A Foodie Win

Barbecue King’s First Houston Restaurant Opens in Randy Rucker’s Old Space

By Jailyn Marcel // Nov 28, 2016

Photography Kimberly Park

Ronnie Killen is bringing Killen's inside the Loop.

For more than 10 years, Pearland has served as a haven for barbecue guru and restaurateur Ronnie Killen. Killen made seismic waves in the culinary scene with his eponymous steakhouse for nearly eight years before debuting his namesake barbecue joint, Killen’s Barbecue, in 2014, followed by Killen’s Burgers last May.

While Killen’s greatest successes call Pearland home, the king of meat is finally branching out of the thriving Houston suburb into the official city limits with his first Houston concept, Killen’s STQ. Opening next month in Randy Rucker’s former Bramble space at 2231 South Voss Road, STQ will be a mix of steak and barbecue (hence the moniker) and draw on Killen’s culinary competition background.

Killen's STQ debuts this week in the former Bramble space on Voss Road. — Killen’s STQ debuts this week in the former Bramble space on Voss Road.

With an emphasis on live-fire steakhouse cooking and elevated service, we can expect Killen’s Le Cordon Bleu training to shine throughout the menu — spotlighting prime proteins such as short ribs, brisket, and pork chops — with the utilization of various wood-based preparations like wood grilling and classic barbecue.

“This is the type of food I really like to cook. I’m excited about visiting the local farmers markets. The menu will be more farm-to-table than our other concepts,” Killen says.

Prepare yourself for dishes such as dry-aged pork long bone chop, short rib tamales with brisket chili, and smoked brisket Bolognese alongside Killen’s signatures such as the ‘cue joint fried chicken special, burgers, steaks, creamed corn, and crème brûlée bread pudding.

Of course, as with any Killen’s restaurant, you’ll want to secure your reservation early. We guarantee you’ll be fighting a long line.