Burn’s Bar-B-Q & Catering

We eat a lot of BBQ from Burn’s… have even ordered some of their large «packages» for parties, and it’s always a hit with our guests. Love love love the BBQ sauce!

I used to frequent this place a lot which was a few years ago when I was more local to the area. The original location wasn’t much to look at and at the time only had a few chairs and tables outside. It was more of a pickup and takeaway dining which given the area it was in was what we did. My favorite was the fulfilling and affordable rib sandwich. I have not been to the new restaurant location on Shepard but suspect if the food is the same then its still a good place to chow down on some of the best BBQ in Houston.

Amazing fall off the bone ribs. Great smoky taste. Smoked sausage was nice and spicy. Friendly service. Good smoke ring on the brisket (moist). Sweet thick bbq sauce. I went to this bbq joint a few years ago when it was in the little white house in the middle of nowhere. They have less options than they used to and looked short staffed but good quality meat. I skipped the sides and got the 3 meat. It fed me twice.

Bbq good but definitely costs way too much… overrated for sure

11÷18÷12 Correction: The Shepard location is not the location listed in the June 2008 issue of Texas monthly. The 8307 Depriest location is the one that made the TM top Fifty. The TM website however shows the picture and address of the Shepard location. I have heard from a fellow Unilocaler and the owner on this matter.
I cannot believe this place made Texas Monthly top 50 for 2008. The next issue should come out next year. I will be curious if it makes the top 50 again.
I gave it a score of 69 out of possible 100. Bum Steer Barbecue.
Smoke: Oak, but you wouldn’t know it. They use a real pit according to Texas Monthly but I would not be surprised if they switched to rotisserie.
Brisket: Poor. Very disappointed. There was no smoke ring! Nada! Tough and barely any smoke flavor. It was roast beef not barbecue. Use plenty of sauce or skip all together.
Pork Ribs: Good. Very good to excellent. The only thing that keeps the doors open. They were very tender and smoke flavor was faint but overall was very good. Sauce needed.
Hot Links: Great. Spicy and best item on the menu. Flavor explosion and after taste left you licking your lips for more. No sauce needed.
Sauce: Excellent. Tangy and a little sweet. Bottle it and drink it. Its that good. A good thing since everything here needs sauce.

THIS PLACE IS EXTREMELY UNRELIABLE FOR CATERING AND VERY UNPROFESSIONAL!
We contacted Burns to provide bbq for students at our school. I personally spoke with the owner over a dozen times within a week period.
WE had made agreements on the amount we would pay $$ burns to cater the event, as well as our meat selections. We had all of the dates and times squared away, and they assured us they would arrive on time.
ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT: They DIDN’t SHOW UP! They didn’t even bother to make a courtesy call with an excuse on why they backed out on their agreement. 5 Hours passed before I received a call from the owner. She claimed she had been texting me that morning. YEA RIGHT !! I have an iphone 4s, never have had problems receiving texts. And What kind of reputable business would text their clients?
The truth is, Burns really screwed us over and there is no excuse for their lack of integrity! We ended up not being able to serve food to students, and it ruined the event. I am not sure how Burns has received such great reviews, or how they EVEN remain in business ! This is not the way to treat customers.
We advise all customers to be very cautious when conducting transactions with Burns. They do not seem to be forthright, or honest. BUYER BEWARE !
RESPONSE TO BURNS (UPDATE 8÷10÷12):
The catering event wasn’t for thousands of dollars of food. It was for exactly $ 532 worth of ribs and pulled pork for sandwiches. When you finalize amount, date, time, and place of the event over the phone it is still a BINDING CONTRACT, whether it’s on paper or not. Various E — mails were sent with the terms.
To Clarify: I am a representative of a student group that was serving food to students. I am not a representative of UH

Great sliced beef, excellent ribs. The best BBQ within Houston city limits, IMO.
I like going on Wednesday or Thursday evenings when there’s no line, but there’s typically a big turn out on Saturdays.
Friendly staff, and the cook knows what he’s doing. Highly recommended.
(Also, bring cash just in case — the credit card machine is down from time to time… Plus, it’s always better to pay in cash for good local businesses like this one.)

One of my favorite BBQ places. The brisket is juicy and buttery. The ribs are succulent and smoky. The homemade links are the best I’ve ever had. Well worth it. The only drawback is the limited hours and sides.

I’m a old customer and love to bring all
My teachers to eat at burns BBQ. On 7117 North Shepherd. The
Food is very good, Mr. Burns raised some smart kids to keep his name goin. I remember Mr. Burns had his daughter Kathy Running/​managing the business An Gary
was working hand an hand together, so for them to keep the business goin that’s good.

I have been hearing so much hype about this place so I just had to make a trek on over to see what it was all about.
I always get the 3 meat dinner when I go to a new BBQ joint just so I can get a good variety of what they have to offer. For this meal I had the ribs, homemade links, and sliced brisket with my sides being the beans and potato salad, it comes with some generic bread also. For those who do not eat red meat from what I could see no chicken option.
The ribs are a bit burnt but in a good way, crispy. If you’re not a sauce fan make sure to get it on the side because it comes default on it. The sauce was a sweet sauce but with a hint of spicy. The homemade links were the best part of the meal, but that’s not necessarily saying much. The brisket was on the fatty side. The sides of beans and potato salad were unmemorable.
Overall, it’s a DECENT BBQ joint, but by no means anything I would drive out of my way to visit. Even in Houston there are better options.

I have heard alot about Burns and so I was eager to check it out. I am still on a quest to find the best bbq in Houston. The place had an active group of customers coming in and out to get their meat, so it looked promising. The service was ok, although the lady seemed to be preoccupied with another customer. I told her that this was my first time but I still needed to ask a ton of questions about the menu.
Although I know it is Texas, I can count on one hand how many BBQ joints dont sell chicken, it is rare. The items are all a la carte, which means you dont get a standard plate with sides etc. Of course, I did not know this and after inquiring had to change my order which was a little frustrating. I ordered the link sandwich and side of potato salad and a drink which was around eight bucks. The sandwich was ok, and potato salad was ok, but I have been to quite a few BBQ joints where for eight bucks I would be stuffed.
Since everyone raves about this place, I will have to go back but to be honest for the drive and value, it will be a while.

As others have stated, the brisket wasn’t as good as I’ve had elsewhere. Also, it lacked consistency — some pieces were nice and smokey, but others were a little dry. But now that I’ve been to a lot of other BBQ joints, my taste buds know what good brisket should taste like. The sauce was really good — had a nice spiciness to it.
Also, get your Q to go — it comes that way anyway — in a bag with no utensils to eat it with.
The most amusing part of this visit was with the ordering:
Do you sell brisket by the pound?
Yes
Great, I’ll take a ¼ pound of brisket.
Half a pound?
No, ¼ pound of brisket.
Well, if that’s the same thing as a half a pound, then.
*facepalm*
And its pricey too! almost $ 11 for half a pound of brisket.
There’s better Q elsewhere.

Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Joints? This place has to be awesome right? Burn’s Bar-​B-​Q did not titillate my taste buds. Burn’s is located in the boonies (anything outside the 610 loop is considered a pilgrimage for me) so I carefully planned a trip out here.
As usual, I ordered the «Hot» side of the brisket (moist with burnt ends) and was sorely disappointed. The brisket was chewy, didn’t melt or break apart in my mouth. The bark was soft and had no texture/​taste. I felt like it could have been steamed? I actually spit some of it out because I got tired of masticating. The ribs were dry and had too many pieces of white bone in it. The only redeeming factor is the sauce. It had the perfect combination of seasonings, but even that could not mask the mediocre barbecue.

Excellent q here. Remember to bring cash though.
The BBQ around houston is far to chain centric. This is classic texas q! You just need to have patience and cash when you go to get it!

Back during the summer of 2009, I decided I would make it my goal to visit all Texas Monthly 2008 Top 50 BBQ places in one years’ time. I figure it is only fair to write reviews for them.
Not the nicest neighborhood in town I’m sure. Not the best looking building either, and I and my friend for one sure didn’t want to sit out at the only outside seating, we wanted to get out of there. That all being said, this was pretty good BBQ. I’m not sure what was up with the service, but I was not treated very well. I had to wait a bit for the person taking orders to finish a conversation with another coworker about what she did last night. I also dared to ask another worker a couple questions about how they cook their food and the type of sausage, and the one word answers and horrible look I got would make you think I was slapping her mother.
The hotlinks, which I was briefly told, «a couple makes them» were delicious and the highlight of the meal. Not very «hot» for a hot link, but great flavor and nice light kick. Casing was perfect and smokey with a bit of spiciness to it. These were dense like your typical commercial made varieties, but as stated locally made just for Burns, and it tasted great. Ribs were smokey and salty, but also a bit to tough. They were still huge, but still the outside was too tough, and the fat in the middle not rendered. A shame because the flavor was right, just not cooked. Brisket was well seasoned with a great bark on the outside that crusted perfectly. Deep smokiness to it, and a good smoke ring. It was also cut super thick, and if it weren’t for the fact that it was dry and way to lean, could have been great.
Sauce was a highlight here, great flavor and spicy. Beans were also really amazing, thick broth and tasty beans with lots of pepper. A good experience, and it seemed like a better day would have given this place a much higher rating, but the dry brisket and bad service hurt on Saturday.

Are you looking for good ol authentic homestyle bbq? I’m not talking about chain bbq restaurants that seem so cookie cutter, franchise-​like, and corporate feeling?
Are you looking for a bbq joint that is the holiest of hole in the walls? A place that you have to drive off the beaten path, into the neighborhood, and if you blink an eye you just might drive right past it because it’s essentially a house on a street with a sign out front?
Do you want to try someplace new that I’m willing to bet your friends hadn’t even considered, let alone even knew about because it seems like such a well-​kept secret that the people that frequent this joint are locals and people who just happened to hear about it through the grapevine?
Well I asked those questions and I happened to have my questions answered when I just happened to be in the area (I-​45 and Little York, near the big ass Gallery Furniture store). We wanted to find someplace in the area that was
1. highly rated
2. unavailable anywhere else in Houston
3. affordable
4. a hidden neighborhood gem
I punched in the local zip code in Unilocal and it came up with Burns BBQ… or Bar-​B-​Que I should say… we were a little nervous indeed as we drove off a main road onto De Priest, which is basically a neighborhood street… it’s not exactly midtown or river oaks, so don’t drive down this road expecting brand new townhomes… what the neighborhood lacks in posh and upscaleness, it more than makes up for it with this little diamond of a bbq place.
We walk up and it’s basically a house… next door are some nice ladies selling teacakes in front of their house. Step inside and there’s a line of people waiting to order to go food off of worn out menu on the wall that has seen better days. Your order your food off the menu and you wait for your food which is then served in a brown bag. While there are picnic tables outside, this place lends itself perfectly to take-​out orders as the drinks are essentially out of the vending machine sitting right inside.
Now for the most important part — the food. We got the lunch specials (served til 3pm). 2 meats for 9 bucks or 3 meats for 10 and that comes with bread, potato salad, and baked beans.
The meats
1. The ribs — omg — the tenderness and the sauce on this is incredible. I could eat these all day.
2. The links — melt in your mouth goodness — you have a choice of mild and hot, I got the hot and it had a good spice to it, but nothing I couldnt handle.
3. The brisket — tasty but a little dry for my taste. I would have liked it to be a little juicier and fattier, but I am willing to overlook this… it may just have been a dry batch. It was still delicious when eaten as part of a sandwich slathered with some extra sauce.
The sides
1. The baked beans — I’m not usually a big fan but jeez I scarfed these down in no time.
2. Potato salad — it was your normal potato salad
3. Bread — slices of the plain soft white bread — ain’t no whole wheat here… you’re eating it country style…
Overall — one of the best BBQs in town in my opinion and worth a taste. If anything come and check out why Texas Monthly rated this one of the top 50 bbqs in Texas… that’s definitely worthy praise… not only was it in the top 50, it was only 1 of 2 places in Houston on the list.
Take note of the odd hours of operation so you don’t make the drive and find it closed. Cash only so come prepared. They also sell bottles of their sauce for $ 2.75 a bottle — we grabbed one to slather extra sauce on our meats at home… well worth it. The sauce is sold at select HEB stores (see photo above).
Oh by the way… the serving sizes here are huge… We ordered the two lunch specials above and it was enough to feed four.

4.75 out of 5.0. That’s what Texas Monthly rated Burns BBQ in their «The Top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas» issue back in June ’08. I agree with them for the most part, but the brisket just wasn’t up to my spoiled by Central Texas BBQ standards.
The drive through the neighborhood was like driving through a country neighborhood. Houses, a burger place (I think), a convenience store or two, and a guy with his cooker sitting under a tent, selling boiled crawfish in a lot next to one of the convenience stores. Then I saw them: the cars and trucks. Some (including mine) lined the street. Others were parked in the crowded lot. I was the first of my party there, so I scouted the place for a bit. Four picnic tables, including a concrete garden table with benches. Two cats lounging underneath a picnic table. And a converted house with a screen door, seven chairs, a coke machine, many handwritten signs with prices scratched out and rewritten underneath, and lots of people who were happily anticipating their soon to be BBQ-​stuffed stomachs.
This is how Friday lunches are meant to be spent: BBQ and a six pack of beer. Wait, I don’t think I’m remembering that correctly, perhaps there was no beer… or even iced tea for that matter. I remember waiting in chairs at the storefront of a converted house (next to the window unit, newspaper clipping of Biggio, and a pic of The Gap Band) while our BBQ waited for us on the counter (lack of communication). There were two cats who stared me down (the meow meow kind with tails, not the «cool» people variety). There were about a hundred happy, swarming flies trying to get at my food. All of the previous became a bit blurry from the time I opened my Styrofoam container until the time I closed it. Reopened it, then closed it again. It was a manic BBQ frenzy for the three of us in this neighborhood off of I-​45 north of downtown.
I should have gotten the three piece BBQ plate with brisket, sausage, and ribs. And beans and potato salad on the side. I got that, just no ribs. Instead I just got to look at the amazing ribs on my dining companion’s plates. I would have distracted them and stolen a rib, but didn’t want to run the risk of being stabbed by a plastic fork. The brisket was decent; better than most anything you’ll find in Houston. Also, the leftovers made for a really good sandwich later that evening. The links were a bit better, and exponentially better dipped in the AMAZING sauce.
The thing that makes or breaks BBQ is of course the sauce. Sadly the majority of trendy (and not so trendy) BBQ joints in the Houston area believe that sauce should either be able to double as pancake syrup or look to be bottled by Heinz or some such brand. Gross. Burns’ sauce is gloriously good. Perfectly vinegary, spicy, sweet, and smokey. Extremely savory, but it won’t mask the food it’s on. I was only given one container, but as we waited for our food, I noticed a sign stating that it is also sold at the HEB. (Thought the bottles looked familiar.)
The sides. The beans are amazing. Seriously. If you’re hesitant about the trek, let them be your impetus. Pinto beans mixed with debris, onions, and bell peppers. The mustard potato salad was okay. I had a few bites, but didn’t want to waste valuable stomach real estate on filler.
So, for $ 9 ($ 10 for a three meat plate), I was set for a huge spread for lunch AND dinner. If you’re short on cash, or just like sandwiches, they have those for $ 5. They also offer catering-​sized meals than run from $ 25 for a small group of four to $ 425 for a substantial party. If you want tea or beer, they have a coke machine… or if you take your food to go, you can stop by any place on the way to your house, office, or random park, and grab a beverage of your choice.

I was in Houston for a conference. Asked our bus driver where she goes for bbq… she first suggest Pappa’s (chain with outlets at the airport and downtown), but after being a pest, she said she goes to Burns. But she said it was hard to find, etc… and said I should be «carefrul.» I told her I was from Oaktown, so I know careful. Just the kind of place I was looking for.
The place is about the size of an Everett and Jones, or the old Flints, but it has a nice outdoor seating area, where you can see what others are eating. The two guys I brought with me and I had the three meat platter, about $ 25, potato salad and beans.
I thought the ribs were ok… but I like my sauce a little browner, and spicier. I loved the sausage, nice and smoky, and very meaty. The brisket was ok, I like mine a little fatter! but I loved the beans, more like a tex mex chili! And my friend really liked the grape soda from the vending machine.
Just as we started eating, two motorcycle cops pulled up, so you know it has to be good. It reminded my of some joints I tried in the sixties, when I was stationed in College Station, except they didn’t give me any butcher paper, instead we had the ubiquitous styrofoam container.
The location is north of downtown, just off 45N, at the Little York exit; go under the freeway, and you’ll find it about 2 miles down the road. Go it the day time, or you’ll get lost.
I’d give it three stars, except the location, and the friendliness of the folks, and the outdoor eating, seemed to be really, and authentically Texas.

Best ribs that I’ve had in Houston. The brisket was good, but not great. And the sausage is the typical East Texas dense variety which I am admittedly not a fan of. The beans are awesome and the potato salad is basically grocery store quality.
So why 4 stars? Because compared to just about every other BBQ joint in city limits, it is simply better.
It is not easy to find, there is always a wait, and there are two (maybe 3) chairs inside. The menu is written with a marker on cardboard that is taped to the wall and they only take cash. Exactly what a great bbq shack should be.
No steam tables, lame pseudo antique adornments, or any of the ancillary crap that has nothing to do with smoked meat.
As I re-​read what I’ve written above, I realize that I’m almost convincing you, gentle reader, to not go. And I really have no problem with that. Burns wouldn’t be the same with Thelma’s attitude and Goode’s neon.
So don’t go. I can promise that ribs will still sell-​out and the greedy few of us that interlope into this Acres Homes hideaway will keep our secret.

Outdoor seating only in front of and old house. Closed Sunday through Tuesday each week and and open till 7 or until sold out. Homemade hotlinks were delicious but not as spicy as I expected. The beans are almost a chili with meat and onions, not quite ranch style but really very tasty. I nice Texas alternative to standard BBQ baked beans.
I had the two meat combo and thought it a lot of food. The food is an incredible bargin so if you like to eat a lot, plan on getting more than just a sandwich. The sliced beef brisket was a little fatty, not quite melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender but pretty close. the Two Texans who took me down there agreed it was well worth seaking out.
If you don’t mind a gravel parking lot, picnic tables, stray cats and you like good bar-​b-​que you will not be disappointed.