Porky’s Smokehouse and Grill

Another BBQ house that’s okay, but nothing exceptional. In fact, the beef I received was dried out and had to dump a lot of BBQ sauce on it to make it taste right. Was kinda pricey for that kind of food being dished out.

Went here for dinner close to closing time and decided to dine in. Ordered the whole chicken smoked beans and cole slaw. Chicken was very good, juicy and had good flavor. I was told the catfish was good but after eating my whole chicken I was pretty full. The service was good considering I was the last person in the restaurant and I’m sure they wanted to go home, but they never rushed me or made me feel rushed. That’s an A+ in my book. Server was friendly and attentive. Next time I go I will try the catfish.

Convenient location for travelers on Highway 59 on south side of Marshall. Quick sit-​down service. We ordered the 1 piece catfish dinner based on recs on this site and were not disappointed. The 1 piece dinner @ $ 6.99 (which actually has 2 large catfish filets; the 2 piece dinner @ $ 8.99 has 4 large filets) is served with fries, 2 hushpuppies, cole slaw and what they call a fish biscuit (a soft small dinner roll that’s breaded with the same light cornmeal breading as on the fish and then lightly fried — tastes good too). It’s more than enough food. The fish had a light cornmeal breading and was not at all greasy after being fried– it was delicious. The hushpuppies were crunchy & mildly flavored, not spicy enough for me but just right for my wife. All in all, it was a tasty, filling, high-​value meal based on the price we paid.
I saw other diners who were eating the barbecued ½ chicken special that day and it looked good. Ditto for the loaded baked potato, but can’t comment on the taste since we didn’t have them.

This is a BBQ place but everyone loves the fried catfish! The catfish is the best in town and they give you this crazy biscuit they call a «fish biscuit» yummy. But My favorite is actually the smoked chicken. Porky’s is the only place in town to get smoked chicken and it’s perfectly spiced and moist. All the BBQ, burgers and even baked potato’s are delicious. The sides are basic but there is wide selection. There is a drive thru and it’s pretty fast for a BBQ place but take the time to go inside and sit down to eat and enjoy some southern hospitality and a good meal. If the parking lot looks full and it usually is do not be discouraged that big red building is bigger than it looks!

Road trip from Louisiana and we stumbled upon this gem. Great atmosphere with Eclectic Texas themed art all over. Nice variety on menu of BBQ. Quick service and quick food delivery. Fries were crispy and delicious. BBQ sliced beef sandwich was so-​so. Husband got two meat sandwich and he said chopped beef was cold but sausage was yummy. Cheese Sticks were nice. Bathrooms very clean. I’d stop again and try something new.

Day 2 of BBQ challenge. So I saw smokehouse and decided to go here for some brisket and read the the sausage was good. However, I ordered the 2 meat combo and got the chopped brisket and sausage: brisket came out room temperature to cold (which doesn’t say much for Texas brisket) and sausage was definitely store bought. Beans were mediocre at best and their sauce shouldn’t be mentioned since there wasn’t much to it besides a simple basic mixture. I was just very upset about how the brisket came out. I mean, did any one not care to just if the food was warm. That’s crazy.
Won’t be returning. Was pretty much disappointed especially after smelling the smoker when we park the car. Thought we were in for a treat but it was the opposite. Too bad.

I’ll give the catfish 4 stars while the BBQ here gets 1 star. Don’t order ribs or brisket. The «porky pig» sandwich is OK but their catfish is actually pretty dang good.

Service was bad. We were an inconvenience to them. Food was worse. BBQ turkey was obviously processed and certainly not BBQed. Out of most items on the menu. I come to Marshall often and will never eat here again.

I know it’s a barbecue place, but they have some of the best fried fish around! The filets are as wide as your hand so with the sides you can easily get full on one piece.

I left DISAPPOINTED! When I visited this place I had the fried fish and I can say it was just ok. Aside from the food being just ok, I have to say that I have had better. I may have had this experience due to my judgement being clouded by the poor customer service in that place. The rude behavior doesn’t stop there. If you tell the manager about it, it will be your fault. I then went downtown and was speaking to another couple about this restaurant and they felt the same way expressing that the young lady at the counter is very rude and needs another task if she can’t handle customers. I have heard some pretty awful things about the place in the past but I wanted to give it a chance and see for myself. Needless to say I WILL NOT be returning to this establishment and patronizing it while visiting my hometown again.

Great food at a reasonable price. I had the 2 piece fish dinner and it was very good. Better than any I’ve had anywhere. I grabbed a brisket sandwich for a late night snack and it was great too.

Very very Good food. Great friendly service. A value for what you get. :) Hot Links, Catfish, Chicken and pork plates are all good. I especially enjoy the Catfish from here.

Was pretty good overall. I got a two meat plate. Pulled pork was really dry. Hot link was good. Coleslaw and potato salad were excellent. BBQ sauce leaves something to be desired.

Ignore the advertised BBQ and go straight for the catfish. Huge fillets perfectly seasoned, served with fries and an excellent coleslaw. But the big surprise on the plate is the fried biscuit, a porkys original. No beer here, but the tea is superb.

Well folks here it goes. After anticipating the meal all day, it was a bit of a disappointment!
My wife ordered the one sandwich that they claim to be the home of … the Porky Pig… which is a pulled pork sandwich, she said it was «alright»… she had a side of potato salad, that was spicy!!! What!!!
I ordered the two meat plate with chopped beef and sausage, the sausage was excellent, the chopped beef… not so much, all I could taste or feel rather was gristle. The beans well can you say canned??? The potato salad again… spicy!!! The Cole slaw was good after you put some pepper in it.
They have two options for barbecue sauce one which I think they have 75% sugar in, and the other which tasted like a cayenne pepper soaked in vinegar. Not very tasty … either one of them.
We were with my wife’s family for her grand-​mothers mothers day meal. Everyone that got fish said it was excellent. They even have what they call a fish biscuit… weird…but they said it was very tasty.
I give them three stars for the simple fact that the family loved the fish. If I was rating them for the barbecue alone they would have received two stars at best.

I like every single thing I have ever eaten here. Always on my rotation of places to go out to eat in Marshall.

We liked the crispy fried catfish, sliced beef brisket sandwich, and pulled pork. The service was excellent, and their prices are very reasonable.

When we’re traveling in this part of the country and it gets around lunch time, we keep our eyes peeled for barbecue. Around here, you don’t have to look that hard, as the number of little shacks that you’ll pass offering delectables of the smoked variety is quite astounding. Drive from Little Rock to Houston on Route 59, and you will have your choice of barbecue places to choose from. Our only lament was that it just wasn’t lunch time when we passed most of them. No worries, though, as just about noon I spotted Porky’s Smokehouse and Grill coming up fast on the right. I braked hard, which would usually get me some guff from my driving companion, but this time he was understanding, appreciative, even, of my quick thinking. We brake for barbecue.
Porky’s is in Marshall, TX, which is in eastern Texas, where you’ll still see pork barbecue. The parking lot was busy… good sign… so we went in and grabbed a table. People were eating all kinds of things here, as they have a big menu, and offer fried catfish, burgers and sandwiches as well as pork ribs, chopped and sliced beef, turkey, sausages, chicken and pulled pork. Doug went for the ribs, and I had the rib/​pulled pork combo plate. We both got potato salad and beans. These ribs are truly great… perfectly smoked and falling off the bone tender, with no sauce, but a well balanced and tasty rub, just how we like them. We wanted more, as the rib plate comes with only 4, and I got 2 on my combo plate, and they’re not all that big. The pulled pork was not such a huge success. We both like Carolina chopped pork, wherein all of the meat gets chopped up well and mixed with the fat and juices. Porky’s pulls their pork in large ribbons, big enough that you have to cut it up yourself, and you only get meat from one part of the animal, so it’s not as interesting as the whole hog mixed together. They bring 2 sauces to the table, both traditional and equally delicious, one a rich tomato based sauce, and the other a thinner vinegar and spice sauce. The beans are pure Texas… cowboy beans that taste of chile powder, very good if you like that style, which we do, and the potato salad was also good, so only one misstep for us with the pulled pork, which is odd, as they bill themselves as «Home of the Pulled Pork Sandwich». We’re OK with that, however, as the ribs made this stop memorable, and we’ll go back for more when we’re in the area again.

Coming through Marshall, TX on a Saturday night was a bit of a letdown. All of the local places downtown had closed.
The wife and I were on our road trip across the South, after meeting up with our son walking across America. We met him in Sweetwater, TX, spent some time seeing the sites in the Lone Star State, and were planning to retrace his walk on US 80 back to Tybee Island, where he began (
).
We checked in at The La Quinta on US 59. The staff person at the desk recommended Porky’s when we asked about barbecue.
Being from the Northeast, you just can’t pass up a chance for good Texas barbecue when you have the opportunity, because the stuff up in Maine is quite pathetic and basically not the real deal.
We learned quickly that Porky’s wasn’t, either. My pulled pork (a barbecue fave of mine) was disappointing. Not very tender, lacking in flavor and the choices of sauces (from vinegar-​based to hot) did little to bring the meat up to an acceptable taste level. My wife’s fried catfish was also a downer. Greasy, and not much for taste.
Not sure if the owners were religious types, but no alcohol was served, which was a disappointment given our 300 mile drive from Austin, and being a Saturday night. Plus, a Lone Star just might have taken off some of the edge on our dining disappointment.

The wife and I were on our way back from Caddo lake and stopped here for lunch. She got fried catfish and she liked it a lot. Very crisp, fresh, and not greasy. The sides were good too. I got a dinner plate (2 meats with 2 sides) for $ 7.25. The sliced brisket was disgraceful. It was cold, hard, and dry. They should be ashamed to serve such subpar food. The sausage was warm and moist. The cole slaw was outstanding. The beans were an interesting mix of spicy and sweet, they were delicious. I am giving it 3 stars on the strength of everything except the brisket.