I walked up the ramp and across the large covered, wooden patio. It was filled with picnic tables; off to the right was a large play area and a small stage.
Stepping inside the building, country music and the smell of smoked meats drifted through the air. The wooden floor creaked under my steps as I walked towards the counter. That’s where the bustle began. Behind the counter staff was slicing meat, serving up sides, dishing up desserts, and laughing with customers.
That’s where I met owners Nancy and Ronnie Webber. Tin Roof BBQ, in Atascocita, Texas has been in business for almost 24 years.
In 2001, Ronnie came home to Nancy and said he wasn’t going back to the Houston Police Department, where he’d been a police officer for 31 years. Between his time at HPD and her full-time position as a stay-at-home mom, they had exactly zero years of experience in the restaurant business.
Nancy asked Ronnie, “What are we going to do, we don’t have any money.” He nonchalantly stated, “We’ll just open a restaurant.”
That’s how it began, but they soon learned that that decision was the easiest part about opening a restaurant. They’d been cooking for charity for a few years and everyone loved it, so they had confidence that they’d be successful, but with no actual experience they couldn’t get a loan to start a business. “We had a little bit of money in savings,” but that was it, Ronnie explained.
With limited funds, they had to get creative. The first building was an office building, built in 1970, they bought it for $1 and had it moved with the little funds they had in savings. That’s when the renovations began. After being open for a while, they were ready for an expansion, a house originally built in 1921. They moved it up from Memorial Park and added it on. As they’ve added on each time, they’ve remodeled, repaired, and kept as much of the original building as possible, including showerheads, decor, doors, windows, walls, and flooring.
After being in business successfully for 2 ½ years, they were able to get an SBA loan, buy some property, and start the move all over again; this time, just a few miles down the road. Within a week, they had the buildings moved and set up enough to reopen and start rocking and rolling - and they haven’t slowed down since.
There’s a reason they’ve been in business for 24 years and a reason that they keep expanding. Their food is incredible, but their people are even better. Their son, Brek, is the creative behind many of the recipes, and as Ron says, “his exit plan.” He’s dedicated to developing the menu and business every day. They have a large staff, and in 2020 they kept them all and continued to pay them like normal. In return for their love and loyalty, they’ve had many of the same people on staff for decades. “We’ve gone to their kid’s birthday parties; we’ve been to weddings.”
From the sauces to the cornbread, all the desserts, and almost every single side is hand-crafted in-house. Only one side, the potato salad, isn’t; they couldn’t keep up with the demand for it in the early days, and when found a great one that people loved, they just stuck with it.
To tell y’all that my flabbers were gasted when these trays were brought out is an understatement.
The meat tray hit the table first. Three types of sausage, all crafted in-house. Moist brisket, that’d make you say bad words. Turkey breast that I’d put in a competition against any others. A half a dang chicken that I’d get violent if someone tried to take. Two types of gorgeous ribs. And meat candy, i.e. brisket burnt ends.
When I took that first bite of brisket, I was astonished. The rub and bark were perfection; with a deep flavor. Smoked low and slow, using 100% red oak, gives it that relaxed brisket bend.
The sausage is made from fresh ground brisket trimming and other super top-secret ingredients. It’s a course grind, with the perfect fat ratio to make it moist but not greasy. The jalapeno cheese was chock full of pockets of melty cheddar and a balance of spice; definitely my favorite, but I loved them all.
You know that turkey and chicken breasts can get sketchy, but these were spot on. Definitely the best smoked chicken I’ve ever tasted; not just moist, but actually juicy. The turkey breast was just as extraordinary. Well seasoned, with a hint of a kick, but not spicy.
Both types of ribs were amazing, but my favorite of the two was the baby back ribs. I loved the flavor that the sticky, cooked-on sauce gave to them, and tender and meaty.
I saved the best for last. The brisket burnt ends. They had a rich, smokey crust, that was coated with caramelized sauce. Bite-sized pieces of heaven, some meatier, some with more of the buttery fat.
When the chopped beef stuffed potato came out, my jaw dropped. An enormous baked potato, filled with butter, freshly shredded cheddar, a very healthy scoop of chopped moist brisked mixed with sauce, then a dollop of Daisy, and a sprinkle of green onion razzle-dazzle. Y’all, this potato had to have weighed like 32lbs! Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but the majesty of this potato isn’t.
A tray of ten sides was brought out for me to try, and that’s not even all of the available options. Their most popular is the broccoli, rice and cheese casserole, and for good reason. If you asked me if it was my favorite, that would be a toss-up. The mac and cheese was also incredible; gooey, silky smooth, with a rich cheesy flavor.
I really appreciated that they offer sides that you don’t usually see, like the seasoned, roasted red potatoes, and fried cabbage with bacon.
That doesn’t even begin to talk about the other traditional sides like house-crafted baked beans, coleslaw, kernel corn, or fresh mashed potatoes that I got to try. Every single side knocked it out of the park.
By the way, of course, they offer white bread with your protein, but if you don’t choose the warm cornbread, I don’t even know who you are.
Make sure when you go, you try a dessert. They’re all made in-house, and they rotate some, like the cheesecakes, so you’ll need to go multiple times to try them all! They brought out chocolate sheet cake, a personal-sized pecan pie, a warm peach cobbler, and a cool banana putting. But my favorite of them all was the peach cobbler cheesecake, yes, you read that correctly. A cheesecake with all the deliciousness of peach cobbler; the cinnamon, peaches and whipped cream, all piled into one slice.
If you’re looking for a new spot for your favorite home cookin’ and Texas-style smoked meat, then you need to take the backroads on over to Tin Roof BBQ in Atascocita, Texas. Tell ‘em I said hi, and grab an extra dessert to enjoy later. You’ll be glad you did!
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18918 Town Center Blvd. Humble, Texas 77346
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