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 Kerry Bexley, 44, of Snow’s Barbecue in Lexington, Texas [ed: while Tootsie Tomanetz is the pitmaster, Kerry gets the ball rolling on Friday night 'til Tootsie comes in at 2 a.m. on Saturdays.] For more info, visit their page on TMBBQ.com.

Photo courtesy Daniel Vaughn

What is your heat source?

We only use oak wood and we cook our briskets on indirect heat. All other meats are slow cooked over a bed of coals.

Why oak?

Oak is plentiful in our area—Lee County, Texas.

Who did you learn your craft from?

I actually learned from Miss  Tootsie who has more than 45 years in the game.

What’s your signature meat?

We take pride in everything we do but our brisket is the most popular item, after that would be our signature sausage, then chicken, pork and ribs, special care is taken with everything we do.

Sauce or no sauce?

We offer our own blend of sauce on the table but we do not put any on during cooking process. We use a dry rub on our meat. (more…)

Tagged: 23 pitmasters, barbecue, bbq, brisket, Kerry Bexley, Lexington Texas, smoked meats, snow's barbecue, Texas Monthly BBQ, Texas Monthly BBQ Festival, TMBBQ