Grant Pinkerton was born and raised in Houston, to a family with small town Texas roots in the Hill Country and Gulf Coast. From a young age he was fascinated with meat, fire and old Texas traditions.  He attended and graduated from Lamar High School in Houston, TX where he was an active member of Future Farmers of America, an avid outdoorsman and conservationist. He went on to The University of Texas at Austin, getting his degree in Rhetoric and Writing.

Upon returning to Houston after college, he decided to turn his fascination into a career. What started out as a barbecue pit and a dream has grown into one of Texas’ best BBQ joints. He prides himself on the quality of his meat and his sides, all made daily from scratch. His restaurant serves variations of his family’s recipes as well as some of his own originals.

Pinkerton, with no formal training, relentlessly pursued his dream and the restaurant has been recognized on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ Joints list 2017-2024 . In 2018 Pinkerton was selected for the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30.  Pinkerton also competes with his team COME AND EAT IT on the barbecue circuit winning numerous local awards as well as big celebrated wins such as Memphis in May Beef World Champion in 2019 and 2021, as well as a finalist at the HLSR BBQ World Championship in both Chicken and Ribs. In 2023 Pinkerton became the first Texas pitmaster to ever walk the stage at Memphis in May in Whole Hog.

Pinkerton’s Barbecue has been featured on the Travel Channel, Food Network and Cooking Channel. In 2021, Pinkerton expanded, opening his second location in downtown San Antonio. In 2024 Pinkerton’s announced it will be opening a third location in Houston in 2025.