There’s something homey about a meal at Texas Smoke BBQ Co. in downtown Sanger. Owner and pitmaster Jay Coin prepares the barbecue plates back in the kitchen while his wife, Mindy, works the front of the house. They work together on the popular smoked meatloaf, and a table full of
– In one of the laziest pieces of barbecue journalism I’ve seen, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune showed up at Franklin Barbecue in Austin fifteen minutes before they opened, abandoned the long line, came back two hours later, and was mad that she didn’t get barbecue. She
Photo from Fugitt’s Facebook pageWriter: 100 Best Barbecue Restaurants in AmericaAge: 29Johnny Fugitt is nearing the end of a one year tour around the country looking for the best barbecue joints in the country – one hundred of them to be exact. He was sick of all
In a state currently obsessed with brisket, the lean side appears to be always the bridesmaid. The bride, of course, is the fatty stuff. (As the tired saying goes, “fat is where it’s at.”) Further evidence of this love for adipose was on full display in a recent article for Maxim magazine,
This past weekend Portland, Oregon got a taste of Aaron Franklin’s brisket. The Austin pitmaster travelled to the Northwest for Feast Portland, a culinary event that brought chefs in from around the country – along with plenty of homegrown talent – to showcase their dishes to
Just outside of downtown San Saba is Double G Pit Stop, a combination drive-thru beer barn and barbecue joint. You can get a drink any day, but for barbecue you’ll have to wait until the weekend. Owner and pitmaster Bobby Galindo only fires up the pits on Saturdays and Sundays, and
– The Texas Monthly Barbecue Festival was this past Sunday, and many of our attendees had plenty to say about the event:– Thrillist ATX learned ten facts about Texas barbecue.– Here’s our own wrap-up of collected photos from the event.–
The joy of eating goat.
Owner/Pitmaster: Hometown Bar-B-Que; Opened 2013Age: 42Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: Oak and CherryBilly Durney is all New York, but he knows where to go in Texas to find great barbecue. This past week his restaurant Hometown Bar-B-Que in Red Hook, Brooklyn celebrated its
“There is no one definitive way to make Memphis barbecue.” So says Craig David Meek, author of Memphis Barbecue: A Succulent History of Smoke, Sauce & Soul. After a four day tour through the River City, I must agree with him.Those who
Yesterday we held the fifth annual Texas Monthly Barbecue Festival. It was the biggest one yet with twenty-five pitmasters feeding thousands of hungry barbecue fans. If you made it out to enjoy the beautiful day, we thank you. If not, we’ll see you next year.Here are a few of the
When I took the first bite from the towering chopped brisket sandwich at David’s Barbecue in Pantego, I thought this must be what Sonny Bryan’s used to taste like when it made it on everyone’s “best of” barbecue lists. You see, owner and pitmaster Jimmy Harris is part of the
– A drone that delivers barbecue was spotted at a high school football game in Idaho.– An entire steer on a spit at Meatopia UK: – Man Up Texas BBQ tried out the new Slab BBQ in Austin.– A full and complete guide to eating at
Owner/Pitmaster: David’s Barbecue; Opened 1988Age: 49Smoker: Wood-fired Rotisserie SmokerWood: HickoryJimmy Harris doesn’t have much time for barbecue reviewers. “The real judge is that cash register.” And it hasn’t let him down for over two decades since he and his dad opened the
If you’ve eaten barbecue in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, there’s a good chance you’ve eaten it at Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse. For more than a century, four generations of Bryans have operated barbecue restaurants, eventually creating a national franchise that’s now nine strong (eight in DFW and one in Utah). Their saturation in the market
This week on TMBBQ we’ll take a look at the Bryan family’s barbecue legacy. From Elias, to Red, to Sonny Bryan and beyond, the Dallas roots of this family tree run deep, but the branches extend well beyond Texas.With so much family history, there are plenty of artifacts and mementos that I’ve
Cherokee sits in between San Saba and Llano in the Texas Hill Country. There aren’t many dining options in this town of a hundred seventy-five. A gas station has ready-made pizzas and there’s Southside BBQ on the weekends.Alva Zulauf and his wife Chris have operated a barbecue catering company for
– Kreuz Market in Lockhart claims former employee, Brian Thornton, quit and took company trade secrets with him. They’re still looking for him.– There is such a thing as BBQ flavored protein chips.– I just now came across this video of North Carolina’s Keith Allen making
Gary, Mark, Kathy, and Brian PrauseOwners: Prause Meat Market; Opened 1890’sAge: Gary Prause (60), Brian Prause (59), Kathy Prause (55), Mark Prause, pitmaster (51)Smoker: Wood-fired brick pitWood: OakPrause (pronounced Prowse-ey) Meat Market has been operating in La Grange for one hundred ten years. The
You’d think finding good barbecued goat in the Texas Hill Country wouldn’t be so difficult. This area has been the U.S. epicenter of sheep and goat ranching since the nineteenth century when wool and mohair (wool from goats) production took a foothold. Herds expanded greatly in the twentieth century, and while numbers have fallen in this
Every month we’ll bring you a profile of a photographer who has captured the people, the food and the spaces that make up the world of barbecue.Kenny Braun – Austin, TexasKenny Braun is best known for his environmental portraiture, landscape and editorial photography. Music, surfing
The fire burns brightly in a brick pit out front of Heavy’s in Hondo. It’s a hulking brick pit built by the McBee family back when they opened this barbecue joint, and it’s prominent location on the front corner of the building, along with the smoke that pours out of
– A woman in Dallas bought the former home of Sonny Bryan, but didn’t realize it until she found his old letters and Army rucksack in the attic.– The Houston Chronicle provides a vivid description of the fire that broke out at Hinze’s in Wharton, and describes
Pitmaster: Opie’s BBQ; Opened 1999Age: 27Smoker: Wood-Fired Rotisserie SmokerWood: MesquiteTodd and Kristin Ashmore are the owners of Opie’s BBQ in Spicewood. A few years ago Seth Glaser married their daughter, and shortly after he started working there. At first, it was just a
This past Sunday, three tons of sausage and brisket were consumed at the 132nd St. Louis Day Celebration in Castroville, Texas. It was part of an annual event the town hosts to mark the feast of Saint Louis, a celebration that has has been dubbed “The Homecoming of the State of Texas.” The community
Around back at Opie’s BBQ in Spicewood is a contraption like none I’ve seen at a barbecue joint. They call it Woody, and it feeds mesquite logs into the fire at night.Kristin Ashmore with WoodyKristin Ashmore is the co-owner of Opie’s. She lives close to the restaurant,
In a gas station just south of the University of Houston campus you’ll find some of the best fried catfish you’ll ever eat and some great barbecue to go along with it. The barbecue comes from the experienced hands of co-owner Ray Busch who has been serving smoked meat to the
– Jan Harding was poisoned at a Dickey’s BBQ in Utah after an employee mistakenly added sodium hydroxide into the sweet tea.– Dickey’s BBQ plans to open their 500th location before the end of the year.– I promise, you’ll miss the meat:You won’t even
Owner/Pitmaster: Cousins BBQ; Opened 1983Age: 59Smoker: Wood-fired Rotisserie SmokerWood: Hickory & PecanAs the name suggests, Cousins BBQ is about family. Calvin “Bootsie” Payne III opened the place on McCart Avenue in Fort Worth in 1983 along with his wife and three of his children. His son Cliff
If you’ve spent any time on the interstates of Texas, you’ve probably seen barbecue restaurants advertised on numerous billboards, blue service signs, or obnoxiously huge structures situated along the access road. Who among hasn’t seen one of those logos and thought, is the food worth stopping for? If a place needs that
What a difference a few weeks can make. In late July, Dickey’s Barbecue, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, began a new national advertising campaign with the theme “We Know Barbecue.” They also announced that they expected their five hundredth store would open before 2014 came to a
Darby Neaves wanted to be included in the page of Texas Monthly, and he knew that wouldn’t happen with a food truck set up in Arkansas, even if it was just ten miles north of the Red River in Ashdown. It was still worrisome moving his business into the city, but
– The Barbecue Hall of Fame has announced its 2014 inductees:Congrats to the 2014 #BBQHallofFame Inductees: Henry Perry, Pat Burke, & @drbbq! http://t.co/UPVEHhFuqN — American Royal (@AmericanRoyal) August 11, 2014 – Ten 50 BBQ in Richardson will open next Monday. The Dallas Morning
For nearly a decade San Angelo native and current Keller resident Andy Sedino worked for Rudy’s BBQ. When he left in 2012 he was a managing partner and the Director of Operations for the North Texas franchises of the popular chain. Now he’s looking to bring his own
Owner/ Pitmaster: Murray’s BBQ; Opened 1987Age: 58Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: Hickory and PecanRicky Murray handed me a chopped beef and hot link sandwich and lined up several bottles of hot sauce. He makes a good barbecue sauce, but he considers himself more
Texas-style barbecue seems to be taking over the world, and that doesn’t just mean you can find smoked brisket on the menu in Seattle and New York. There’s an aesthetic to presentation that has permeated these places deeper than post-oak smoke has seeped into Louie Mueller’s walls. Places across the country
Last week a fire at Hinze’s BBQ in Wharton shut the restaurant down indefinitely. The fire began as a grease fire in the pit, but quickly spread. The building was a total loss, but the owners have vowed to rebuild.That’s not always the case. A fire can be emotionally and
The joys and perils (but mostly joys) of being the nation’s first full-time barbecue editor.
FM Smoke House began with sous vide brisket and bacon grease injections. The owners of Holy Grail Pub in Plano had some success with inventive barbecue items at their weekend “Smoke Out” barbecue events, so they brought some of those ideas along when they branched out last year into Irving
– Sad news out of Wharton, Texas. A fire started in the pit room of Hinze’s BBQ, and the building is a total loss: – More details on the devastating fire at Hinze’s BBQ in Wharton from the Houston Chronicle.– A Go Fund Me site has been starting to
Owner/ Pitmaster: Zimmerhanzel’s Bar-B-Que; Opened 1980Age: 55Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: OakBert Bunte is a man of few words. When I stopped in at Zimmerhanzel’s for this interview, he tried to shove it off onto his wife Dee-Dee, but then finally
Last week we took you to Tioga, Texas, where Warren Clark developed a three-day smoked brisket recipe that is still served at Clark’s Outpost, the restaurant he founded decades ago. His method was borne from his earlier days using a traditional smokehouse in Arkansas, where cooking time was measured in days.
In a little over a month we’ll be hosting our biggest Texas Monthly BBQ Festival yet, with twenty-five pitmasters from around the state bringing their barbecue to Austin. It’s the fifth annual event in a series that’s proven very popular. This year was no different with the VIP
A pulled pork sandwich with slaw and sauce in between a honey bun and served in a Styrofoam container – it doesn’t get much further from the barbecue you’d expect to get in Lockhart, Texas. That’s precisely why Mad Jack’s BBQ Shack has been successful over the past year. Instead of trying
– In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Goode Co. owner Levi Goode is disgruntled with “high-profile places that throw two or three briskets on the smoker and sell out by 11 a.m.”– How a few Austin restaurants, including Franklin Barbecue and la Barbecue, deal with their massive
Owner: Smitty’s Market; Opened 1999Age: 64Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: OakThere’s plenty more to Smitty’s Market in Lockhart (formerly Kreuz Market) than the family split that occurred fifteen years ago. Nina Sells grew up in this barbecue joint, and
Smoking brisket takes time—sixteen, eighteen, even twenty hours. These cooking times get thrown around with a little pride, but none of the braggarts can top the hours a brisket spends in the smoker at Clark’s Outpost in Tioga. I’m talking more time in the smoker than Jesus spent in the tomb. It takes
Barbecue joints come and go, and they usually take their signs with them. Some linger. They either cling to our memory or remain attached to the building that no longer serves as their home, becoming ghosts of the past. A few have become revered – their images shared with the
When Schmidt Family Barbecue opened late last year it was billed as a taste of Lockhart, without having to drive to Lockhart. Two of the most famous barbecue joints in the state, Kreuz Market and Smitty’s, had put aside their differences. In a show of family unity, they partnered and
– Zagat calls these thirty-four barbecue joints the most important in Texas. Maybe describing the list as “definitive” and “unequivocal” was a reach.– The Dallas Observer has started a new column called Shigging. This week they look at the secrets behind the barbecue at Lockhart Smokehouse.–
