Starting tomorrow, June 1, James Coney Island is upgrading its signature line of dogs.
For a six-month period, the ninety-year-old Houston fast-food establishment will feature a six-part series called the "Houston Chefs and Show Dogs," which features gourmet, refined hot dogs from chefs around the Houston area.
Read More
On Thursday, June 6, KLRU will air a television special entitled The Kings of BBQ: Barbecue Kuwait.
The documentary details the experience of five BBQ pitmasters (Myron Mixon, Johnny Trigg, Jaime Geer, Nicole Davenport, and George Stone) and their trip to a military base in Kuwait to create a Southern-style cookout consisting of smoked brisket and chicken for 5,000 U.S. troops. The feast was organized by the United Service Organizations (USO), and executive producer John Markus spent years planning, securing the equipment, spices, sides, and meat needed to transport the barbecue experience to the Middle East. Davenport and Trigg are both Texas pitmasters.
Before the barbecue film airs, KLRU will feature clips from the YouTube series BBQ with Franklin (that's Aaron Franklin, pitmaster of Franklin Barbecue, which was just named Texas Monthly's number-one joint in Texas). The clips feature instructional methods on how to prepare and cook top-notch backyard barbecue.
Those who donate to KLRU during the program's airing (8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. CST) have the opportunity to attend a special "Meat & Greet" at Franklin Barbecue in Austin on July 9.
Photograph courtesy of KLRU.
Read MoreYou may have heard it's National Brisket Day, to which we say: this is Texas: every day is National Brisket Day.
And from here on out, every day at TMBBQ.com, you're likely to find something new from Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn. Today he's got a new review of Lockhart's legendary Smitty's, which is infamously absent from the new Top 50.
"Our Top 50 list isn’t a hall of fame vote. It was about what Smitty’s was cooking now, and on this day (and on several repeat visits) it wasn’t worthy," Vaughn writes.
The nation's only BBQ editor was also featured on NBC Nightly News Sunday. Kevin Tibbles' story goes so far as to call Vaughn "the nation's only BBQ reviewer," an exaggeration even we wouldn't endorse. But we'll still take it. Watch the two men tear into some meat (no utensils, of course):
The NBC segment got one truly odd response on Twitter, as someone attempted second-guess Ohio native Vaughn's Texas BBQ credentials (go ahead, take your best shot) with a, shall we say, Yankeeish take on "fatty" brisket.
Oh @tmfood. A BBQ reviewer from OH? "Fatty" brisket? #facepalm #NBCNightlyNews
— swatymyers (@swatymyers) May 26, 2013
I guess you prefer lean, or do you just say "moist"? “@swatymyers: Oh @tmfood. A BBQ reviewer from OH? "Fatty" brisket? #facepalm ”
— Daniel Vaughn (@BBQsnob) May 27, 2013
Read More@swatymyers @tmfood If they look at you cross eyed after that request then you should maybe question the BBQ joint that you frequent.
— Daniel Vaughn (@BBQsnob) May 28, 2013
Bad news, Memphis: not only are your Grizzlies on the way to losing to the Spurs, but you still won't get to eat the world's best barbecue!
Taking up on a suggestion made by @tmbbq on Twitter, San Antonio mayor Julian Castro is wagering smoked meat from TMBBQ Top 50 joint The Granary against Memphis mayor A.C. Wharton Jr.'s offering of ribs from Rendezvous.
Mayor Castro got in touch before the Spurs' 105-83 win yesterday, or we're sure he would have talked more trash:
Dear Mayor Wharton,
Greetings from San Antonio! While everyone knows the best BBQ and basketball comes from Texas, how about a friendly wager on the Spurs-Memphis series?
If the Spurs win, I'll "settle" for Memphis' best BBQ. If the Grizzlies happen to win, you can see what you've been missing in terms of "real" BBQ. I'll send you some of Texas' finest from The Granary 'Cue & Brew.
Good luck in the series. Look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Mayor Julian Castro
His Memphis counterpart replied:
Dear Mayor Castro:
I appreciate the kind invitation, and I accept your challenge. The Spurs are a great team, but I am confident that the signature "grit and grind" of our Memphis Grizzlies will prevail in this hard-fought series.
Barbeque is a religion in Memphis. People from everywhere make the pilgrimage here during our Annual Memphis in May Barbeque Fest. And, we are home to many of the world's great barbeque restaurants where smoke stacks are raised like steeples.
When the Grizzlies win, I will expect some of the Texas-styled barbeque you've referenced. If the Spurs happen to win the series, I will send you some of our World Famous Rendezvous Barbeque.
Be well and I hope to see you soon.
Sincerely,
A C Wharton, Jr.
Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn's take on the bet?
"Why isn't Castro getting Texas BBQ if he wins?," Vaughn asked. "Rendezvous ribs don't seem like much of a prize."
Indeed, when we tweeted a line from the June issue noting that Memphis "grills ribs over charcoal and frets about whether to hide meat under a pool of sugary sauce or cover it with flavored dust," Memphis BBQ defenders got the reference.
More support for the good stuff came from ESPN's Bill Simmons, who hit San Antonio's other Top 50 spot, Two Bros., after the game on Sunday.
Read MoreJust tried Two Bros BBQ w/ @jalenrose - off the charts tremendous. SA BBQ jumps to an early lead over Mem BBQ. Mem calls timeout to regroup.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 20, 2013
We have tweeted and you have spoken. Since Texas Monthly released the new 2013 Top 50 BBQ list two days ago via Twitter, we have gotten a mountain of feedback. A dedicated group of passionate barbecue eaters was assembled to create this list, so we’re happy to see that passion matched by the readers.
There’s been a stream of reactions on social media and more than two hundred comments on the story, and following all of this feedback is turning into a full time job (good thing Texas Monthly just hired that barbecue editor).
Here are some of the common questions/comments/barbecusations we’ve received, with our brief explanations that won’t possibly quiet all of the fervent smoked meat fans out there.
Q: “Is no Smittys an error!?! I understand not top 5 any longer, but no longer top 50????” – Jacob Reach
Smitty’s did not make the 2013 Top 50 list because their brisket ranged from barely passable to awful on three visits, which were all done at different times of the day and different days of the week. The most weight for every score was given to brisket, and when a knife is required to cut it then it’s hard to recommend a visit to our readers.
Q: “No Micklethwait's in Austin? Injustice!!!” – Mike McKinnon
This was our hardest decision. During our visit to the trailer it was just getting started. The barbecue was great, but only lasted a few hours with the pit holding only two briskets per day. It felt like more of a pop-up which seemed to be confirmed when they shut down for the entire week after our visit. This was right at the point where the list was being finalized, and making sure we had a viable business on the list that would be open when it was finally printed was the main concern. I’d happily be a regular at Micklethwait based on their quality of meat, and I’m happy they now have consistent hours and supply.
Q: “As always, the VERY best don't even make this list. Most real Texans know of some small place that hardly anyone ever heard of that is better than any of these more well publicized places. I won't get into names, etc. But all real Texans know what I am talking about.” – Michael Hardie
These”VERY best” places are so under the radar that this commenter couldn’t provide a single example. We’ll try to find them next time.
Q: “Hmm. NO Salt Lick?! #listfail” – Patrick Trotter
Hmm. They weren’t on the previous list in 2008. The barbecue certainly isn’t bad at the Salt Lick, but it hasn’t gotten any better since 2008 either.
Q: “Really???...Hays Co. Bar-B-Que in San Marcos?? I live in San Marcos and don't even eat there...” – Debbie R.
Maybe you should try it.
Q: “What! No Dickey's BBQ?”
We assume this is satire.
Q: “Sorry, Lockhart Barbeque in Dallas is not in the top 100!!! When you enter the place a sign says "No sauce, no forks, no kiddin". Ya gotta have a great sauce to be in the top 200!” – Walker Bateman
It’s called Lockhart Smokehouse, they do serve sauce, and your statement is false.
Q: “Yes, that's only 4. I'm told @TMBBQ had planned to announce five, but ran out early…” - @EatsBeat
There wasn’t a predetermined number of top tier barbecue joints. If two or seven had elevated themselves above the rest, then there would have been a Top 2 or Top 7.
Q: “Why isn’t La Barbecue or John Mueller Meat Co. in the Top 4?” – various commenters
To be considered for the top tier a joint needed to be continuously operating for at least a year. This list lasts a long time, and we wanted to be sure that all of the top tier would still be around for the next list.
Others asked about various old favorites like New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Dozier’s, Stubb’s, Cooper’s in Mason, and Baby J’s. The simple answer is that we visited them all, and they just weren’t that good this time around.
The full issue will be arriving in mailboxes today and will be on newsstands May 23. We can’t wait to field the continuing barrage of questions and comments.
Read More
