Truth BBQ

Leonard Botello IV (Owner & Pitmaster) opened TRUTH BBQ in Brenham in 2015 out of a small roadside shack and later expanded to Houston Heights and other venues; he is an obsessive pitmaster known for sleeping near his smokers. TRUTH BBQ is a Texas-made brand dedicated to keeping Texas barbecue true to its origins while pushing the craft forward for a younger generation. It offers hands-on “Smoke Like a Pitmaster” classes, sells sauces, pickles and shipped smoked meats, and operates restaurant service. TRUTH has earned sustained recognition, from Texas Monthly Top 50 and Top 10 runs to national festival appearances, service at the James Beard House, a Food Network Chopped win and a Michelin Bib Gourmand in Texas’ Michelin Guide. The Houston restaurant occupies a site in the historic Houston Heights neighborhood and projects an authentic, workmanlike pit-room atmosphere rooted in traditional Texas barbecue rather than fine-dining formality. Central Texas–style barbecue and live-fire cooking are central: meats are seasoned simply and smoked slow-and-low over Post Oak on wood-burning offset smokers, routinely running 16–18 hour cooks. Sides, sauces and desserts are made from scratch daily and the kitchen emphasizes house-made sausage and traditional barbecue preparations. Specialties include Central Texas whole brisket, pork ribs, smoked whole turkey breast, TRUTH sausage links (house-made), pastrami brisket, Carolina-style whole hog and boudin smoked sausage.