– A profile of Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que in Brownsville, the best barbacoa in Texas.– A “Meat Cloud” has detrimental affects on the New York Times’ office, but the bacon cloud seems to be harmless.– Smoked tofu? Must be SXSW:Austin’s Ironworks BBQ makes an (arguably
Pitmaster: Riscky’s Barbeque; opened 1927Age: 38Smoker: Wood-fired rotisserie smokerWood: Post oakI sat down for lunch at the original location of Riscky’s Barbeque on Azle in Fort Worth. It sits just north of the Stockyards in a building from the fifties. Joe Riscky, great grandson to and named after the founder
This stone covered building along Highway 29 in Bertram was once home to barbecue royalty. Bertram Smokehouse had a place in Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ joints in 2008. Then they moved into a bigger building across the tracks and soon folded. Tin Star BBQ also came and went a
There’s a Beef Club in Theon, Texas, but good luck getting a membership today. All that’s left of this club that disbanded in 1949 is a tiny metal clad building with a slight lean. The birth and death date are recorded on the front of the building as if
Bryan, Texas is about to get another barbecue joint, and it’s a legendary one. Keith Schmidt of Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas says they will build the second location of Kreuz Market over a hundred miles from Lockhart along Highway 6 in Bryan. It’ll be
– Perini Ranch in Buffalo Gap, Texas was named an Americas Classic by the James Beard Foundation.– Food Republic is doing a whole series on butchery and charcuterie. This first article helps translate the different butchering techniques across the globe.– College Football writer Andy
Owner/Pitmaster: Pit Stop Bar-B-Q; opened 2006 (2010 in current location)Age: 58Smoker: Wood-fired offset smokerWood: PecanKim Dunn learned to cook in her native Korea before she left in 1978. She then got her training in Louisiana cuisine by working at Popeye’s before shifting over to Texas barbecue as an owner of Colter’s BBQ
The joint’s not big. There are just a few tables, and most customers take their order to go. Behind the small counter is Kim Dunn who opened this place four years ago after moving from nearby Belton. As someone who seems to genuinely enjoy her job, there’s a good chance
Carne a la Lena “Meat from a Wood Fire”I was on vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I should have been looking for local seafood or hidden gem taquerias, but it was a sign that read “BBQ” that caught my eye during the cab ride from the airport to our
The Red Dirt BBQ & Music Festival in Tyler won’t start for another two months, but you can buy tickets today starting at 10:00am.The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 3rd on the square in downtown Tyler. Barbecue from fifteen of Texas’s best
A few months ago I was at Smolik’s Smokehouse in Mathis to buy some smoked meats, including a link of their homemade Czech-style sausage. As I waited for my change, I asked the clerk what made this particular link of sausage a Czech sausage. “A Czech made it” was her
– La Barbecue was named one of the 25 best new restaurants in America by GQ Magazine.– After many delays, Killen’s BBQ in Pearland is finally open. Here’s a first look.– Zagat interviews Ronnie Killen about his new place.– Along with news
Owner/Pitmaster: Taylor Cafe; opened 1948Age: 90Smoker: Wood-fired offset smokerWood: Post OakVencil Mares (pronounced like a group of female horses, not the planet) normally sits at the end of the bar just inside the side door of Taylor Cafe. For this interview we went into the only place in the restaurant with air conditioning
Canadian, Texas is out there. In the already secluded Texas Panhandle, it stands alone anchoring the northeast corner. Amarillo is over a hundred miles away, and the next town of any consequence is two hundred miles east in Oklahoma City. With so little to visit nearby, Canadian has
When you think of smoked salmon, it might be thin slices of rosy meat that come to mind. That’s the smoked salmon common on deli menus or vacuum-packed on a grocery store shelf which is generally a cured and cold-smoked product. Jon Alexis at TJ’s Seafood Market in
Ah, the chopped brisket sandwich: it’s as ubiquitous to Texas barbecue joints as pump jacks are to the Permian Basin. They’re so commonplace and ordinary, I’ve even criticized them in the past as something far inferior to a thick slice of smoked brisket. But meat on a bun was once
The second annual Houston BBQ Festival is coming on Sunday, April 6th. The line-up this year is mostly familiar if you attended the inaugural 2013 festival, but some of the new faces include Feges BBQ, Oak Leaf Smokehouse, Pappa Charlie’s Barbeque, and Baker’s Ribs. There’s also a
– An ad was posted on Craigslist offering $15/hr to someone willing to wait in line at Franklin Barbecue during SXSW.– The 2014 James Beard award nominees were announced yesterday. Daniel Delaney of Delaney Barbecue in Brooklyn was nominated for Rising Star Chef of the Year,
Owner/Pitmaster: Mac’s Bar-B-Que; Opened 1955 (1982 in current location)Age: 60Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: HickoryBilly McDonald is a second generation pitmaster at Mac’s Bar-B-Que in Dallas. Last week we ran the first part of the interview with Billy that featured his father’s career in barbecue. It wasn’t until they moved to
Mike Havens was done being an electrician. He had a lot more fun making barbecue for his crew, so he got a bigger smoker. That steel offset smoker sits out front by the road, but it’s mainly for show unless Havens has a catering gig. The workhouse now is a
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.Ken Goodman – New York City, New YorkMy name is Ken and I’m a freelance photographer based in New York City specializing in food,
Bresaola A beef eye of round, salt-cured and aged for several months.Coppa Marbled pork neck muscle, salt-cured and aged for several months.Lardo Pork back fat rubbed with salt and aromatics and aged for several months.Lonzino A whole pork loin, salt-cured and aged for several months.Mortadella A finely
Old-world meat preservation comes to Texas.
At Prause Meat Market in La Grange, there is a green paper sign right next to the barbecue counter. It reads “Sorry We Do NOT Make Sandwiches.” It’s a reminder to customers that this is a meat market where meat—smoked or raw—is sold by the pound. If you want a
– Thrillist provided this guide to regional barbecue styles in the US. I do give them credit for realizing that Texas has more than one style, but their description of North Carolina barbecue and claiming that Memphis is known more for pulled pork than ribs makes the whole
Owner/Pitmaster: Mac’s Bar-B-Que; Opened 1955 (1982 in current location)Age: 60Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: HickoryThe McDonalds have been a fixture in the Dallas barbecue scene since 1949. Mac’s has moved around a bit, but Billy McDonald has no plans to leave his current spot on Main Street just outside Deep Ellum. He sat
I saw a flight of “flavor infused” pickles on the menu, and I was immediately powerless. I had to order them. I was dining alone during lunch at this sports bar/live music venue/barbecue joint hybrid in a suburb north of Fort Worth. Olympics curling was on the television in my
Ten 50 BBQ is under construction in Richardson, just north of Dallas. You may have seen the sign along the Hwy. 75 service road north of Arapaho (at 1050 N. Central Expressway) and adjacent to the Arapaho DART station. Construction is underway for the major renovations to the existing
Jimmy Kimmel and his sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez came to Austin for some SXSW scouting over the weekend. Kimmel will be taping his popular late night show in Austin during SXSW, and he was doing some advance barbecue scouting. Saturday began with Franklin Barbecue followed by Micklethwait Craft Meats
Michael Twitty was cold, and his pig wasn’t much warmer. He was six hours into an eight hour cook, and the February winds were whipping across the top of the hill at the French Legation in Austin. A makeshift pit about the size
The annual conference for the National Barbecue Association is being held right here in Texas this year. In just a month, hundreds of barbecue enthusiasts will gather in San Marcos, Texas to eat and talk barbecue. The conference is a strategic combination of education, trade show,
– Wayne Mueller announced at an event in Houston that he’s searching for the right location in Houston for a second location of Louie Mueller Barbecue.– Ronnie Killen plans to open his new barbecue joint in Pearland on 2/11. He has high hopes of course, saying “It’s probably going
Twins Francene and Geraldine Neely from the Neely’s Facebook page.Owners: Neely’s, opened 1927Age: 66Smoker: Wood-fired steel offset smokerWood: HickoryNeely’s in Marshall, Texas is famous for being very old and for serving a Brown Pig sandwich. It’s by far their most popular menu item, but of course Bill wants to remind you that people
Pitmaster, pit builder, television star, dad – these all define Aaron Franklin of Austin’s Franklin Barbecue. By next year you’ll also be able to call him an author. Not only was his new television series with KLRU announced two weeks ago, but now comes a
Amarillo can be a tough place for barbecue purists. Chris Virden is trying hard to make good barbecue at the three-month old Virdinski’s, but he can’t always make it the way he’d like to. In addition to his dozen years working for a local steakhouse, Virden is also a serious
I didn’t expect to see Vencil Mares make his Super Bowl debut last night, but there he was with his red apron on sitting at his usual spot. It was quick, but right there at the 0:35 mark of a Chevy truck commercial, a rancher transporting his
Sixty-six years ago on January 29, 1948, rush hour in downtown Austin was given a jolt by an explosion. A small barbecue joint called the West Sixth Street Barbecue & Market was left in shambles. The news was reported as far away as Sweetwater where the snippet in the February
The barbecue you eat can’t always be fresh. Maybe grandma sent you a brisket in a care package. Sometimes you might even have some leftover ribs. So, what is the best method to reheat it? While eating around the state I know that even in the hands of a microwave
– Barbecue catering circa 1954 in Wilson, NC:My buddy just sent me a photo of his grandfather cooking 155 hogs in 1954! #BBQ #tarheelnation! pic.twitter.com/s6beoZ8dgD — Tyson Ho (@ArrogantSwine) January 17, 2014 – “A 300,000 year old hearth unearthed in…Israel suggests that the
A newspaper clipping on the wall at Prine’s BBQ of Allen Prine and his late father, Harry Prine Jr.Owner/Pitmaster: Prine’s Barbecue, opened 1925Age: 61Smoker: Wood-fired brick pitWood: OakLike many third generation pitmasters, Allen Prine was a reluctant one. He had grander plans than working for dad, but now he
At four month old Gas Monkey Bar and Grill, I thought I was walking into a made for T.V. joke where barbecue was going to be the punch line. Muscle car makeover maestro Richard Ray Rawlings started in the business world with an advertising and printing firm in Dallas. He
It all started with a glove company wanting some promotion. They offered to send me some heat resistant gloves if I’d just write a blog post about them. When I asked instead for a way to purchase them online, they directed me to Amazon. At almost $36 per pair, these
A few years ago a group of barbecue aficionados met up for a pow-wow at Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor. We wanted to share stories and some great smoked meats, and one of the attendees brought in some contraband dessert. It was homemade ice cream made with Dr Pepper flavored
Aaron Franklin of Austin’s Franklin Barbecue is getting a TV show. If you’ve enjoyed the BBQ with Franklin series on Youtube, then you’ll be happy to know that there’s a lot more coming. KLRU produced the popular web series, and this year they’ll shoot ten episodes with Franklin
What you know about the history of smoked brisket in Texas is probably wrong. People have been eating brisket since the first pits were dug in the earth, but only by a sort of default: it was standard practice to cook whole animals for the big community celebrations, which means
– The Arby’s Smokehouse Brisket Sandwich has been the most successful new product in the company’s history.– The Plano location of Lockhart Smokehouse had plans to open in December. They had some delays, but things look to be nearing completion:The essentials… pic.twitter.com/P7m2UjqYAC — Lockhart SH –
Photo courtesy of Southside MarketOwner: Southside Market, opened 1886Age: 38Smoker: Wood-fired rotisserie smokers and wood-fired brick pitWood: Post OakMore than eight decades after it opened, Ernest Bracewell bought Southside Market in Elgin in 1968. Bryan Bracewell is the third generation of the Bracewell family to run the joint, but he
Editor’s note: The name of this joint has been changed to DBQ since this article was published.Kyle Lewallen started his barbecue catering company while still a junior at Texas A&M. A few years later he bought a food trailer and parked it just a block away from campus. He couldn’t
Every month we bring you a profile of a photographer who has captured the people, the food and the spaces that make up the world of barbecue.O. Rufus Lovett – Longview, TexasMy first barbecue photograph involvement came a few years ago when food writer Robb Walsh and I were on
The director of Foodways Texas, Marvin Bendele, asked me to come and lead a couple of panel discussions at the organization’s annual Camp Brisket, held last weekend at the Rosenthal Meat Center on Texas A&M’s campus. And even though I was presented
