Southern Q BBQ

Veteran Owned/Operated

Steve & Sherice Garner started by cooking for friends and family in their backyard, moved on to a food truck, and now run a brick-and-mortar joint making some of the best East Texas-style 'Q in the city.

Steve drove a truck and wife Sherice taught school in 2010 when they began making barbecue for friends, family, and parishioners at their local church. Steve grew up in Lufkin and had eaten ETX-style barbecue his whole life, both in his own family’s backyard as well as in local barbecue joints. Not only is Steve a connoisseur of ETX barbecue, but he’s something of a scholar, researching a possible connection between his family and the legendary Houston pistmaster Matt Garner (no evidence of that yet).

With encouragement from friends and family, the Garners opened their Southern Q barbecue trailer in a dusty parking lot in the FM1960 area in 2014. Their superb ETX dishes like smoked turkey legs and boudin became a big hit, and Steve added a worthy CTX-style brisket to bring in newer barbecue fans. They eventually opened in a small location on nearby Kuykendahl and now serve from a much bigger location on a blue-collar stretch of Richey Road just west of I-45.

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LOCATION DETAILS

Building: They say a real Texas barbecue joint should feel like home, and Southern Q is just that, because it's located in a building that was previously a single-family home, fireplace and all. Eating in the expansive, wood-paneled dining room does feel like you're in someone's living room.

Parking: There's a large-ish paved lot in front, with a larger gravel area on the side. There are no spaces marked off, so it can be a bit of a free-for-all, though there's usually spaces even at peak times.

Ordering: For dine-in or in-person takeout, there is a standard counter-service procedure: get in line, peruse the big chalkboard menu, and place your order at the point-of-sale. Your name is called when your order is ready. Ordering is usually quick and there is only a line during peak hours. You can also place an online order for pick-up or curbside. Curbside pickup is very well organized and fast.

Catering: They are a full spectrum of catering from pickup, to delivery, and full-service where they will bring the food, set up the station and have staff serving. They are highly expereinced at full-service catering.

Pit(s): Large capacity, well-seasoned Ole Hickory wood-burning rotisserie.