– La Barbecue was named one of the 25 best new restaurants in America by GQ Magazine.

– After many delays, Killen’s BBQ in Pearland is finally open. Here’s a first look.

– Zagat interviews Ronnie Killen about his new place.

– Along with news of the Killen’s opening comes another big splash. Ronnie Killen is partnering with Houston chef Bryan Caswell and restaurateur Bill Floyd to open another barbecue joint in Houston.

– Ray’s Real Pit BBQ in Houston is profiled:

 

– Thrillist calls John Mueller Meat Co. in Austin one of the 21 best food trucks in America. 

– Dallas’s Off the Bone BBQ in Dallas is profiled by Entrée Dallas. 

– Baker’s Ribs in Dallas, Garland, Weatherford, Canton and Caddo Mills are now serving breakfast. 

– Interesting twist on that saying:

 

– A chefy BBQ competition was held at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival called The Q. Forty chefs entered, but it was Mike Mills of 17th St. BBQ that won with his whole hog. 

– The World’s Championship Bar-B-Q Competition at the Houston Stock Show & Rodeo will be held this weekend. 

– Next week, the NBBQA’s annual conference comes to San Marcos. 

– The Air Force has started a barbecue competition called “High Flyin’ BBQ Challenge.” 

– See how famed Italian butcher Dario Cecchini breaks down a hog. 

– A BBQ Superstar will soon be on the big screen:

 

– Beef prices are indeed going up, but NBC/DFW misleads on the price of corn which just gets getting lower. 

– On LBJ and his use of BBQ diplomacy. 

– Tom Micklethwait, Shane Stiles, and John Lewis all sit down with Jacob Garcia to talk barbecue. The discussion starts at the 2:45 mark. The best lines:
Tom Micklethwait on no longer making their own pickles: “Where am I going to put gallons of pickles in a trailer for weeks?”
John Lewis: “I did a cook maybe a month ago, and I ran all mesquite in the smoker. I couldn’t taste the difference at all, but the air outside smelled like s—. Like, literally like s—… It didn’t change any of the flavor on the meat.”
Shane Stiles on starting out serving Miller Lite and other domestics when they opened: “We quickly found out that we should not be called ‘barbecue and brew’ if that’s the s— we serve on tap.” 

– I guess they agree?:

 

– Hemphill BBQ in Hemphill, Texas will be closed for a few weeks after a fire. 

– Rumors of Perez BBQ closing in Bartlett, Texas are incorrect. Victor Perez has taken over the operation from his father Sodie. 

– Baby Back Shak in Dallas has gotten a facelift inside and out. 

– Corkscrew BBQ in Spring, Texas has also completed some renovations. 

– Stiles Switch is expanding. A banquet room adjacent to the restaurant will open in early March and an additional 1700 square feet of dining space will become available in a few months.

– Famous North Carolina pitmaster Ed Mitchell discusses his forthcoming restaurant Que in Durham, NC which comes after a long absence from the local barbecue scene:

 

-A kickstarter project is in the works for a big North Carolina BBQ map. 

– A twenty-one year old North Carolina man broke into Hendrix BBQ to steal a few cases of bacon. He was caught because he couldn’t get back over a fence that he jumped to get in. 

– South Carolina BBQ businessman and bigot Maurice Bessinger has passed away. 

– Brisket School!

//

Post by The Slow Bone.

 

– The Full & Content blog has gone through a redesign and the most recent post is a review of The Salt Lick.

– The Texas BBQ Treasure Hunt blog offers their top 5 BBQ joints in Houston.

– The Smoking Ho checks out Ruby’s BBQ in Austin.

– The Daily Cougar takes a look at Brooks Family BBQ in Houston, calling the salmon salad the “star of the menu.”

– Sistah’s Mississippi Style BBQ in Arlington is reviewed by DFW.com and by Eats Beat.

– A very porky logo reveal: