Avoid This BBQ Chain If You Hate Bland, Dry Brisket

From Texas-style barbecue, where brisket reigns supreme, to Alabama-style, which features its famous white barbecue sauce, a rich diversity of flavors exists in every style of American barbecue. To find out which spots are worth a visit — and which ones you should avoid — Food Republic ranked 18 popular barbecue chains. Our verdict? Bill Miller Bar-B-Q comes in dead last.

Bill Miller Bar-B-Q undeniably has deep roots in Texas barbecue history. Founded in 1953 in San Antonio, Texas, it was one of the first restaurants to offer fast, quality food, and it introduced industrial barbecue pits that can cook up to 2,500 pounds of brisket in 18 to 20 hours. But speed and consistency cannot make up for lackluster flavor, which is exactly what we unfortunately found in our taste test.

A cardinal sin of brisket is dryness, and our tester found Bill Miller Bar-B-Q's to be very dry, lacking the fall-apart tender, juicy, and buttery texture a well-cooked brisket should have. The sides were equally disappointing, with tomato-based green beans that tasted thin and watery rather than flavorful. The barbecue sauce was also underwhelming, and alongside the meat, a great sauce is what can elevate a meal.

There are over 70 family-operated Bill Miller Bar-B-Q locations across San Antonio, Austin, and Corpus Christi. Despite its size, the chain's origins are humble. In 1950, Bill Miller launched a poultry and egg business using a $500 loan from his father. Over time, it evolved into a fried chicken business, and barbecue was added later. One of the brand's defining features is its centralized kitchen, which keeps operations fast and efficient but may also be the reason behind its lackluster barbecue.

One Reddit user likened Bill Miller Bar-B-Q to the "McDonald's of [barbecue]," citing its speed and popularity as factors that overshadow quality. Another commenter noted that their meal was underwhelming. "The brisket was just shy of being jerky. The coleslaw was shredded cabbage with a hint of vinegar, [and] the beans were so mushy I could have [drunk] them with a straw."

Given its history, Bill Miller Bar-B-Q's formula for success seems rooted in speed, value, and variety — not the smokehouse traditions that made Texas barbecue famous. For purists seeking pitmaster craftsmanship and bold, smoky flavors, this is one chain we recommend skipping.