For barbecue fans, the problem with visiting Lubbock is that it’s not really on the way to anywhere.<\/p>\n
Unlike, say, Seguin, where you can drop in for lunch (or breakfast) <\/a>at Burnt Bean Co. on the way to San Antonio, or Elgin, where you can grab a bite at Southside Market<\/a> on the way to Austin, Lubbock sits alone on the high plains of far West Texas \u2013 a destination rather than a convenient detour.<\/p>\n Fortunately, when it comes to destination-worthy barbecue, the town of Wolfforth, just west of Lubbock, is home to one of the best barbecue joints in the state: Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque.<\/a><\/p>\n GUIDE: The best barbecue in Houston<\/a><\/p>\n The story of how owners Arnis and Mallory Robbins opened a world-class barbecue joint in far west Texas in 2017 is a classic tale of opportunity and resourcefulness.<\/p>\n Originally from New Mexico, the couple met and married in Tucson, Arizona. Arnis has celiac disease, which means he can’t eat gluten, the main ingredient in bread and other grain-based foods.<\/p>\n In a time before most menus had “gluten-free” options, their choices for eating out were limited. One cuisine that fit the bill was barbecue, where the meat-heavy menu is naturally gluten-free.<\/p>\n So, the couple spent a lot of time cooking barbecue in their backyard. Arnis, who grew up on a peanut farm, knew how to weld and built his own reverse-flow smoker to learn how to make barbecue.<\/p>\n “We didn’t grow up eating barbecue,” says Mallory, “But we started cooking for our neighbors because we had this huge smoker in our backyard.”<\/p>\n In 2014 they opened a weekends-only barbecue trailer in Tucson, before craft-style Texas barbecue gained a foothold in Arizona.<\/a> They named it after their daughter, Evie Mae.<\/p>\n Eventually they’d move to Wolfforth to be near family. After a couple more years in a trailer \u2013 which can be a challenge in the cold, howling wind of west Texas \u2013 they opened their current brick-and-mortar in 2017.<\/p>\n Arnis continued to build his own custom designed-and-welded reverse-flow smokers, which became somewhat legendary in the Texas barbecue community at the time for their cooking capabilities.<\/p>\n Pitmaster Wade Elkins, formerly of Reveille Barbecue Co. in Magnolia and now co-owner of Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue in Crockett<\/a>, still owns one of the original a trailer-mounted Evie Mae’s smokers that he still uses to this day.<\/p>\n From the get-go, Evie Mae’s garnered both popular and critical accolades. It became a staple of the Wolfforth community, where a quality barbecue joint was a natural addition to this mainly agricultural area.<\/p>\n Evie Mae’s is one of the few joints that have retained a top 10 ranking in the last three editions of Texas Monthly magazine’s 50 Best Barbecue Joints lists in 2017, 2021 and 2025.<\/p>\n The menu here is admirably focused, with a traditional selection of proteins like brisket, pork ribs, turkey, pulled pork along with house-made sausage. Reflecting their New Mexican heritage, several of the menu items feature hatch green chiles, including Arnis’ green-chile-and-cheese sausage and Mallory’s green-chile cheese grits. Most of the baked goods here are gluten-free, including the exemplary cornbread.<\/p>\n The location in wind-whipped west Texas has been a blessing and a challenge for Evie Mae’s. Being one of the only craft barbecue joints in the entire region has established them as the go-to for barbecue fans in the area.<\/p>\n However, unlike other high-profile joints on the barbecue trail in central Texas, many smoked meat connoisseurs miss out on what is certainly a destination joint in the west Texas desert. It’s worth the drive.<\/p>\n Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque
217 US-62, Wolfforth; eviemaesbbq.com<\/a>
Open 11a.m.-3 p.m. Tues.Sun.<\/p>\n