Every king needs his queen, and for Paul Qui – chef/owner of East Side King and winner of Top Chef Texas – that queen is Deana Saukam. Deana, better known for her alter ego the East Side Queen, has been by Paul’s side ever since his whirlwind rise to fame. After Paul’s win on Top Chef Texas, the couple has been traveling the world, planning new restaurant projects, and soaking up nothing but love from the Austin culinary community.

Not only has this been a great year for Qui; it has also been a banner year for Deana, who got engaged to Paul in New York earlier this year. The stylish, bubbly Deana talks with TEXAS MONTHLY about her year of traveling and eating, working in fashion, and what’s to come in 2013.

This has been a big year for both you and Paul. Tell me about your world travels and what you two have been up to recently.

We had a great year of travel. It was a whirlwind, beginning with the Top Chef Texas finale in Vancouver, British Columbia, with non-stop travel from February through November. The first set of trips – Louisville to London – was taken without any stops back to Austin in between cities. We went to Louisville, Kentucky for the Kentucky Derby and to visit Ed Lee, a contestant on Top Chef, and his wife, Diane; New York for the James Beard Awards. Paul won this year in his category, so that was a definite bonus; Paris to wine, dine, and shop; London for more delicious food, shopping, and to see the Snow White and the Huntsman premiere. We also had dinner from Heston Blumenthal, St. John, and Hakkasan; then, we went to Tokyo for more R&R. Highlights from that trip included Jiro, Tsukiji Fish Market, Ramen Inoue (a ramen stand in Tsukiji), the Tsukemen ramen in Tokyo Station, shopping in Ginza, and all the little izakayas next to the train stations. I also fell in love with MOS Burger, since I have a soft spot for really good burger chains, like In-n-Out. We went to Copenhagen for the MAD2 food symposium, hosted by Renee Redzepi. The whole conference was an incredible experience, and I have it on my list to go back every year. Copenhagen is so beautiful, and everyone is so friendly and fashionable, and the weather was amazing while we were there. We celebrated both our birthdays in Spain, starting in Madrid, on to Marques de Riscal, then San Sebastian, with a day trip to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. During this trip, we did so much and had such a great time. We ate such amazing food in all the places we went. We went to Manila, Philippines to see where Paul grew up and experience all the cuisine and culture that really influence him. The food was delicious, and Paul’s family is really great. Paul had to make an appearance to promote the Emmys, so we hung out in LA for a bit. Other trips we took included Chicago; New York City; Las Vegas; Kansas City; Seattle; Vancouver; Portland; Aspen; Washington, DC; Columbus, Ohio; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I hope I haven’t forgotten any places we visited this year!

Since returning from our last trip, we’ve been working on opening East Side King at Hole in the Wall and Paul’s upcoming flagship restaurant, Qui, which is planned to open in spring 2013. Also in development is a fifth East Side King location on South Lamar. We are taking a break from traveling so we can focus on East Side King and Qui, among other side projects.

What was the most interesting or surprising culinary experience you had on your trips? Any crazy foods or restaurants you were exposed to?

I would have to say that my top places to eat this year were Copenhagen, San Sebastian, and Tokyo. Every place we go to is surprising and interesting in its own way. I am a pretty adventurous eater. I eat pretty much anything and everything, so there wasn’t anything that was too shocking. They did serve us live tiny shrimp that jumped out of mason jars at Noma and larvae and ants during the MAD2 Food Symposium, provided by the Nordic Food Lab. The ants have the same chemical make up as lemongrass, so they were demonstrating how these naturally found proteins can be substituted for certain flavors. The “craziest” restaurant I ate at this year would have to be the meal we had with Nathan Myhrvold in his Cooking Lab. It wasn’t “crazy” per se, and it’s not an actual restaurant, but the entire meal was definitely extremely interesting, and the food was pretty much perfect. I was in awe during the entire meal. I am a bit of a nerd, so being around so much sophisticated laboratory equipment while eating an amazing scientifically prepared meal with a genius was pretty intense. Also, since it is not an actual restaurant, the experience felt even more special.

From what I understand you, like Paul, had quite an interesting culinary upbringing.

My mother is a really great cook, and my dad can eat a lot of food. Like a lot of food. It is pretty amazing. We’re Cambodian, so she would cook a lot at home. Cambodian food is very similar to Vietnamese food, but with influences from Thai, Chinese, and French cuisine. My family loves food, so we’re always eating and talking about food. We also have family in France, so we would travel there in the summers when I was growing up and, of course, eat everything.

How have you been involved in the development of Paul’s new restaurants?

I have been sitting in and giving input on the design development meetings for Qui, and I’ll also be handling all of their PR and Marketing. We are working with a tailor to custom some aspects of the server uniforms, and since I graduated with a degree in fashion design, I’m pretty excited to be a part of the design process. I have been working closely with Paul and June Rodil, Qui’s general manager, to develop the look and feel of Qui. For the East Side Kings, I handle their PR, marketing, social media, catering, and events. I also help out in other ways when I can. I stay out of the kitchen, but I am a great taste-tester.

What do you think are some of the nuances or details that make Paul’s restaurants successful?

Besides the food, which is obviously the key element, the nuances or details that make Paul’s restaurants successful is hard to pin down exactly. I think it mainly comes down to personality. Although we are all serious about the food, we still want to have fun and don’t take ourselves too seriously. For example, we’ve incorporated yellow from Peelander-Z to paint a few of our locations, which I love. I feel as though that comes across in the food and the whole East Side King look and feel. Kind of like a pirate ship. For Qui, we’ve got a few surprises that will keep the vibe alive. Another element is the service. For East Side King, although we’re serving from a food trailer, we always try to stress the service aspect as much as we can.  We want to be able to take care of our guests and make sure that they’re happy, while maintaining the East Side King atmosphere.

What are some of your favorite Austin restaurants, eateries, or bars to hit up? Any dish recommendations I should know about?

I’m still a fan of the East Side dive bars, and I could eat Asian food every day. I’ve been taste-testing so much ramen and other East Side King dishes these past few weeks that my brain is foggy for recommendations right now. I do really like going to Ramen Tatsu-Ya, Titaya’s Thai Cuisine, Tam Deli & Cafe, Uchiko, Second Bar + Kitchen, and Hopdoddy’s, to name a few places.

Are there any chefs or restaurateurs that you really admire in Austin?

I think Bryce Gilmore and Jack Gilmore are great. I love the father and son aspect. I love what Aaron Franklin is doing, and what a nice and humble guy he is despite his launch to barbecue fame. Tyson Cole, of course. Paul Qui isn’t bad either.

What are some dishes you like to make at home? Do you have any staple or go-to dishes?

To be honest, I do not do too much home cooking. Since we’ve been traveling so much this year, neither one of us has really cooked too much at home, except for the one time we hosted a dinner party and the time we threw a holiday party. One of my goals for 2013 is to cook more at home.

You have a strong knowledge of fashion. I know you’ve got your hands quite full, but do you ever think of doing a business or concept with that?

I actually just started as the fashion stylist for a new magazine, DAM – Downtown Austin Magazine – and the first issue debuts in January 2013. We just wrapped our first shoot yesterday, the same day that East Side King at Hole in the Wall opened. It was a little hectic juggling both projects, but in the end, I’m extremely proud of what both East Side King and the DAM team accomplished in the same day. I love that I am able to break away from the restaurant scene for a bit when I’m working on styling for the magazine. It’s nice and therapeutic. I would also love to own my own store one day or do something with design, but I don’t have any immediate plans for that yet.

What about a food concept? It only seems appropriate that the East Side Queen would have her own project.

I would love to do something with food as well, particularly baking or desserts, but for right now, I do not plan on opening any restaurants of my own. I am no chef and am much more useful when I stay out of the kitchen. I like cooking and baking, but just as a hobby. Maybe one day!

In the midst of all the madness of this year, you got engaged. Congratulations! Would you be willing to tell me about the proposal?

Thanks! It’s kind of a long story, but basically, the ring arrived while we were in New York for Paul’s City Grit Pop-up Restaurant. The hotel delivered the FedEx box with the ring in it to me in our hotel room, and I knew something was up. I called my best friend, Betsy Granger, to tell her that I was pretty sure this box had the ring in it, and she pretended not to know that it was actually the ring, although she had been helping Paul with the ring the whole time. When I called Paul to tell him a package had arrived for him at the hotel, he sounded really nervous and told me not to open it. He called me back five minutes later and asked me to bring him the package to the kitchen, saying it was an ingredient he needed. It was all really strange. Later that evening after service, Paul proposed to me in our hotel room. We left for Spain from New York a few days later to celebrate our birthdays, and it was the best trip!

How long did it take you, after you and Paul started dating, to realize that he was gifted? Did you ever envision anything like what you guys have created?

I met Paul nine years ago at Uchi through mutual friends, so I had seen his rise in the ranks at the restaurant. I never really paid much attention to it though and considered him to be “an acquaintance who was a chef from Uchi.” I always knew he was talented, but after we started dating, I realized how driven he was. When they were opening Uchiko, I knew that Paul had crafted some really remarkable dishes. Maybe I was blinded by love, but I really felt like Paul was really on to something, to put it simply. I have always wanted to build something with my significant other, but I never knew that it would be what it is today. I feel really blessed and proud of what we’ve got going on. Of course, there’s still more to do and always things to work on, but I’m pretty happy with what’s going on right now.

What’s next for you guys? What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Up next is Qui Restaurant on East Sixth Street, a fifth East Side King on South Lamar – both in spring 2013 – more work on East Side King at Hole in the Wall, and hopefully more projects that are currently in the idea/discussion phase right now. We also need to maintain and continue to develop the current East Side Kings. Oh, and planning a wedding, possibly in Iceland! I am very excited to see what will happen next. I look forward to being home more so we can get things done, but I also hope we can squeeze a few trips in 2013.

(For more on Qui and Saukum, read today’s TM Daily Post piece about East Side King and the Hole in the Wall.)

Tagged: austin, Bryce Gilmore, Deana Saukam, East Side King, Franklin Barbecue, Jack Gilmore, June Rodil, Paul Qui, Qui, travel, Tyson Cole

Dear barbecue buffs, fans, mavens, hounds, fanatics, cognoscenti, nuts, addicts, maniacs, aficionados, zealots, enthusiasts, devotes, groupies, and lovers:
Do you have a barbecue destination that you think is worthy of being on Texas Monthly’s “The Top Fifty BBQ Joints in Texas” list?

Now’s the time to tell us! Next year will mark the five-year anniversary of the last list, published in June 2008. Soon we will begin traveling and evaluating for the next top fifty feature, to be published in June of 2013. We don’t want anybody to feel like they didn’t have a chance to be considered.

If you’d like to give us a tip on a favorite place, please go to the comment section below. Mention the place and be SURE to tell us the address, city, and what your favorite dishes are. A phone number for the place would be helpful. Hours, too,  if you know them.

We will automatically revisit the previous Top 50 (including  Snow’s, Kreuz, Smitty’s, Louie Mueller’s, and City Market in Luling, and the other 45). Same goes for newly famous Franklin and JMueller, in Austin, which were on our February 2012 cover.

Let the nominating begin!               (Photograph by LeAnn Mueller)

Tagged: barbecue, City Market, Franklin Barbecue, JMueller BBQ, Kreuz Market, louie mueller barbecue, Smitty's Market, snow's barbecue, Top Fifty BBQ Joints in Texas

On Sunday, Texas Monthly threw its third annual BBQ Festival, in Austin, on the open air terrace of the Long Center. Twenty-one barbecue joints handed our samples to an estimated crowd of 3000, who listened to live music, swigged beer and other adult beverages, bought T-shirts,  got tips from the “barbecue genius” booth manned by Texas A&M, and ate till they were bug-eyed.  The participating pits had been featured in our 2008 story on the fifty best barbecue joints in Texas, plus there were two newcomers of the year representing places that opened after 2008. The heat, in the nineties, drove many fans inside the Long Center for some air-conditioning, which is where we found most of these folks below.

Daniel Delaney, Brooklyn, mastermind of the Brisketlab project, a series of brisket-by-the-pound pop-up restaurants in New York. “We missed all the meat! We came up here to the VIP Lounge and started talking, then the floodgates opened for the general admission crowd, and that was that.” [Delaney, below right]

Daniel Vaughn, the “Barbecue Snob,” and Texas Monthly barbecue blogger, Dallas. “The biggest surprise of the day was Stanley’s brisket. Nick [Pencis, owner] said he was going to do a salt-and-pepper-seasoned brisket and it is really great. I could gush about Pecan Lodge, too. And the line to get Franklin’s was longer here than at the restaurant.” [Vaughn, above left]

Max and Andrea Castillo, Houston. Max: “We ran from place to place getting samples without stopping to eat them. When we sat down, we couldn’t remember which was which! I saw one guy with a Sharpie and Ziploc bags, labeling them. Smart.” Andrea: “We should sell bibs!”

Matt Diffee, cartoonist for the New Yorker and Texas Monthly’s “critter page.” “I tried to talk Jake [Silverstein, editor of Texas Monthly] into letting me do portraits of the pitmasters on butcher paper using a piece of fatty brisket instead of a pencil, but he just said, ‘How’s that critter page coming?’”

Doug Wallace, defense contractor, Fort Worth. “I got to all 21 booths—the first 12 I ate the whole sample. After that I just tasted it. I use the Texas Monthly barbecue app, and today I rose from number 13 to 8 on the leaderboard rankings of who’s visited the most barbecue joints. Back in 1997, my dad had a heart attack [and we knew his time was limited]. He and I started visiting barbecue joints every Saturday. We’d leave at 8 and get back at 5 or so. It was all about the drive and the visit.”

Jo Ann, Chris, and Isabella Bjornson. JoAnn: “Chris made all 21 tents at the festival today—he is a connoisseur. Brisket was one of the first meats our daughter Isabella ever ate. She’s been tasting it all today. I’m from Virginia so I was only familiar with pork. After I tried barbecued beef, I told Chris it was a religious experience.” Chris: “I’ll be in a meat coma by the end of the festival.” [JoAnn and Isabella pictured]

Esaul Ramos and Kristen Toscano, San Antonio. “This is our first TM BBQ Festival. We saved up all our money to spend on food and then we found out the samples were free! We love it. We’ve had everything.”

Ginger, Jason, and Addison Bolen, just moved to Austin from Texas City. “We kept the hand fan from the Texas Monthly festival last year and our four-year-old daughter Addison uses it as a menu in her play kitchen now. She calls it her ‘barbysauce.’ Actually, that means both a menu and sauce.”

Cole Newman, 15 years old, Austin. “The festival is pretty good, but there aren’t enough people. I expected it to be in a park, with grass and trees, like on Town Lake. So far Big Daddy’s ribs are my favorite, but I haven’t gotten into the brisket yet.”

The White Family: Inman White, community behavioral health administrator, Longview, with Banks White, son and chef in Berkeley, Breia White, daughter and film editor in Los Angeles, Kathy White, sister and schoolteacher in Nashville, and Frances White, mother and retired school teacher in Palestine. Inman: “We are a barbecue family. I was born in Luling and I guess I’m just steeped in it. We know that at Thanksgiving we will be scattered all around the country, so we decided to get together here. This is our second barbecue Thanksgiving at the festival, and you can count on us next year.”

Davey Griffin, Professor of Meat Science, Texas A&M University, College Station. “We had a guy from New York last year who asked us, ‘Can I do barbecue up there where it’s so cold?’ He was using a small home smoker. We told him sure, it was a matter of keeping the temperature consistent, no big swings. He came and found us this year and said it worked! The most common error in cooking brisket is inconsistent temperature, followed by having the temperature too hot—lack of patience.”

Adrienne Newman, aka “Madame Cocoa,” craft chocolate maven, Austin. Question: Barbecue or chocolate? Answer: [long pause] Chocolate.

Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue, Austin, and Harold E. “Buzzie” Hughes, Buzzie’s, Kerrville. Franklin: If Texas Monthly throws a dinner to honor the pitmasters, we want a salad bar.
Hughes: With some shrimp. Or maybe have a fish fry. Franklin: Just don’t make us have barbecue.”

Diane and Justin Fourton, with son Henry, owners of Pecan Lodge barbecue, Newcomer of the Year for the 2012 Texas Monthly BBQ Festival. Diane: “It’s a little surreal that we’re here at all. At one point, we were within two days of closing. We had had to stop cooking barbecue at Pecan Lodge [until they satisfied a city of Dallas regulation] and our business had dried up. We took all the money we had in the bank and bought meat and our customers came back. Then the Food Network called, and Southern Living called. When you guys called and asked us to be the Newcomer at this year’s festival, we just about freaked out.” Justin: “We used to wait for the Texas Monthly barbecue issue to come out. The pitmasters who were in the top fifty had been around for years. To be part of that group—we never imagined it could happen.”

Tagged: Barbecue Snob, Daniel Vaughn, Franklin Barbecue, Matt Diffee, Pecan Lodge, Third Annual Texas Monthly BBQ Festival

Austin’s Franklin Barbecue is making a few changes in the coming months, according to an interview owner Aaron Franklin did with Eater National this week. In the detailed interview, Franklin touched on changing up the space at Franklin Barbecue and wanting to add beef ribs, whole pork chops, and ribeyes to the limited menu as well.

“I’m thinking [the restaurant changes will] happen in about a month. We’re going to build an actual smokehouse in the back part of the kitchen. We’re going to add a walk-in cooler so we can order a lot, a lot more food. We’re going to be able to cook a lot more food. There’s also a window near the kitchen which I hope will shorten the line a little. The goal is to have two lines at some point,” Franklin said.

As to whether or not an expansion will change the quality of his highly regarded barbecue, Franklin said no way: “Right now, the problem is that we have to get the briskets off the smokers so we can cook a ton of ribs. The smokers are so crowded that it affects the food and the process. They don’t cook the same way when there’s so much meat on them. Now, we’re going to have a lot more cookers and a lot more convection. I think everything will get better.”

Tagged: Aaron Franklin, austin, barbecue, bbq, Franklin Barbecue, Layne Lynch

APRIL FOOLS! Breathe a sigh of relief, all you extremist carnivores. Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue in Austin IS NOT – I repeat, IS NOT – going to host Meatless Monday Vegan Brisket dinners. The TM Daily Post story really sent some of you into dire meat sweats and brisket withdrawals. Who knew threats of veganism could be so potent?

We have to admit, some of the responses from our readers, Facebook fans and tweeps were priceless. A few highlights:

Branching out, always innovating @FranklinBbq “@TexasMonthly: EXCLUSIVE: @franklinbbq announces vegan brisket,l txmnth.ly/H2Z6rP”

— Daniel Vaughn (@BBQsnob) April 2, 2012

“There’s a special place in hell for anyone who calls themselves a Texan who would ever consider serving or eating this abomination. Don’t let Texas turn into another San Francisco.” – Willis, in the story comments

“Do NOT click on the picture, y’all. It just looks gross.” – Sheree, Facebook (note: picture was of a real Franklin BBQ beef brisket)

April Fool’s… or the Devil’s work? MT @TexasMonthly: @franklinbbq vegan brisket, “Meatless Monday” dinner special txmnth.ly/H2Z6rP

— Dub Pool (@dubpool) April 2, 2012

“That’s more disgusting than pink slime!” – Kathy, Facebook

WHAT IN TARNATION?! RT @FranklinBbq “Go vegan brisket! @TexasMonthly: EXCLUSIVE: @franklinbbq announces vegan brisket. txmnth.ly/H2Z6rP”

— The Texanist (@thetexanist) April 2, 2012

“Get a rope!” – Rosemary, Facebook (always our favorite comment)

@audiochic @TexasMonthly @FranklinBbq Awesome! Wanna try it!

— calmond (@calmond) April 2, 2012

@TexasMonthly @franklinbbq, It’s still April 1 right?Please tell me it’s still the first of April.

— scott edward smith (@Ssmith06) April 2, 2012

this is some Austin hippy bullshit: “@TexasMonthly: EXCLUSIVE: @franklinbbq announces vegan brisket, “Meatless Monday” txmnth.ly/H2Z6rP”

— Brandon Padron (@BrandonPadron) April 2, 2012

“Meatless brisket would be something akin to Godless Heaven.” – Jim, Facebook

Tagged: barbecue, bbq, beef, brisket, Franklin Barbecue, Jason Cohen, Layne Lynch, Smoked Meat

There’s nothing like a bandwagon. No sooner did Food & Wine and Bon Appétit fall all over themselves to give Austin a whole lotta love than StarChefs.com (an online magazine for chefs and culinary insiders) decided to hold one of its four national awards ceremonies in Austin this year.  Their editorial board scoured the landscape for the top talent in Texas’ capital city (and in San Antonio, too) and recently announced more than a dozen winners in nine categories.

As a result, in February, a gaggle of the hottest chefs in Austin and San Antonio are going to be in one place at one time, offering samples of their best bites. And there will be some choice wine and cocktail sips too.

Here’s what you need to know: The tasting will be held on Tuesday, February 21, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Driskill Hotel. Tickets are $85 for regular admission, $125 for VIP, and can be purchased online at starchefs.com/tickets or by calling 212-966-7575.

So, is StarChefs.com on the mark as far as their choices go? In my humble opinion, absolutely. They considered around 60 candidates (which they found through talking to local media and doing their own research, followed up by in-person tastings and interviews).

OK, it’s time to cut to the chase. Who won?

In the chefs category, it’s David Bull, Congress; Ned Elliott, Foreign & Domestic; Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue; Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine; Rene Ortiz, La Condesa; Paul Qui, Uchiko; Quealy Watson, The Monterey, in San Antonio; Andrew Wiseheart, Contigo.

In the pastry chefs category, it’s Plinio Sandalio, Carillon; Philip Speer, Uchiko. In the sustainability chef category, it’s Michael Sohocki, Restaurant Gwendolyn, in San Antonio. In the hotel chef category, it’s Josh Watkins, Carillon. In the artisan category, it’s John Bates and Brandon Martinez, Noble Pig. In the restaurateurs category, Tyson Cole, the Uchi group; Jason Dady, Bin 555, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros. BBQ Market, all in San Antonio. In the sommelier category, it’s June Rodil, Congress. In the mixologist category, it’s Jeret Peña, The Esquire, in San Antonio.

The host chef is  Jonathan Gelman, Driskill Grill. (By the way, the photograph is from a StarChefs.com  gala held in New York last year.)

Tagged: Aaron Franklin, Andrew Wiseheart, austin, Barley Swine, Bin 555, Bon Appetit, Brandon Martinez, Bryce Gilmore, Carillon, Congress, Contigo, David Bull, driskill grill, Food & Wine, Foreign & Domestic, Franklin Barbecue, Jason Dady, Jeret Pena, John Bates, Johnathan Gelman, Josh Watkins, June Rodil, la condesa, Michael Sohocki, Ned Elliott, Noble Pig, Paul Qui, Philip Speer, Plinio Sandalio, Quealy Watson, Rene Ortiz, Restaurant Gwendolyn, san antonio, StarChefs.com, the Monterey, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros. BBQ Market, Tyson Cole, uchi, uchiko

The second annual Texas Monthly BBQ Festival was held Sunday, October 30, at the outdoor terrace of Long Center in Austin. Some 3,000 people attended to sample barbecue from 22 vendors (all of whom had been named to our Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas in 2008), listen to music (Jimmie Vaughan and Asleep at the Wheel), and vote for the people’s choice in four categories. The prizes were won this year by Franklin Barbecue of Austin (best brisket), Louie Mueller Barbecue of Taylor (best beef ribs and best sausage), and Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q of Tyler (best pork ribs). Last  year’s best brisket winner was Snow’s BBQ of Lexington. Here are some random observations from an assortment of well-fed attendees.

It’s kind of like drinking from a fire hydrant. There is so much here!—Seth Dockery

This is Texas, so the temperature could have been 40, it could have been 95. But today was perfect.—Jen Pencis, Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q, Tyler

Cooking’s easy. The hardest part is figuring out the amount of meat. –Todd Ashmore, Opie’s Barbecue, Spicewood

This event is definitely off the ground. Yesterday I was telling people I was in town for the barbecue festival and everybody knew what I was talking about. Last year they had no idea.—Daniel Vaughn, Full Custom Gospel BBQ blog (more…)

Tagged: Foodways Texas, Franklin Barbecue, Kerry Bexley, louie mueller barbecue, Snow's, Stacy Franklin, Stanley's, Texas A&M University, Texas Monthly BBQ Festival, Tootsie Tomananz

Editor’s Note: The Texas Monthly BBQ Festival is almost here! Each day until then, we’ll be talking to one of the featured pitmasters, with questions from TM staffers, esteemed BBQ experts, Twitter followers and you, the readers of this blog.

Today we bring you Aaron Franklin, 33, of Franklin Barbecue in Austin. For more info, visit their page on TMBBQ.com.

Photo Courtesy Franklin Barbecue Facebook/Jeff Stockton

What is your heat source?

Fire and post oak. We have two stacks. One stack is a year old, and the other is about two years old. We alternate between them.

You’ve become popular so quickly. Does that newfound fame ever make you nervous?

Yeah, it does make me really nervous. The more people know about a place, the more critical they are of it. You always wonder how to increase volume and keep the quality up when everybody is already searching for something to be wrong with it. It’s a little nerve-racking. We just hope for the best.

Where did you learn your barbecue knack from?

Honestly, I’d say in the backyard. Stacy and I have backyard barbecues every month, and I’d use my friends as guinea pigs.

I remember you telling me your family was involved in the restaurant business?

My family had a barbecue place for about three years when I was about ten. Later on when I was really getting into barbecue and getting nerdy with it, I ended up getting a job at John Mueller’s BBQ on Manor Road. I worked the register there and didn’t do a whole lot. I wanted to see if I liked it enough to pursue that kind of thing.

You’re self-taught. Is good barbecue something you can be taught, or is it more of an innate thing?

I don’t think you can teach someone how to do good barbecue. It takes so much experience to roll with punches and all of the different variables that come up. It’s not the kind of thing where you could work at a place for a year and all of the sudden know how to make great barbecue. It takes time to develop a sixth sense for it where it becomes something that you know exactly what’s going on. (more…)

Tagged: 23 pitmasters, Aaron Franklin, austin, brisket, Franklin Barbecue, Layne Lynch, Texas BBQ, Texas Monthly BBQ Festival

As a barbecue trailer in Texas, the Smoke Shack, in San Antonio, has quite a reputation to live up to. Franklin Barbecue has changed the game for all of us, and even Hitler is into their ‘cue. While no one can live up to that kind of marbled perfection, the Smoke Shack turns out some tender plates on the weekdays and tasty sliders on the weekends.

My favorite was the chopped brisket slider, with a tiny toasted bun and plenty of sauce to go around. The pulled pork was addictive, tender and juicy, and the thinly-sliced sausage, though a bit chewy, satisfied nonetheless. If anything, the only downside of the meal was the overly sweet sauce that made it feel a bit like eating dessert rather than hunkering down with a big hunk of meat.

Now for the sides. I liked the spicy corn in a tomato base, with a fun kick that hit the back of your throat when you least suspected it. The potato salad was nice as well, with little mayo or mustard but instead big chunks of potato with the skin still on—rustic and filling, though it had enough pepper to make the slider next to it sneeze. The coleslaw was the perfect crunch on a hot summer day.

Whereas Franklin’s exterior recalls 1960s kitsch, the Smoke Shack hits up Texas vintage in the best way: distressed, gray wood, an American flag, and the truck’s name branded on the side as if the trailer itself were a nice, fat cow in the pasture. Chris Conger, a former chef at Dallas’ Smoke restaurant who runs the trailer with his wife, Kate, built the shack himself, along with family and friends.

The two currently just serve lunch, but they expect to extend to dinner soon. And that’s not all the two are expecting: Kate is due to deliver a baby this month. With two professional pitmasters as parents, that kid is going to be one lucky Texan.

2347 Nacogdoches, 410 & Nacogdoches (210-829-8448), San Antonio, Mon–Fri 11–2. Pearl Brewery, 200 E. Grayson (210-829-8448), San Antonio, Sat 11–2. Closed Sun.

Posted by Megan Giller. To read more from Megan Giller, visit her website at www.megangiller.com.

Tagged: barbecue, Franklin Barbecue, the Smoke Shack, Trailer Thursday

Poor Snoopy. He concocted the best Thanksgiving dinner he could, but Peppermint Patty flew into a rage when she saw the spread: buttered toast, pretzel sticks, popcorn, ice cream sundaes, and jelly beans. I’ve never understood why Patty got so angry at Charlie Brown about that assortment of carbs and sugars: It seems like Snoopy and Charlie had a firm handle on the fattening spirit of Thanksgiving.

But, thank goodness, here in Austin, we don’t have to rely on simple sugars from a package to carry on the junk food tradition. We have trailers.

Sure, you could pick one place to satisfy all your tryptophantastic needs, like Biscuits + Groovy, a sometimes-vegan trailer off 51st Street. Try the Donnie + Turkie Osmond special: Fluffy, homemade biscuits are slathered with mashed potatoes, chunky cornbread stuffing, and thick turkey gravy, with studs of sliced turkey, turkey bacon, and fresh, round cranberries on top. As satisfying as this dish was, Biscuits + Groovy lost points for the special’s bland mashed potatoes (most likely from a box) and their other specialty, french toast, which was overly eggy and extremely soggy.

So rather than call it a day with their breakfast, mix and match your very own trailer Thanksgiving feast with this scavenger hunt guide. Some of these choices may seem far from traditional, but sometimes a little edge is just what the standard dishes need. Plus, considering that most trailers carry finger food, you may not find many mashed potatoes or casseroles made with good ol’ cream of mushroom soup. Nontraditional but delicious, here is my fantasy trailer Thanksgiving meal.

(Disclaimer: If your stomach hurts when you finish this meal—and it will hurt—I take no responsibility.)

Turkey: Who better than the original Austin trailer, Torchy’s, to supply us with a fried turkey taco? The Turkey Mole piles fried turkey, Oaxacan mole, rice, avocado, queso fresco, and fresh cilantro onto your choice of tortilla. For our purposes, you may need to skip the fixins and pull the turkey from the tortilla and onto your plate.

Meat: I know ham is traditional, but I can’t think of an occasion where the moist, decadent brisket from Old School BBQ and Grill doesn’t fit the bill.

Stuffing: Try G’Raj Mahal’s puffy, rich samosas. Their spicy potato filling is one step above plain old stuffing.

Green Bean Casserole: Make like the hipsters and order the Fried Brussels Sprout Salad from East Side King at Liberty Bar. You won’t miss the casserole’s fried onions from a can when you try shredded brussels and cabbage, alfalfa sprouts, and fresh basil, cilantro, mint, onion, and jalapeño, all in a sweet and spicy sauce.

Potatoes: Franklin Barbecue‘s mustardy potato salad is just what the turkey ordered.

Cranberry sauce: Quick! Pick up some of Counter Culture‘s tangy seasonal cranberry sauce before it’s too late.

Gravy: I’ve still got the decadently rich turkey gravy from Biscuits + Groovy on the brain. Just avoid the tasteless, gloopy vegan “groovy.”

Rolls: Zubik House’s yeasty, sweet kolaches should do the trick.

Pie: Nothing can beat the Cutie Pie Wagon‘s White Chocolate Coconut Pecan.

So, Austin, two requests before I leave you with your piled-high plate: 1) Where would you find your perfect Thanksgiving trailer feast? and 2) Dig in!

Posted by Megan Giller

Tagged: Biscuits + Groovy, Counter Culture, Cutie Pie Wagon, East Side King, Franklin Barbecue, G'Raj Mahal, Old School BBQ and Grill, Thanksgiving, Torchy's, Trailer Thursday, Zubik House