The Guy Fieri-Approved Texas BBQ Spot Known For Juicy Sausage Made In-House

Love him or hate him, when Guy Fieri visits a restaurant on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," it can be a complete and total game-changer. The national publicity on Food Network — and all the following frequent reruns — the plaque on the wall, and everything else that comes with a visit from the Mayor of Flavortown. It's almost like having royalty grace your establishment. In 2021, Fieri visited The Pit Room, a barbecue restaurant in Houston, Texas. While the standard barbecue is fantastic by all accounts, it's the house-made sausage that seemed to stand out most to Fieri during his visit.

Specifically, he tried the jalapeño cheddar smoked sausage served with a side of house-made chicharrones (pork rinds) and hot sauce. Chef Michael Sambrooks' recipe starts with whole pork boneless butts, cubed, then adds some spices like cayenne and paprika. The pork sits overnight, then Chef Sambrooks adds a pickled jalapeño brine, as well as pickled jalapeños and cheddar cheese, before finally getting going into the smoker for a two-step smoking process. 

Fieri loved the jalapeño cheddar sausage at first bite. "It's dynamite," he said during the episode, which you can watch on YouTube. "Just the right amount of heat in my opinion. Great snap to it." Guy also liked the cheddar cheese — which didn't overly melt and disintegrate into the sausage — as well as the grind size that Chef Sambrooks uses. Overall, this sausage was a big hit. And at just $6 per serving, it's a really a good deal for high quality pork. For breakfast lovers, you can also get the jalapeño cheddar sausage served in a breakfast taco with an egg from 7 a.m to 10:30 a.m. every day and complimentary condiments for $4.50.

If jalapeño cheddar sausage sounds a touch too spicy, The Pit Room also offers Czech style beef sausage and black pepper garlic venison sausage, all of which are made in-house everyday. Plus, you'll find many other beef and pork options here, like brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, pulled pork, turkey, and chicken. There are sandwiches, one, two, and three-meat dinners, a la carte tacos, chili, Frito pies, the standard chips and queso options, and even a market salad with the option to add sliced turkey.

If you don't believe Guy Fieri, just take a look at The Pit Room's reviews online. The barbecue restaurant receives a 4.4 rating on Tripadvisor and a 4.3 on Yelp. And we haven't even mentioned its biggest accomplishment: The restaurant received a Bib Gourmand rating from the Michelin Guide for back-to-back years starting in 2024. 

According to Michelin, this award is a "special distinction recognizing restaurants that serve high-quality food at great value, helping diners discover outstanding meals for every occasion and every budget." A barbecue restaurant getting recognized by the Michelin Guide? That's a big deal — and with both Michelin and Guy Fieri's blessing, this place is a must visit for locals and tourists alike in Houston.