2 Guys 1 Pit BBQ and Catering — Restaurant in Texas

I was happy to see an announcement in my local community Facebook page a week or so ago about an upcoming soft opening for a brand new barbecue joint really close to home. They call it “2 Guys 1 Pit BBQ”, and the two guys are Richard and his son-in-law, Chris. And even though the name says two guys, make no mistake – this is a family affair, as Richard’s wife and their daughter, Ashley (Chris’ wife), are deeply involved as well. They have been working hard for a long time now to get to the point where they could open their brick-n-mortar restaurant just west of SH249 on Spring Cypress in the Spring/Klein area. They’ve been doing barbecue catering for four+ years now. And when I saw that they were planning a soft opening, I arranged my work schedule to be able to give them a try. The extra good news for me is that this place is the closest “craft barbecue” restaurant to both my home and office. And what I mean by craft barbecue is that these guys are doing it old-school. They use an Ole Hickory Pits rotisserie pit using only hickory wood to imbue the meat with a light smoke flavor. Their brisket is prime grade black Angus that gets a pepper-heavy (2-to-1 ratio) rub of salt and pepper only. Maybe most importantly, when they run out, they close up shop for the day rather than sacrifice quality for quantity like too many joints do. Richard has had some excellent training, having attended Camp Brisket at Texas A&M and spending time with barbecue rockstars like Aaron Franklin, of Austin’s Franklin Barbecue fame, and has learned the pitmaster trade well. They’re also still very much focused on their BBQ catering business. So once they open officially (Monday, July 29) it will be for lunches only Monday through Friday so that they can cater on the weekends.

I wanted to sample as much of their food as I could, so I ordered the very-affordable 3-meat plate. I was bummed that pork ribs are not yet available, though Richard assured me that they’re coming. They’ll be a St. Louis cut spare. So I got some fatty brisket, pulled pork and sausage. For my sides I tried the baked potato salad and the green beans.

Brisket – the brisket had a great smoke ring, and the fat was perfectly rendered. The flavor was outstanding. And the bark was nice and dark with some really excellent crunchy bits. These “2 Guys” really know how to smoke a brisket.

Pulled pork – the pulled pork was delicious. It was plenty moist with lots of tasty bark mixed in. After they pull it, they mix in a very thin tomato-based sauce to make sure there is good flavor all the way through.

Sausage – I didn’t get a chance to ask Richard about the sausage, but it seems to be a commercially-made sausage. It was certainly serviceable with good basic flavor, but was the least compelling meat of the three.

Sides & sauce – As awesome as the brisket is, the baked potato salad stole the show from my perspective. It had a great mixture of flavors to pull off the baked potato feel, with a very nice mouth feel. I’d go back just to eat that. The green beans were a fine side. But next time I’ll have to try the mac-n-cheese (it was already sold out when I got there) or the coleslaw. Their house-made barbecue sauce was a very balanced complement to the smoked meat. The pickles, onions and jalapeños were a very standard version. I was very happy to see the standard white bread was replaced with a Texas-sized version.

I am really happy to have 2 Guys 1 Pit BBQ opening so close by. The high quality of their Texas barbecue is matched by their Texas hospitality – both are outstanding. It’s just how I would hope. And I hope they’ll be here for a long time to come. They are totally worth a visit if you’re anywhere near the Compaq area in northwest Houston. And I’ll back again and...

As Mother of the Bride, I played a key role in helping my daughter plan her wedding. In the beginning, I scoured wedding sites, read reviews, researched preferred vendors from our venue and immediately noticed a trend. 2 Guys 1 Pit BBQ and Catering rose to the top seemingly everywhere I looked. We set up a time to meet with Michelle and her husband to taste their renowned menu, and let me tell you . . . we were not disappointed! The food was INCREDIBLE, making the decision was easy to make. 2 Guys 1 Pit was it for us when it came to catering! As we proceeded towards the original wedding date of May 22 it became apparent that things were going to have to switch to Plan B. I cannot begin to tell you how accommodating Michelle was--working with us to shift dates to August 13 without any hesitation or complication. My daughter and her now husband ended up still getting married on May 22 and just recently had their postponed reception on August 13. Guest after guest approached us last week complimenting the BBQ . . . as we knew they would! Comments such as, "I have a really high standard for BBQ, and that was REALLY good!" and "That BBQ was amazing!" were commonly heard throughout the evening. From the pulled pork, brisket, and sausage to their secret recipe potato salad, mac n cheese, and green beans, guests went back for seconds and even thirds! Guests with dietary needs appreciated having many gluten free options to enjoy as well! In addition to the food being absolutely incredible, I was so impressed with the attention given to the serving details. The homemade crates that housed the chafing dishes were so professional and eye catching. The chargers and wrapped utensils added to the decor and charm. The serving staff were professional and excellent in every way . . . arriving in plenty of time to set up and be ready, were courteous and engaging with the guests, followed safety and food protection protocols, bussed the tables efficiently and without interrupting conversations, and were overall a joy to have at our event. If you're looking for a caterer that delivers both amazing food and exceptional service, look no further! 2 Guys 1 Pit BBQ and Catering will leave you and your guests talking about the menu long after the "I do's" are said and done! Thank you, Michelle and staff, for the great food, the above and beyond service, and the part you played in the memories that were made that will last a lifetime! We're so thankful we chose to go...

OOF! This is a tough one! Truth be told, I wasn't planning on writing a review, but when Google comes a-knockin'...! First, let me say that I had been looking forward to going to this place for quite some time, so when I was finally pulling into the drive-thru, I was downright giddy. When I placed the order, I was told that the banana pudding I wanted would take ten minutes, so I politely declined. Had I known that when I was asked to pull up to wait for my order that it take more than 10 minutes for me to receive the food, I would have kept the 'nanner pudding on the list! That's ok. Every single employee with whom I came into contact was just a doll. Very sweet people are running this place. HUGE plus. When I got the food home (a two-meat plate of moist brisket and spicy sausage, fries and mac and cheese as sides, and a brontosaurus beef rib that would have made Fred Flintstone proud!) I couldn't wait to dig in. Good sauce- check. Nice bite and flavor to the spicy sausage- check, moist brisket-- OH NO! It wasn't moist as much as it was mush. It was moist, mushy meat. Very disappointing, but the seasoning on the fries was mighty tasty. The mac, for me, was okay-- nothing that I will be craving or needing to go back for. Thankfully, I saved the best for last. I admit I gasped a little when they told me that my brontosaurus rib was gonna cost me over $20, but I chalked it up as a financial sacrifice to the Corona-virus gods and went with it anyway. SO glad I did!!! That one rib was absolute PERFECTION. Craveable, for sure. Worth every penny. So, this along with giving me all the condiments I didn't want and leaving out the condiments I did want...now you see why I'm torn (at least I hope you do). Mushy brisket, meh mac and cheese, no 'nanner pudding, wrong condiments on one side, but REALLY good spicy sausage, french fry seasoning, and AMAZING dinosaur bone o'meat (and super-good people!) on the other. I'm not sure if I'll go back or not but it was good enough that I'm glad I...