Legendary pitmaster eyes new location for first Houston restaurant

Houston barbecue

The owner of Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas recently updated Houstonians on his plan to expand a little further West of Space City.

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The owner of Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas recently updated Houstonians on his plan to expand a little further West of Space City.

Click through to see the best barbecue and steak spots ... more Photo: Syd Kearney Photo: Syd Kearney Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Legendary pitmaster eyes new location for first Houston restaurant 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

Houstonians are already missing the delicious meats showcased at Sunday's Houston Barbecue Festival, especially the work of Wayne Mueller, the mastermind behind one of the most critically acclaimed barbecue joints in Texas.

Mueller is the owner of Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas, a restaurant that regularly tops Texas BBQ lists for one of the best spots to chow down. Chron.com reached out to Mueller to ask him about his plans to expand to Houston.

"I've been looking for more than few years now, and I just haven't come across the right space," said Mueller.

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Mueller said the further west he goes from Houston's urban center, the larger and cheaper the opportunities for land development and parking become.

So far, Mueller said he's only planning to open one restaurant in Houston.

"I don't work off the volume model; I'm more of a Walt Disney model," he said. "Disney promoted his entertainment through one on one interaction, where all of his characters came alive because children can meet them."

"I'm not looking to open 500 units across the country," he added. "We are a destination location first."

As far as a time frame, Mueller said he can't say for certain, but it definitely won't be this year.

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Either way, the master pitmaster said he looks forward to opening a restaurant in Houston in order to give the city some of his "central Texas meat market-style purism."

"All we'd be doing is adding another wrinkle to an incredibly cosmopolitan barbecue culture," Mueller said.

Click through above to see the best places in Houston to eat barbecue.