Texas Roadhouse vs. Chili’s: Which Serves the Best Ribs?

Texas, Kansas City, Memphis, Nashville, the Carolinas — according to fans, each one has the best barbecue, hands down. Whether you were raised there or just an outsider who has an opinion, the best barbecue is something people hold near and dear to their hearts. And if the barbecue doesn’t bring enough heat on its own, the conversation over who’s got the best sure will.

Backyards, county fairs, state fairs, and regional haunts all have something to say about sauces, dry rubs, cuts, smokers, charcoal, and propane. Major chains even have adamant fans with avid claims that their place serves up the best ‘que. And one of the big rivalries out there involves two major players you probably know — Texas Roadhouse and Chili’s.

Chili’s sings its own praises of its Texas-sized “baby back, baby back, baby back” ribs. And Texas Roadhouse has self-proclaimed its fall-off-the-bone ribs as “Blue Ribbon.” But who is right? Well, that is where my Southern, barbecue-loving palate comes in.

I put these two full slabs of baby back ribs in a head-to-head competition, judging all elements of the presentation, taste, texture, and tenderness to see which truly deserved the Texas-sized bragging rights. And while fans would most likely disagree, it didn’t take long for me to feel like this wasn’t a fair fight.

Around since 1975, Chili’s was founded in Texas and offers Tex-Mex-style American food to people all around the globe. In some locations, you can order the baby back ribs in three different flavors — House BBQ, Texas Dry Rub, or Honey Chipotle. For around $25 you can get a full rack of ribs, touted to be slow-cooked and smoked in-house, served with fries and white-cheddar mac and cheese.

Texas Roadhouse, which is modeled after traditional roadhouses found on the rural roads of Texas, is what most consider a casual steakhouse and has been around since 1993. Now also enjoyed worldwide, patrons can get a full slab of baby back ribs, two of the Roadhouse’s many side options, and made-from-scratch rolls with honey cinnamon butter, also for around $25.

This is where the differences start coming to light. Texas Roadhouse makes all of its food from scratch every day, even the bacon bits. The rolls are baked fresh every five minutes. And every local roadhouse has its own meat cutter or butcher. That’s the kind of care in prep true barbecue enthusiasts take with their meats.

My local Chili’s did not offer the honey chipotle option, and the house BBQ sauce had a large “NEW!” beside it on the menu, as the sauce seemed to have been changed earlier this year. So, I chose to go for the classic dry rub option. I appreciate a good dry rub, but I have to say that Chili’s looked more like a charred crust. Visually, it was not appealing but rather thick, cracked, and blackened.

On closer examination, I could also see that the silver skin had not been removed from the back of the ribs, as it should have been. Not only was this unpleasing to look at, but it may also have caused the chewy texture that kept the ribs from truly being tender. While the meat was not tough by any means, it also came nowhere close to falling off the bone.

The dry rub was very salty and highly peppercorn-forward. I drank over a large glass of water with each rib I tasted. The meat itself had a flavor that leaned more towards a game animal than pork, which was very surprising. On the plus side, though, the ribs were very meaty and had minimal fat. Although the top of the ribs was lacking in meat one should expect on baby backs.

Texas Roadhouse ribs are seasoned, slow-cooked, and served with a house-made BBQ sauce, which you can choose to have on the side or removed altogether. I was happy to see the sauce thickly slathered on my order, making it visually delightful.

Just as I attempted to lift a rib bone to separate a piece for tasting, the bone cleanly slid away from the meat without hesitation. I was left with the rib bone in hand and fingertips dripping with a sweet, vinegary sauce that had a hint of heat and was rich in smokey flavor.

The meat itself was as tender as it looked, marbled with just enough savory fat to be juicy and melt in the mouth. The serving was also ample both across the top and between the bones. It held notes of hickory smoke that didn’t seem to be coming from the sauce and gave the impression it had spent hours in a wood chip smoker.

There were no bits of unwanted fat or gristle that sometimes occur in bad cuts or cheap ribs. These gave all indications that they had been selected and prepared with the utmost care.

There is no question that Texas Roadhouse has better ribs than Chili’s. But in my opinion, Texas Roadhouse should have better ribs! Meat is what Texas Roadhouse does. The same cannot be said for Chili’s, nor should it be expected. These are two totally different restaurants in two totally different sectors. While both may carry the same item, that doesn’t mean one should expect the same execution.

Texas Roadhouse has an on-site person who cuts the meat. Chili’s is a fast-casual Tex-Mex restaurant that has a wide variety of items on its menu. Yes, it has a catchy jingle for the ribs, but I don’t think that alone should have Chili’s held to a higher standard. The ribs weren’t bad per se; they just weren’t as good as a place that specializes in working with meat. And Chili’s rib inventory doesn’t seem to be as well vetted as Texas Roadhouse, which, to me, isn’t surprising either.

Texas Roadhouse serves a higher-quality cut of meat that has the texture of a low and slow-smoked, melt-in-your-mouth, fall-off-the-bone rib. They are delicious. The sauce has the perfect balance of sweet and vinegar. The marbling is on point. These ribs truly delight all of the senses, as good barbecue should. But this taste test seemed like apples to oranges overall.

I don’t want to knock Chili’s for the ribs it serves, as Chili’s fans love them. However, I do not believe true barbecue fans would.