We actually drove an hour to eat at this place. Food was great, a little dry but was nothing to knock, was good, just dry. I was expecting a storefront / restaurant. That shouldn't take away from the attention which is the food but unimpressed with sticky table and trash that was left on tables. Place was super busy since it is attached to a gas station. Service was standard and prices were reasonable. It could have been $1 cheaper per person though. Overall, it was a decent experience and parking was a chore when we pulled up.
Review Source:I think it's misleading to think that all Smokehouses are great places to eat. I was underwhelmed by how dry the brisket was and how the beans weren't very tasty. Even though they had some great chunky pieces of pork with the beans, it wasn't flavorful. However, the redeeming foods were definitely the ribs and the sausage. The ribs weren't terrible and even though they could be a bit more tender, there was at least some taste to enjoy.
I do recommened buying some Tea Time Honey and Wild Berry Honey Jars. The butter toffee almonds are yummy! A great snack to eat. It's really expensive for their store goods. I bought 4 packages of jerky, 2 jars of honey, and a pack of almonds and it cost me $50!!! Even the lunch cost less. I only spent $25 for a 1lb of brisket, 2 ribs, and sausage. The beans and bread were free.
It's worth going as a pit stop and even if you don't eat there at least the Shell gas station will be handy when you return home from Houston.
If you're driving on 45 around the area, you might be tempted to go to the Buc-Ee's that's about 15 minutes away. I get that. Buc-Ee's is great and clean and has some cool food options. However - if you want to visit the sort of place that the (chain business) Buc-Ee's is emulating, stop at Woody's instead.
You can get lunch. Real, legit BBQ lunch. Sit down with a plate of ribs or brisket and a pile of (free) white bread and sauce and enjoy your life. They make all the food right there in the store, so this is real, legit Texas BBQ. Or if you don't do BBQ, stop at the deli and grab a ham sandwich or whatever - your foolish life choices are your own to make.
If you're not hungry for lunch, grab a snack pack of buffalo sausage with a slice of homemade cheese to go. Or pick up a slab of jalapeno beef jerky. Or some homemade fudge. Or browse the rows of canned preservers, sauces or marinades.
Or get gas, go to the bathroom and grab a Coke.
Sound just like Buc-Ee's, right? This is the kind of place Buc-Ee's is pretending to be, and it is better.
My favorite reason to travel to Houston is Woody's!!! Â I love their tender, but chewy beef jerky in numerous flavors. Â They have a wide assortment of jellies and pickled veggies. Â Salsa, sweets and dressings galore... MAKE THIS PIT STOP!!!!
When I stop, I always buy a jam, salad dressing and I tend to by a new seasoning/marinade. Â I buy a 1/4 pound of the sweet and spicy jerky and a 1/4 pound of the peppered jerky. Â My favorite sweet to buy is the coconut cookies or the pecan brittle made by Woody's. Â
They have a great staff and the place is always popping.
The ribs from this place have always been incredible, and I used to get the opportunity to pass through Centerville every month or two. Â Not anymore. Â My daughter was passing through this week & picked me up $150 worth (cleaned 'em out, she says). Â The guy manning the bbq area gave her the Owner/Manager(?)'s card & said they'll ship 'em to me, I don't have to make the trip.
Well...a couple of days after getting to austin, the ribs brought back from Centerville had gone a bit hard & tough. Â Not unheard-of, meat tends to do that.
So...as an experiment, I tried reheating a few of them on low heat in an electric skillet. In a shallow bath of...
1 1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup generic bbq sauce
1/2 package onion soup mix
I set the temp to between 200 & 250 & just let it simmer with the lid on. An hour later, the meat's so tender it practically falls off the bone. AND TASTY!
Coming from NJ and doing the Houston-Dallas drive, I was expecting a run of the mill highway truck stop, and Woody's shattered my expectations. You could feed a whole family with all the samples they gave you. They have a really friendly staff, especially Captain who gave us some samples of brisket, sausage and bacon-wrapped quail. Probably the best jerky I've ever had. If you're making the drive it is WELL worth the extra 20 minutes or so to stop!
Review Source:My husband and I Yelped BBQ places on our way home from Dallas this weekend and this place had all sorts of great reviews. Once we arrived we knew we had come to the right place. It was jam packed full of people.
If you are coming from Dallas this location will be on your left hand side off of 45. There is a smaller to go location on the right hand when you exit. This place has more of a gas station feel but sort of like Rudy's. Once you have your food you go and join the masses picnic style at long picnic tables inside the dining area.
You grab a tray and get in line. They have cold sides and deserts in along side of the line like pasta salad, potato salad etc. Once  you get up to order they have this giant heated sliding "cooler" thing loaded up with all the meat. You order by the piece or pound.
We ordered:
2 sausage links: should have got 1 to share $2.49 gets you about 1 foot of sausage. It was really good. Great snap, nice peppery homemade flavor that we love.
2 ribs: 1 each. Very big and juicy. I didn't see much seasoning but honestly it didn't even need it. 1 rib was enough for me.
4 slices of brisket: I know this doesn't seem like a lot but it was a good size portion for 2 people. I liked this the least. Even though it had a decent amount of fat on it, it was still too dry for my liking.
Bacon wrapped quail. This was really good but you only get 1 tiny piece for $2.50. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between this or chicken.
Everyone gets free beans, pickles, onions, BBQ sauce and jalapenos. The beans were just standard pinto beans. Nothing special. They were pretty good though even though it didn't seem to have any spices in it. The BBQ sauce was meh. I didn't even use it. It was very sweet. I like a deep spicy flavor. There are loaves of white and wheat bread on each table to help yourself to. If you are a germ-a-phobe this might be your worst nightmare. We were lucky enough to have 2 fresh bags on our table.
Our whole meal including a large tea was $24. I thought that this was a little pricey but considering that we took a box home I guess it was a decent value.
The only reason I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because I don't think they smoke the meat on site. My husband pointed out to me upon our arrival that it did not smell smokey like it normally would at a BBQ joint. When we were going through the line I saw some vacuumed sealed packages of beef. I understand they feed the masses but when you advertise as a "smokehouse" this is a bit misleading.
Overall I would go back if we were passing through. Pretty good Texas BBQ, clean bathrooms and lots of other yummy looking goodies like jellies, pickled items, jerky, cheese and pies.
After going to Bucee, we stopped at Woodys and personally, I like this place better. I got the elk jerky and it was so good! Gotta love the extra kick from the spiciness. For $12, defiantly worth it. Also went to get the brisket and sausage and both were delicious! Does Bucee have this? Nope!!
Review Source:Not good...
The highlights were the friendly BBQ server and the quail wrapped in bacon, everything else was sub-par to awful.
The brisket was dry with minimal smoke rings and no rub. The sausage was passable, but bland.
Tea out of a soda dispenser???? How lazy and how many corners do you cut - its showed in the rest of the food.
OMG I love Woody's Smokehouse! Â When traveling between Dallas & Houston I always stop at Woody's to pick up some jerky and cheese. Â Their jerky is just phenomenal. Â Thick, big pieces of tender, marinated beef! Â It's just eating steak right off the grill. Â I highly recommend their Thick Cut Smoked Jerky, and try dipping it in guacamole!
I first heard about them through Best Beef Jerky, which has rated their jerky with 5-stars also:  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbeefjerky.org%2Fsearch%2Flabel%2FWoodys-Smokehouse&s=93a04dea294a61f7d9f32a69248685716e22ec22a4326f8c0dc9b5bd2da76654" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.bestbeefjerky…</a>
After looking at the pictures, I realized that this review belongs to the location called Woody's FoodMart on the other side of the same Interstate exit. One is at 947 W. St. Mary's and the other is 1021 W. St. Mary's - but both owned by the same company.
This is one of two businesses on both sides of Interstate 45, (near Centerville) operated by the same corporation: Woody's Smokehouse,Inc. One is named Woody's FoodMart and the other Woody's BBQ . I had the misfortune to eat here last week and was very unhappy with everything about the experience. I should have known better by all the "touristy" Texanna type gift products and the interstate hwy. location !
I ordered the pork ribs and they were tough, chewy, COLD and I suspect cooked the day before ! The pinto beans were lukewarm and tasteless and the meal over priced for the portion sizes and LACK of quality received !
The staff of smart mouthed, ignorant youngsters  behind the counter does not do anything to help my impression of this business either. Horrible experience ! I will never stop in here again ! Avoid the RIP-OFF !
Woody's is great texas bbq! Â Being from the northeast, it was a very different type of restaurant. Â You order standing on a buffet-type line and get seated in a room with large picnic style tables. Â I tried the quail here, but wasn't too impressed besides never eating quail before. Â I loved the porkchops and the beef briskets here, which were on point! Â If i'm doing a roadtrip from Dallas to Houston again - I will definitely be stopping by.
Review Source:I believe this is newer Woody's Smokehouse. Â And the one on another side of 45 hwy is the original.
The store is huge with lots things to choose from. Â The dining area is super. Â We had the sausage and brisket. Â Its self service and bread was provided on the each table. Â On the way out, we bought additional 2 lbs of brisket home. Â The Coffee and fountain drink area near the restroom was supper. Â I made myself a cup of cappuccino at the way I love and only $1.89.
Stop by the restroom; you would not believe how clean and how comfortable it made you feel.
Smokiest, saltiest, driest, juiciest, chewiest. All specialties performed daily at the Woody's smokehouse(My Goto Jerky shop)
Sure it's a drive from Houston, and there are other Smokehouse, Jerky dealers and even gas station that peddles this stuff. But none of that compares to Woody's, to the point that I may have kept the catalog as bathroom reading material?
Wishlist- Put a pop sickle stick in the smoked pork chop so I can eat it while driving home(Think candy apple).
So gas up and make sure you get extra's. I'm just saying, it's so good, it may not last the drive home.
Absolutely a must stop for our family every time we travel up I-45. As everyone else has already said... they are the "Jerky Capital of the World".... One of the things that has not readily been talked about is the "Woody's Blues Basting Sauce". I met Woody when he was first launching it several years ago and believe me it is absolutely amazing on pork chops and chicken breast when grilling....
As a side note.... If you cannot get up to the actual store then you can order on-line... which we have done when we were "jones'n for some jerky". We have never had a problem when ordering or with security...
Great selection of jerky and cheese. Â Good pies, jams and more sweets.
Staff is friendly and ready to assist you. Â They just added a huge bathroom facility that is really modern.
The bar-b-q lunch is not that great. Â I've eaten here several times but have never had that really Texas or Louisiana flavor you get in bar-b-q. Â Good place to stop and shop but skip the lunch.
If i'm ever on I-45, i make sure i visit woody's smokehouse. Â Hands down best jerky you can find. Â The sweet and spicy is where its at. Â Woody's has so many can jarred products, from fruit butters to jams, even pickled things. Â It's always fun to walk around and see what they have.
From my multiple stops at Woody's, i've sampled their barbecue, pecan pie, jerky, pecan brittle, fudge, and fruit jams. Â Their brisket, ribs and chicken aren't comparable to central texas greats, but it beats many chains. Â All are tender but could use some more smoke. Â The pecan pie's are great, butter flakey crust with a rich filling. Â You can't beat pecan pie. Â The pumpkin and apple butter are my favorites, goes great with many things, like toast or pancake. Â The fudge they have are top notch. Â They have cool flavors like heath bar toffee. Â
Woody's, you've fueled me thru my late night trips to various cities. Â I am forever grateful to you.
I've probably stopped here a hundred times on my drives between Dallas and Houston. I HATE making stops on my long drives so I literally stopped in Centerville by chance one year, leading me to experience the best jerky I've ever had. The buffalo jerky that they sell vacuum sealed is my favorite, though you can't go wrong with hickory peppered or teriyaki either! They sell a variety of quirky jarred goods, too!
Only 4 stars because the last time I bought jerky, it was moldy and tasted pretty nasty. It's kind of gross, but I'm not surprised (and I didn't get sick, so whatever) because they mention this can happen on the labels if you buy the one pound bags. They recommend "wiping it off with a damp cloth." Eeeewwwww! I just hope it's not sold to me like that again!
I travel between Houston and Dallas frequently and I stop here every. time. Â
Don't stop here without at least sampling the thick buffalo jerky - you will be hooked.
Also, sometimes they sell sugar-free pies - and I'm not kidding, they taste just like the originals without all the bad stuff. Â
They also have a huge selection of meats, cheeses, jams, pickles, candies, nuts - man, I can't even name them all, you'll just have to see for yourself. Â
If you're coming from Houston, pass up Buc-ee's and drive 20 more minutes - it's well worth it.
If there was a heaven made out of meats and cheeses, Woody's would be it. They have some of the best smoked meats and quality cheeses that I have ever had and my husband and I always stock up whenever we can drive by on the way to Bryan, or Houston, or just for the heck of it.
They also have GREAT jerky and the staff there is more than willing to let you try a sample of the jerky to see if you like it before you buy it. It's also an amazing place to grab lunch or dinner on a long drive because their fresh sandwich meats and cheeses will blow your mind. Way better than any commercial, run o' the mill deli in the city.
They have random other goodies as well, lots of drink options and popcorns, candies and nuts. They have cobblers in a jar in the back of the store, and when we were there around Christmas they were hosting a raffle for a rifle (need not be present to win!). How cool is THAT?
Trust me, go to Woody's, you will love it.
P.S. - The one on the southbound side is the best! GO TO THAT ONE!
If this place isn't crowned Beef Jerky Capital of Texas, no place should be. Woody's Smokehouse is the only place that beats Buc-ee's in terms of Beef Jerky. Buc-ee's does beat Woody's in clean bathrooms (and beaver nuggets).
The perfect place to stop when driving from Houston to Dallas. Exotic meat jerky and regular classic jerky...check! Smoked cheeses and good old fashion American cheese...check.
The war for the best gas station attraction is a draw with the casualties being satisfied customers.
I'm really impressed by this place! I was shocked at how busy and crowded it was, consider it was located by, well quite frankly, not much. Â The staff was extremely friendly and patient. Â They let us take our time and sample whatever we wanted. Â It was a great experience. Â The turkey jerky was amazing, like the beef (I forgot what it was called, but it was thinly slicked and spicy)! Â They have all kinds of jerky, all of which was delicious! I'm sure you're bound to find one that suits your taste buds!
Lastly, their sweet tea was amazing!!! I have been craving some good sweet tea, but it's really difficult to find out in California, so I was lucky we stopped here on our drive! Â Though I didn't try and fudge or bbq, both looked appetizing. Â While I wouldn't drive here solely to go to Woody's, I'd definitely pit stop here again.
There are few things I miss about Texas. The five hour drive from Houston to Dallas to visit family? No... that's not one of them. What IS missed during that soul-sucking experience is stopping midway in Centerville to stretch one's legs and stock up at Woody's.
Their popularity finally outstripped their location (tucked inside the Shell station), they opened a location directly across the freeway that serves BBQ in addition to the jerky, smoked cheeses and other goodies.
Some of the standouts that I've experienced are:
- buffalo jerky
- smoked cheddar
- apple cobbler (sold in jar)
- orange and ginger marmalade
On the fence about any of their items, just ask. The friendly guys there will give you an ample sample to help you make your decision. Fall in love with something there that you want back home? They have an online store that will ship nearly everything everywhere. Now if I could only get Blue Bell delivered cheaply, I'd be one happy clam.
When you are approaching Centerville, Texas on your way to and from Houston; the question seems to be Woody's or Buc-ee's....Woody's or Buc-ee's... Woody's always wins for me.
Woody's hands down has the best jerky and smoked cheddar in Texas! They also have great BBQ (unlike Buc-ee's fatty BBQ). Another plus is the staff, they are funny and will let you try anything under the sun.
They have a great selection of home made candy, coated in yogurt, chocolate, and fudge. They even have home made pie, just like your grandma use to make.
If you don't have a clue what to get I recommend the elk yerky and smoked cheddar (goes great with wine).
There should be a separate pages for Woody's Smokehouse and Woody's Smokehouse BBQ, because the quality of both are polar opposites. This review is for their BBQ only.
First your order comes with iced tea, pickles, jalapenos, onions and beans. A quarter pound brisket and a link of sausage for me. Then the magical hot box is opened to reveal pre sliced brisket. Dickey's doesn't even precut their meat! After picking up my jaw from the floor I asked him to remove the top dried out pieces in hopes of finding a somewhat moist piece. Some of the beef looked like it could have been bagged and sold as beef jerky. Is slicing brisket too difficult? It makes no sense and screams the possibility of days old brisket.
The good part is that the bark was left on. A few decent pieces revealed a great smoke flavor but majority of the meat was horribly dry. The bark, which should be somewhat crisp was soft due to the steam table.
The sausage link was delicious. A dense sausage, a good level of fat to keep it most and a great mild flavor.
Woody's BBQ could be good...it could be great, but it's obvious their concentration is on their jerky business rather than their barbecue. Avoid the 'cue and go for their jerky instead. Â Elk is by far my favorite right next to the hickory smoked beef jerky. Â But dig deep, a delicious quarter pound bag of elk jerky will run $12. Â It's worth it!
I love that there is a Woody's on both sides of i-45. Â The BEST beef jerky - sweet and spicy. Â We ordered bbq on the way to Dallas from Houston - I'm not sure how they make any profit on the place. Â I had to ask (although it was written in huge letters on the board) - that the prices included a drink, beans, bread, and condiments? Â
My fiance had the sausage link and I had the chopped beef sandwich. Â The bbq sauce wasn't too sweet and had a peppery flavor. Â I was a fan. Â I was a BIG fan that they had whole wheat whole grain bread on all of the tables with the loaves of white bread as well. Â
The service was as nice as could be.
Ok it's true! Â When headed to Dallas just a little bit up outside of Leona we saw a sign that said "Woody's Smokehouse - Best Beef Jerky in The World". Â Yeah a really broad claim. Â But it was on a large recently painted, large billboard. Â Â How could they make that claim?
Because it's dead on. Â This is the largest selection of Jerky I have ever seen, blows away what I thought were my all time favorites in Little Italy SOHO (NYC), one in San Leanna and another in New Branfels (won't mention names to be fair). Â
So yeah, if you are headed to Houston from Dallas, stop here (and head back!) Â (j/k) Â :) or from Houston to Dallas, stop here. Â And then go back! Â :)
Woody's.
Huhuhhhuhuh. Eheheheheheheheheheheeehe. Hahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahah. Eehehehehehehehehehe. Â Huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu. Hehehehehehehehehehehe.
Uhh, you said Woody's.
Stop it, dill hole.
Woody's has awesome jerky.
Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe. Â Uhh huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu.
Yeah, Butthead. You have awesome jerky too. Â Heheheheheheheheheheeh.
Just awesome! Â The jerky was tasty, but what made our experience great was the character behind the counter offering up tasty morsels of jerky along with pure comedy gold!
Jerky Man offered samples of every flavor of jerky under the sun; we tried buffalo, beef, veal, and turkey jerky along with differently spiced options such as sweet and hot, jalapeno, and others. Â However, one of our traveling companions is vegetarian and couldn't partake in the jerky fest, but that didn't stop Jerky Man.
Jerky Man: Did you know that "vegetarian" is a Native American word?
Us: Really?
Jerky Man: Yeah, it means "not a good hunter"
Us: *Groan*
We walked outta there with bellies full of samples and mass quantities of purchased jerky goodness, so Jerky Man obviously does his job well. Next time we'll try the baked goods counter and the BBQ counter!
I need to pee!! Â I cannot count the number of times Woody's has saved my bladder from exploding. Â 5 stars just for that. Â This is where I go on that terrible trek that is Interstate-45. Â Smack-dab right in the middle of that 250 miles of absolute hell from Houston to Dallas. Â At first, I just filled up on gas and did my business. Â Sometimes, I would get a Starbucks espresso shot and a maybe bag of chips. Â Woody's is huge and filled with a limitless number of things that will rot your teeth.
One day, chance happened. Â I eyed a piece of Woody's Dulche de Leches fudge. Â It was so big, chewy, moist, and sweet. Â Then, the next time I ordered some Woody's Bar-B-Que. Â It is average BBQ. Â However..that is totally fine with me, when you want a hot meal and your only other options are imitation meat from fast food chains. Â
The place is fairly clean for a rest-stop. Â Gas prices are comparable to surrounding areas.
So I stopped by here in Centerville on my way home to Houston from Dallas. Â I had heard great things, with people telling me that the BBQ is fantastic, and they have incredible Beef/Elk/Venison?etc Jerky. Â I had the Elk Jerky which was pretty great, and I also snagged a bag of Saltwater Taffy which was delicious.
I mean this place has everything. Â 80 different flavors of BBQ sauce, Texas trinkets, Pecan Pie, Lemon Pie, cookies, I could go on forever. Â It is such a great place to stop to and from Dallas if you live in Houston, and the great part is that it's basically halfway between Houston and Dallas.
This place is all you could ask for during a road trip from Houston to Dallas (and vice versa). They have a crazy huge selection of cheeses and jerkys that was perfect for a road trip. I can' t remember what kind of cheese it was that I got but it was so good I literally just peeled the plastic back and ate the it like an apple. Be ready to spend more money than you'd expect on a road-trip pit stop because you'll want to try it all...and you should...but not all at one time...constipation is NOT fun.
This is definitely a must stop!
Oh my sweet Jeebus! Forget oil. Beef jerky and smoked cheeses are the real Black Gold, Texas tea; and you'll strike it rich only at Woody's!
Located dead-smack in between Houston and Dallas in a small lil' town appropriately named Centerville, Woody's is the *only* thing I look forward to when venturing on up to the Big D. With their large selection of meats, cheeses, barbecue, jams, salsas and breads, you'll be in smokehouse heaven. Oh yes, check out their selection of truck stop clothing. You know that sweatshirt with howling wolf you've seen all over the 'Net? Buy it and bag it here. Rummaging through the aisles with your little basket, trust me when I say that you'll have a memorable and exciting shopping experience. And you'll completely forget the fact that Woody's is in a dry county. Get that? No beer! I'd still move here, though. I heart this place *that* much.
Just remember a few things: Come hungry, try as much jerky as you can (elk is my fave), prepare to spend a good hundred or so bucks, keep scissors in the car to help open those tightly sealed cheeses, and share! Yes, share with your comrades in the car, because they probably scored something you overlooked ... and you gotta try it. Oh, and don't forget to swing by again on your trip back home.
Meaty and more! Â It's a BBQ joint and deli and sundry shop all rolled up into one and plopped down halfway between Dallas and Houston.
How can you not love Woody's?!
Buy the meat and the sides are all free! Â Seriously. Â I had bacon wrapped smoked quail, sliced brisket and sausage. Â The sausage was so good I stole my daughter's--there's no shame when we are talking smoked sausage! Â
Two dining areas and some outside picnic tables.
I picked up some elk summer sausage, black rind chedder and a jar of blackberry cobbler. Â Life is good and so are Woody's...I mean is Woody's Smokehouse.
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