It's a rather odd notion to consider: a barbecue restaurant that accepts reservations for dinner. Even more unusual that the smoked meat joint happens to be Killen's Barbecue in Pearland, considered by many to be among the best barbecue purveyors in Texas.

After you warm up to the idea of being able to make a dinner reservation you next have to get used to the idea of waiter service for beef ribs and brisket. Yes, from Tuesday through Saturday at 5 p.m. Killen's, known for long lines of barbecue fans, operates as a traditional restaurant with a hostess stand and waitstaff attending tables set with black linens and a squat vase of roses.

But that's not the biggest news to come out of the barbecue temple Ronnie Killen built. The chef – who has three restaurants in Pearland and one in Houston – is using his new dinner menu to test recipes and gauge customer reaction to dishes he hopes will one day result in a new restaurant concept.

Notice the Tex-Mex options sprinkled among the appetizers, entrees and barbecue dishes on the dinner menu? They're there because Killen, a fan of Tex-Mex, hopes to one day open a Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston.

"I've been thinking about it for a long time," he said. "My kids have been trying to get me to do it for years."

And maybe now the time has come, judging from the limited but accomplished Tex-Mex fare on Killen's new dinner menu. There are pulled pork or brisket nachos lightly glossed with melted cheese and a house-made pico de gallo; smoked short rib tamale with brisket chili; brisket tacos with tomatillo salsa; and a heavenly plate of brisket enchiladas.

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Killen could create a restaurant around those enchiladas alone. Good corn tortillas are filled with velvety chopped brisket and ladled with a house-made enchilada sauce. That sauce is killer – the best example of an enchilada sauce made from a roux and chile powder as I've come across in 10 years in Texas. (From Arizona, I'm more accustomed to an enchilada sauce made from reconstituted dried chile pods as opposed to a chile powder. Killen's enchilada sauce has to be what a classic Tex-Mex chile gravy was meant to be.) The enchiladas are topped with a lava flow of cheese and served with Spanish rice and smoky charro beans.

At $16, the enchilada plate is comparable to prices at well-known Tex-Mex purveyors such as Ninfa's on Navigation and El Tiempo Cantina.

Chef Killen's appreciation for Tex-Mex is well known. In the past he has cooked not just barbecue but Tex-Mex for the Bush family. His own family often asks him to make cheese enchiladas at home.

His merger of smoked meats and Tex-Mex was inevitable from the time Killen's opened in 2013. His brisket soon found its way into tamales he offered seasonally. They sold out in a flash. Efforts such as the brisket tamales confirmed a hunger for marrying quality barbecue with Mexican staples – something other craft barbecue joints were experimenting with, as well.

Killen said he doesn't know when his Tex-Mex dreams will become reality. But he plans to keep refining his Tex-Mex offerings while actively looking for real estate in Houston. He also floated the idea of a casual restaurant offering kolaches and breakfast tacos.

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The Tex-Mex additions to his barbecue menu are the latest evolution of the Killen's experience that has seen many changes and service expansion over the years. Last year he added dinner service, a big step for a barbecue joint that once operated on the traditional concept of making just enough barbecue for lunch service (when it's gone, it's gone). Dinner service allowed Killen to offer other dishes such as chicken-fried ribeye steak, pork belly burnt ends, fried catfish and shrimp, fried chicken and steaks.

In April he began offering reservations to appeal directly to people who didn't want to wait in line for barbecue. "We wanted to appeal to more people and make it more of a family-style atmosphere," he said.

That dinner service is on nice plates with good silverware and wine glasses that probably cost more than the handful of wines available by the glass.

Dining a linen-topped table with flowers and wine may not be a typical barbecue experience, but for many it could be a welcome one.

Oh, and the chef whose mind never seems to downshift is considering a new dessert for the barbecue restaurant. Funnel cakes to share.

Killen's Barbecue, 3613 E. Broadway, Pearland, 281-485-2272. Open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Monday. Reservations are offered Tuesday through Saturday at 5 p.m. through Open Table. Reservations are not required.

Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Send him news tips at greg.morago@chron.com. Follow him on the podcast BBQ State of Mind to learn about Houston and Texas barbecue culture.