Two Valley joints named in Texas Monthly's top 50 BBQ list

SAN JUAN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Two Rio Grande Valley restaurants were named the best barbecue joints in the state.

Texas Monthly, an Austin-based publication, released its list of the top 50 BBQ joints on Tuesday.

Every four years, taste testers with Texas Monthly drive across the state to curate the list of best barbecue places.

Texas Monthly visited 319 BBQ joints to determine which ones would be named on its 2025 list.

GW's BBQ

GW's BBQ in San Juan is celebrating a major milestone for being crowned fifth on the top 50 list.

The barbecue joint opened in 2020 and is operated by a father-son duo, George Watts Jr. and George "G" Watts III.

The Watts duo told ValleyCentral that opening their restaurant was a lifelong dream that was not always easy.

What started as a dream to open a restaurant developed into backyard caterings, a food truck, and now statewide recognition.

"It's the passion. It's what we've always wanted to do," Watts Jr. said.

"We knew it was going to be a long road, and it was going to be long hours, but we were ready for it," George Watts III said.

The Watts' say that despite the hardships, they have received great help to make their dream come true.

"Shout out to our team. This is really a testament to them. They've helped so much, and they put in a lot of work with us to get where we're at now," Watts III said.

GW rotates its menu seasonally so customers have a new culinary experience each visit.

The GW spring menu features Chinese orange pork belly, chimichurri lamb chops and Wagyu beef ribs, lemon poppy seed coleslaw, and strawberry rhubarb cobbler.

On top of its seasonal menu, GW serves up all the classic barbecue dishes.

"Every day you'll have a different special up, and those can be anything from what we've had, chicken fried brisket to our beef wagyu, rib ramen," Watts Jr. said. "We try and we do everything we can to change it and to make it special and for it to be different."

GW's BBQ is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

They are located on 107 N. Nebraska Ave. in San Juan.

Teddy's Barbecue

Teddy's Barbecue in Weslaco was named a top 50 BBQ joint in Texas.

Texas Monthly acknowledged the family-owned business on its Rio Grande Valley twist to classic barbecue dishes.

Notable dishes at Teddy's include their rendered brisket, glazed pork ribs and Rio Red grapefruit pies.

Since opening in 2019, Teddy's has been named a top BBQ joint in Texas twice.

The Weslaco joint is owned and operated by brothers Joel and Jesse Garcia.

The Garcia brothers are joined on this year's Texas Monthly list by pitmasters Jaime Fuentes, Joshua Guerrero and Gibran Loera.

Teddy's Barbecue is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.

On Saturdays, they are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

On Sundays, they are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

They are located on 2807 N. Texas Blvd. in Weslaco.