Payless Power identifies New Braunfels, Sugar Land, and Lewisville as the top 3 but 2 other Houston-area cities are in the top 10.
HOUSTON — Texans are passionate about their barbecue, but which cities in the Lone Star State are most fired up about it?
Payless Power crunched the numbers to find the most BBQ-obsessed cities in Texas. They used data from Yelp and Google to uncover where the passion for smoked meats sizzles the most.
They looked at 40 Texas cities with a population of 100,000 or more.
Then they created a meta-rank score based on how often locals searched for BBQ, the number of BBQ joints, and how highly they’re rated. They also factored in Yelp price ratings to determine which cities have the most affordable spots.
According to the study, three Houston-area suburbs can’t get enough brisket, ribs or pulled pork.
- New Braunfels, Sugar Land, and Lewisville are the most BBQ-obsessed cities in Texas
- Sugar Land, Pasadena, and Pearland have the highest number of BBQ spots per capita,
- New Braunfels, Brownsville, and Waco have the most highly rated BBQ restaurants
- Austin has the highest per capita search interest for BBQ terms, followed by Lewisville
Where BBQ obsession burns brightest
Based on all of those factors, these 10 Texas cities have the biggest number of barbecue fans.
- New Braunfels
- Sugar Land
- Lewisville
- Austin
- Round Rock
- Waco
- Richardson
- Irving
- Pasadena
- Pearland
Midland and Laredo are the least BBQ-obsessed cities, according to the study.