Is this the best brisket in West Virginia?
- Steven Keith
- 28 minutes ago
- 4 min read
I know those are fightin' words, but here's what fans have to say
Any question, declaration or discussion about who has “the best” of any given food item is sure to open The Food Guy floodgates, causing my inbox to nearly burst at the seams. But here we go again.
“This email is prompted by two things,” reader Jay Arceneaux wrote, “the closing of Dem2 Brothers & A Grill and this article I’m sending about the best brisket in every state.”
According to that roundup on Mashed.com, West Virginia’s winner was The Table Smokehouse in Mount Hope, a restaurant he’d never heard about but one he noticed had lots of incredible reviews for their brisket, ribs, sandwiches, jalapeno hushpuppies, homestyle desserts and more.
“I really enjoyed Dem2 Brothers and now I need to find a new barbecue place.”
He went on to say that he’d also researched other articles recommending the best barbecue in each state and they pointed to Phat Daddy’s on the Tracks, Rollin’ Smoke BBQ and Ridge View BBQ, all in the greater Kanawha Valley area.
“What would your recommendation be,” he asked, “or maybe you could put this out to your readers?”
(For the record, I endorsed all of those places above, plus added Bogey’s at Capitol Market for his consideration.)
But I have been curious about The Table as well. While I haven’t been there yet, their food truck always seems to have the longest lines at any food festival it attends – especially among those in the know in Southern West Virginia.
“If you’ve ever tried to make brisket yourself, then you know it isn’t the most forgiving,” the Mashed article said. “Between the actual cut of meat and its marbling to the execution and cook time, making this Texan staple should come with an entire manual of mistakes to avoid when smoking brisket at home. So when a restaurant gets it right, it’s something worth shouting from the rooftops.”
And their shoutout for the Mountain State?
“The best brisket in West Virginia can be found at The Table Smokehouse, where you’ll think the barbecue is straight out of Texas. The brisket is tender, fatty and wonderfully dripping with juices. And if you're lucky enough to get some burnt ends, you'll be thinking about them for years to come.”
Back to that reader, Jay’s now a fan as well. He told me that he and wife Camille recently found themselves in the Mt. Hope area, so they decided to give The Table a try.
“What a wonderful experience,” he reported back. “After reading the article saying it was the best BBQ brisket in West Virginia, we wanted to try it and were not disappointed. Camille had a pulled-pork sandwich and I had the half-pound of brisket with two sides. The meat had a wonderful smoky flavor and it was delicious. The brisket just melts in your mouth. I highly recommend you check it out if you are down that way. Keep up the good work. I read your stories religiously every week.”
IF YOU GO: The Table Smokehouse at 707 Main St. in Mount Hope is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. To learn more, call 681-422-3127, visit https://thetablesmokehouse.my.canva.site or check out the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Another worthy BBQ shoutout
I’ve also previously raved about the incredibly delicious South Texas Barbecue Co. at 139 E. 2nd St. in Weston, which I said was “turning out some pretty awesome wood-smoked brisket, pulled pork, sausages, burgers, tacos and more” in my February 2023 review.
I’m here to send even more love their way, but this time it’s not for the food.
After a large portion of Central West Virginia was hammered by floods on July 21 – including Weston, which was among the areas hardest hit – the folks at South Texas Barbecue have spent days trying to clean up their own restaurant, which was inundated with muddy floodwaters during those storms.
But they didn’t let their own problems stop them from taking care of the community that helped build their business from a small pop-up to the wildly successful food truck and brick-and-mortar restaurant it is today.
Last Thursday, the restaurant fired up its smoker in the local Shop ‘n Save parking lot to prepare and give away more than 1,050 free pulled-pork sandwiches to those affected by the floods, with A.F. Wendling’s Foodservice donating the pork and buns.
“This community showed up for us when we needed it most,” the restaurant posted on Facebook that evening. “Today, we got the chance to show up for y’all.”
If that doesn’t warm your heart, you probably need to get that ol’ ticker checked out.
While South Texas Barbecue’s dining room remains closed for cleanup, they are currently offering curbside and takeout service.
For more information and hours, which are subject to change right now, call 304-997-9725, visit https://sotexbbqco.square.site/ or check out the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, X, Instagram and Pinterest as “WV Food Guy.” He can be reached at wvfoodguy@aol.com.