Brisket and fried rice at Brisket & Rice

Pork ribs, brisket, sausage and beans at Brisket & Rice

Briskets in the smoker at Brisket & Rice

Dining room and order counter at Brisket & Rice

Pitmaster & co-owner Phong Tran at Brisket & Rice

Racks of pork ribs off the smoker at Brisket & Rice

The path to barbecue success has not always been easy for brothers Hong and Phong Tran of Brisket & Rice, the celebrated barbecue joint in northwest Houston that has been lauded by the likes of Bon Appetit magazine, the New York Times and the Michelin Guide.

The original plan seemed simple enough: Open a family-run, neighborhood restaurant that highlights their unique brand of Vietnamese American-influenced, Central Texas-style barbecue that would eventually be an off-ramp from their longtime careers as machinists.

GUIDE: Houston's best barbecue joints

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