket hits the cooker, he seasons the meat with salt and pepper and then coats it with yellow mustard to make the spice rub stick—later, I'll taste the mild tanginess of the mustard beneath the bark. Finally, he applies a liberal dusting of their house rub, which includes chipotle, white and brown sugars, cumin, and black pepper.

I ask about the black pepper. Killen prefers it to cayenne for its up-front burn; he even tests the quality of the Tellicherry peppercorns he uses by placing them on a sheet of white paper for a few moments to see if they leave behind their oil, an indicator of freshness. He likens the peppercorns to grapes and the wine they produce: Every plant is different, every batch is different. Killen has a love of his craft and can speak endlessly about grinds of pepper or meat cuts or woodsmoke, drawing you in with his passion. “My Grandma told me, ‘Cook for people what you love, and everything else will come out fine.’”

As a kid, Killen worked in a watermelon patch. On days they sold their haul of picked melons, they were rewarded with barbecue, which they ate at picnic tables like the ones now installed on the outdoor patio at Killen's. He got into cooking because he hated doing the dishes, and if he cooked, that meant he didn't have to wash them. By the time he was in high school, he was cooking for his whole family. He learned to cook barbecue from his godfather, who also taught him to be meticulous and care for his food. I ask how those lessons impacted him as a cook. He responds, “We just buy the best product and try not to screw it up.”

"My Grandma told me, ‘Cook for people what you love, and everything else will come out fine.’" — Ronnie Killen
A tray of smoked meats (clockwise from top left: turkey breast, sausage, pulled pork, beef ribs, competition-style pork spare ribs, pork belly, and brisket) at Killen's Barbecue.

If You Go

Restaurant: Killen’s Barbecue

Address: 3613 E Broadway St, Pearland, TX 77581

What we ate (and loved): Smoked brisket, smoked turkey breast, smoked pork ribs, smoked beef ribs, bone-in pork belly, chicken-fried steak, brisket tacos, broccoli and rice casserole, creamed corn, carrot cake, croissant bread pudding

Insider tips: After years of running fine dining restaurants around the city, Houston restaurateur Ronnie Killen decided to take his knowledge of the ins and outs of the industry and make a foray into Texas’ tradition of smoked meats. The result? Killen’s Barbecue, which is located just outside Houston proper in Pearland, TX, and serves up some of the most amazing brisket in the Lone Star State (and, don’t tell anyone in the Carolinas, but some of the best pork ribs in the country). With great barbecue comes great popularity (since we visited, Killen’s has opened a satellite location in the concourse at NRG Stadium, home of the NFL’s Houston Texans), and with great popularity comes long lines. You absolutely have to get there early: the throng of barbecue hopefuls can stretch all the way past the end of the block, and attendant customers have been known to bring in TVs and coolers of beer to pass the time standing along Broadway Street. Don’t fill up entirely on brisket and ribs, though: dessert offerings influenced by Killen’s fine dining menus like croissant bread pudding and sticky toffee pudding-style carrot cake are definitely worth lingering over.

Try at Home

Texas-Style Barbecue Brisket

A whole brisket is able to feed a crowd, looks and tastes incredible, and, for those who love a grilling challenge, it's the crowning achievement of backyard barbecue mastery.
Get the Recipe