BBQ
April 25, 2024
An Austin Pitmaster Takes a Deep Dive Into Sausage History
John Bates of InterStellar BBQ is offering Polish-style sausages on his menu this spring, kicking off a year-long project.
Barbecue History
BBQ
March 29, 2024
Historic Barbecue Joints Are Rapidly Becoming History
There's been a spate of closures of old joints over the last few years due to tiny profit margins, costly repairs, and retiring owners.
BBQ
September 7, 2023
Is Everything We Know About the Origins of Barbecue Wrong?
In his new book, “From Barbycu to Barbecue,” Joseph R. Haynes explains why he believes barbecue is a strictly American invention.
BBQ
August 5, 2022
How Offset Smokers Became the De Facto Cooking Instrument of Texas Pitmasters
Barbecue has come a long way from being cooked in a hole in the ground. But how did steel offsets, less than 40 years old, come to define the state’s style?
BBQ
July 28, 2022
Three Generations Have Kept Underwood’s Cafeteria Serving Barbecue for 76 Years
The rich history of the Brownwood restaurant includes expansions, bankruptcy, a catchy jingle, and a towering cowboy statue that still stands.
BBQ
June 10, 2022
How One Pit-Repair Company Saved a Historic Smoker
M&M BBQ Company brought a neglected wood-fired rotisserie from 1984 back to life, in addition to making its own custom builds.
BBQ Joint Reviews
June 3, 2022
A Merger of Two Classic Fort Worth Barbecue Joints Preserves Both Legacies
Remnants of the Smoke Pit can be found at Sammie’s Bar-B-Q, which boasts a massive smoked pork chop and the coldest, cheapest beer in town.
Books
June 2, 2022
New Barbecue Books Add a Pinch of Inspiration for Aspiring Pitmasters
These seven books cover the basics of smoking and grilling while livening things up with recipes for smoked duck lasagna and key lime cake.
BBQ Joint Reviews
May 20, 2022
This Barbecue Joint Uses Brick Pits From 1935 Alongside a New Smoker
Even though Pizzitola's—formerly known as Shepherd Drive Bar-B-Q—embraces tradition, the Houston establishment isn't afraid of modernity.
BBQ
November 1, 2021
A Barbecue Nerd’s Guide to the Most Historic Joints in Texas
Founded as far back as 1886, these barbecue joints laid the foundation for the pitmasters of today—and what they’re serving is as delicious today as it was in centuries past.
BBQ
March 7, 2017
Mapping Texas Barbecue History
In the 1800s, smokehouses and BBQ pits popped up all over Texas, giving rise to the commercial barbecue industry.
BBQ
September 19, 2016
Interview: Earnest Griffith Sr. of Back Country Bar-B-Q
Pitmaster: Back Country Bar-B-Que; Opened 1975Age: 62Smoker: Wood-Fired Rotisserie SmokerWood: HickoryEarnest Griffith Sr. has been cooking barbecue in Dallas for 42 years. He started in downtown Dallas in 1970, when the area was teeming with workers in need of lunch. This was before the days of the downtown tunnels, which
BBQ
February 16, 2016
The Transformation of Southside Market
Southside Market in Elgin opened its doors in 1886, making it Texas’s oldest barbecue joint. Predictably, it has transformed considerably in its 130-year history. The original ownership, location, menu—even the famous sausage recipe—have all changed over that time. But this is not a story about eroding traditions. Southside Market stands as
BBQ
February 9, 2016
The Legend of Southside Market
The unofficial history of Texas’s oldest barbecue joint.
BBQ
January 13, 2016
Spareribs for Texas
Memphis has the baby back rib. Chicago has rib tips. St. Louis even has a style of ribs named after its fair city. But spareribs are what you’ll get in Texas when “ribs” alone are listed on the menu. For the most part, we find baby backs too dainty, Chicago-style too wanting,
BBQ
October 20, 2015
John Lewis Jr.’s BBQ Roots
Rummaging through your family genealogy can be dicey. The history could be upsetting (just ask Ben Affleck), but you also might be able to confirm some royal bloodlines. And for Austin’s John Lewis Jr., what he and his father discovered was even more rewarding than any monarch. The man who built
BBQ
August 4, 2015
How Southern Barbecue Got to Texas
Hint: Slaves brought it with them.