The National Restaurant Association warns of massive closures coming in the restaurant industry, which is currently in “free fall.” In the last three months 10,000 restaurants have closed, and estimates show that without government relief, thousands more restaurants will close every month.

A historic Austin barbecue joint has sustained severe fire damage:

House Park Bar-B-Que’s co-owner Matt Sullivan has vowed to rebuild the restaurant, and is seeking donations to help fund the effort.

A Bodacious Bar-B-Q location in Longview (not the original) was also heavily damaged by a fire in September. It plans to reopen in January.

LeAnn Mueller of La Barbecue in Austin tells Eater that the sales are down 75 percent from last year.

Peggy Sue BBQ in Dallas is back, sort of, in the kitchen of New York Sub:

The Dallas Morning News ventured to Fort Worth to find some of the city’s beloved restaurants, including Smoke-A-Holics BBQ.

Pecan Lodge in Dallas is now offering a taste of the game day. They’re offering stadium favorites like barbecue nachos and smoked hot dogs through December 13.

When Micklethwait Market & Grocery closed in Smithville, left behind was the striking restaurant its owners had renovated. A new joint, Carne Lenta, has moved in and will open next week.

Lubbock, you let us all down:

The annual 12 Days of Smoked Meat festivities are underway at Stiles Switch BBQ in Austin, and they run through December 20.

Nick Rallo profiled the folks who run 44 Farms, a beef ranch in Cameron that sells some of the most coveted briskets in Texas.

Food & Wine named the best butcher shops in America, and gave nods to Bellville Meat Market in Bellville, Thorndale Meat Market in Thorndale, Dai Due and Salt & Time in Austin, Dziuk’s in Castroville, Kuby’s and Deep Cuts in Dallas, and Wiatrek’s in Poth.

How did we get the Texas Trinity of brisket, ribs, and sausage?

David Chang appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and won the whole thing. He donated all of his winnings to Houston’s Southern Smoke Foundation.

This year’s Neiman Marcus fantasy gift guide includes a trip to Perini Ranch and year’s worth of its smoked beef tenderloins.

Kevin’s BBQ Joints asked a number of pitmasters to name their preferred slicing knives, and he compiled a list of all the answers.

The barbecue joint that taught NYC to love barbecue is closing its original location:

Food writer Tim Carman, who just completed this year’s D.C.-area barbecue rankings for the Washington Post, wrote about his treacherous bout with COVID. Then, while on the mend, dove into the McRib debate.

Aspiring restaurateurs may find it hard to determine menu prices and track food costs. Evan LeRoy explains how they do it at LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue.

Toronto barbecue joint owner Adam Skelly was arrested for operating Adamson Barbecue illegally:

The Toronto Star reported that the Etobicoke location of Adamson Barbecue (where Skelly was arrested) was operating without a business licence (they spell it funny in Canada, but it’s what we could call a permit), and the original location has been operating without one for four years.

Charlotte Magazine looked at the differing attitudes toward area restaurateur Jim Noble, who has been publicly anti-LGBTQ. He operates the Noble Smoke barbecue restaurant, and declined to comment for the story.

Corporate restaurants just can’t get enough brisket:

How does grilling differ from barbecue? David Johnson attempts to answer the question for Barbecue Logic.

A recent study by researchers at the University of Oxford showed that “people who do not consume meat are more likely to suffer a bone fracture as a result of lower intake of calcium and protein.” I guess you could say barbecue is in our bones.

When you play for all the bones: