Does Houston or Arlington have better barbecue? An ALCS bet will settle it all

Pooja Lodhia Image
Monday, October 23, 2023
Killen's BBQ places ALCS bet with Arlington barbecue restaurant
Two barbecue restaurants -- Hurtado BBQ of Arlington and Killen's BBQ -- have a bet on whether the Astros or the Rangers will win the ALCS.

Whether you're in the Houston area or the Metroplex, it's still Texas, and that means barbecue is a big deal.

"There are two things that we take seriously in Arlington, our barbecue and our baseball," Brandon Hurtado, the owner of Hurtado BBQ, said.

Hurtado BBQ opened three years ago.

"We're a small mom-and-pop restaurant like a lot of Houston barbecue restaurants that I admire. We started in our backyard, and my wife and I grew this business to what it is today. We're now in Globe Life Field," Hurtado said. "We're the official barbecue restaurant of the Texas Rangers."

The meat at Hurtado BBQ is smoked for up to 14 hours, just feet away from the field. But, surely, it can't compare to Houston.

We also met Ronnie Killen, the king of Houston barbecue and Minute Maid Park, in enemy territory.

"To me, I don't even really care who represents the American League because it's Texas," Killen said with a laugh, pointing to his red rally towel. "I have my towel here just in case and also if I need to polish my car."

"I look up to Ronnie Killen a lot. He's a great restauranteur, a great entrepreneur, and just a great human being. We do have a bet right now. Whoever wins the ALCS, the loser has to go to their restaurant and do a collab wearing the other team's jersey," Hurtado said.

It's a win for Texas and a win for our bellies!

"At the end of the day, we're all Texans. We all support each other," Hurtado said. "We live in the greatest state, in the greatest country in the world."

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