Smoked by AI · Austin · people
Daniel Vaughn
Critic · Journalist · Author — Texas barbecue, statewide. Pits, smoke, brisket, and the economics of a joint.
Listed with the critics and writers in Austin.
Daniel Vaughn has been Texas Monthly's Barbecue Editor since 2013, the first person anywhere to hold that title at a magazine. He runs the Top 50 BBQ Joints, the quadrennial list that is the only real award Texas barbecue has: no entry fee, no ticket, no public vote, editor-decided. For the 2025 edition his team visited 319 joints, more than 100 of them by Vaughn personally in January and February, all visits unannounced with the magazine paying for the food, and he re-visited the contenders himself to set the final order.
Their own reviews and picks.
Their own judgment, in their own words, by the piece it appeared in.
- Texas Monthly ↗their review · 2026-05-27
- Space Kat BBQEast Austin
“I'm on board if the tri-tip is always this good.”
- Space Kat BBQEast Austin
- Texas Monthly ↗their review · 2026-05-20
- Churchrow Tejas BBQCrestview
“It was the best bite I had during all my visits”
- Churchrow Tejas BBQCrestview
- Texas Monthly ↗their review · 2026-02-02
- Two GooseDowntown
“it's one of the finest breakfast sandwiches I can remember”
- Two GooseDowntown
- Texas Monthly ↗their pick · 2025-05-27
- BriscuitsSouth Lamar
“Sure, you can order a meat plate at Briscuits, and it will be delightful, but here the sandwiches are king.”
- Burnt Bean Company
“the pork ribs were seasoned with the ideal combination of salt and pepper and the brisket had a deep, savory quality that combined the smoke with the comfort of a roast”
- KG BBQEast Austin
“To experience how beautifully the tangy, sweet Middle Eastern flavors meld with smoky meats, try the pulled lamb shoulder rubbed with cinnamon and sumac”
- la BarbecueEast Cesar Chavez
“The saucy pork ribs were as good as that classic gets: moist pink meat under a bright, lightly sweet crust that didn't dominate.”
- Mum Foods Smokehouse And DelicatessenManor Road, Windsor Park
“Its foundation is pastrami (hence the deli theme), but the smoked brisket is a worthy costar that's sumptuously tender and sheathed in a deeply peppered bark.”
- Radio Coffee & BeerSouth Austin
“The truck at Radio Coffee and Beer has developed a sturdy biscuit that holds up to layers of barbecue.”
- Stiles Switch BBQ (North Lamar)North Lamar, Highland
“The brisket proved to be superb over several visits, and the spicy pork ribs were consistently well executed.”
- BriscuitsSouth Lamar
- Texas Monthly ↗their review · 2024-12-26
- CM Smokehouse (Valburn)Northwest Hills
“During weekend brunch, the beef-fat brioche cinnamon roll is a must, but at any time of day, you can get smoked baby back ribs that have been deep-fried until they're crisp around the edges.”
- Kreuz Market
“A scoop of the soft, unseasoned fruit with a bite from the salty pork spareribs makes for a perfect marriage.”
- CM Smokehouse (Valburn)Northwest Hills
- Texas Monthly ↗their review · 2024-06-28
- Sí Baby-QSoutheast Austin, Fierce Whiskers Distillery
“In similar fashion to KG, Sí Baby-Q colors outside the lines of Texas barbecue, but in some ways it is frustratingly restrained.”
- Sí Baby-QSoutheast Austin, Fierce Whiskers Distillery
- Texas Monthly ↗their review · 2023-07-01
- Barbs B Q
“This trio has found ways to bring new flavors to the most basic building blocks of Texas barbecue.”
- Barbs B Q
- Texas Monthly ↗their review · 2023-01-18
- Mum Foods Smokehouse And DelicatessenManor Road, Windsor Park
“It has a stout crust and a good chew, which helps it stay intact under the weight of the sliced pastrami.”
- Mum Foods Smokehouse And DelicatessenManor Road, Windsor Park
- Texas Monthly ↗their review · 2021-04-23
- CM Smokehouse (South Lamar)South Lamar (Bouldin Acres)
“Besides the excellent brisket, be sure to try Mercer's house-made beef sausage.”
- CM Smokehouse (South Lamar)South Lamar (Bouldin Acres)
- Texas Monthly ↗their pick · 2017-07-18
- Ramen Tatsu-Ya (North Lamar)North Austin, Burnet/Research
“he opened the tiny noodle shop in 2012, and it immediately set the local dining scene on fire”
- Ramen Tatsu-Ya (North Lamar)North Austin, Burnet/Research
- Texas Monthly ↗their review · 2015-02-09
- PieousBelterra, southwest of Austin
“You'll want to taste the meat at Pieous because it's some of the best pastrami I've eaten, and that includes a few famous places in New York.”
- PieousBelterra, southwest of Austin
Pieces they wrote about these places.
Reporting, openings and roundups. Kept for the trail, and not read as their endorsement — a writer relaying someone else's award is not recommending it.
- Texas Monthly (El-Ghayesh's own words, quoted by Vaughn) ↗they interviewed · 2022-12-01
- KG BBQEast Austin
“Tahini sauce is the national barbecue condiment of Egypt”
- KG BBQEast Austin