Miller's Smokehouse

Belton, TX

Miller’s Smokehouse is the first stop on our Texas BBQ list. Living in Waco, driving 30 miles down to Belton is relatively easy for a weekend lunch. Miller’s is located in a very quaint part of Belton, a historic downtown area complete with a town square of sorts. We arrived shortly after they opened, around 11:15am. There was already a line next to the building and a curbside to-go line of cars.

We waited for a total of 20 minutes before ordering, and probably waited only a fraction of that time for our food to come to our table. Like most Texas BBQ places, Miller’s offers their meat by the 1/4 or 1/2 lb. They also have sandwiches available. Unlike other places, Miller’s does not offer a kind of “plate” option, typically consisting of a meat (or two) and sides. Everything was a la carte at Miller’s.

Caroline had a lean brisket sandwich. I had a sandwich with a sampling of brisket, sausage, and pulled pork. It made more economical sense to purchase our side by the pint—however, we had some leftover. We ordered a coconut creme pie for dessert, and Caroline had sweet tea. Our ticket totaled $37 before tip. Granted, one sandwich had several kinds of meats, but purchasing items a la carte can get pricey.

Before I dive into the review of each item, I need to talk about the homemade potato buns. Honestly, if I were Miller’s Smokehouse, I’d drop the BBQ, sides, and pies, and just bake these potato buns and bread. It was soft, supple, buttery, and crisp. It was the perfect bun for a sandwich. One of the worst aspects of Texas BBQ is the plain white Wonder bread often served with BBQ plates. Miller’s has created a truly delicious and perfect sandwich bun for their meat. 5/5 for the bun.

Big’un Sandwich

Brisket, sausage, pulled pork and slaw piled high and served with pickles and onions.

MEAT, 3.1/5

It was difficult to assign rankings to our first place on our list. However, the smoked meat we tasted was not outstanding. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’s very flavorful or hot. The brisket was cut according to our liking (lean for Caroline) yet was still moist. The pulled pork was probably the best meat Miller’s had to offer—odd for Texas BBQ. The sausage was decent but had a very pleasant texture. Overall, the meat was not a complete let down, but it did not quite meet the high expectations of the Texas Monthly' Top 50 list.

Sauce, 3.0/5

Miller sells their sauce. Generally, BBQ should taste just right without sauce. However, it was clear that Miller’s BBQ needed the help from the sauce. At that, however, the sauce was only “fine.” It added an element to each sandwich, but again, was not extraordinary. It was a pretty basic sauce.

Macaroni and Cheese

Sides, 3.8/5

Sides are hard to rate because you just can’t try them all. We chose to try the macaroni and cheese because of our mutual affinity for the stuff. You can typically judge a BBQ place based on the amount of effort that goes into the sides. The macaroni and cheese was probably the best part of our meal at Miller’s. The creaminess was just right. The cheese was just sharp enough and coated each noodle perfectly. There was nothing wrong with this macaroni and cheese—however, it might benefit from a flavor addition. Many BBQ places offer green chile, bacon, or other flavors to contrast the smooth, creamy texture macaroni and cheese typically offers.

Coconut Creme Pie

Dessert, 3.6/5

One of the neatest aspects of Miller’s was their selection of baked goods and desserts. Miller’s had several kinds of pies for purchase—both full size and mini pies. We felt like a mini pie would be the perfect compliment to our meal. The coconut was not too strong and it was very creamy. The crust was fairly crumbly and just needed to be bound together better. Overall, though, the pie was delicious and fairly priced at $4.50. Definitely enough for two people, if not three.