There’s a new food truck parked outside Franklin Barbecue, and it’s serving coffee and barbecue-stuffed breakfast tacos.

The Cathedral of Smoke:

J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle laments the closure of New Zion Missionary Baptist Church’s barbecue operation in Huntsville.

Roegels Barbecue Co. in Houston will host a pig pickin’ party this Saturday with whole-hog barbecue.

Neighbors of the Turkey Leg Hut in Houston who complained about the smoke from the restaurant have suspended their lawsuit against the restaurant.

Fans of the Turkey Leg Hut have called the plaintiffs “colonizers and gentrifiers.”
https://twitter.com/houstonchron/status/1202957594702307329?s=11

International Smoke, which opened in Houston in July 2018, has announced it’s closed for good.

Tim Rattray abruptly closed the Granary in San Antonio a week before that move was planned, unexpectedly shuttered Fontaine’s Southern Diner, and declared bankruptcy.

Loro opened in Austin last year, and a few months ago announced a new location coming to Dallas. Now they have plans for a Houston location too.

Not everyone is happy about John Mueller’s new spot in Granger:
https://twitter.com/JSM_meat/status/1203709060203393024

St. Louis barbecue joint Sugarfire Smoke House has announced it will open a location in Dallas in June 2020.

Dickey’s Barbecue expanded into the Middle East last year, has plans for a location in Brazil next June, and has now announced plans to open in Africa.

The 12 Days of Smoked Meats are under way:
https://twitter.com/StilesSwitchBBQ/status/1202352581189816321

Tim Carman scoured the D.C. region for barbecue to come up with this year’s list of the best in the area for the Washington Post.

Carman missed a spot in his search, and included a separate review of Smoking Kow BBQ, which will likely make next year’s list.

A.B.’s Amazing Ribs in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, which we’ve written about before, was named one of the best halal restaurants in the country.

Peanut butter barbecue sauce, folks:
https://twitter.com/Thrillist/status/1202673997319745541

“In recent years, American-style barbecue has become an omnipresent trend in Australia, with mixed results.”

Clark Crew BBQ is open in Oklahoma City. It’ll be run by Travis Clark, who recently won the Jack Daniel’s World Championship barbecue competition.

Ted Cruz lost a baseball bet with Tim Kaine and paid up with Shiner beer and barbecue from Kreuz Market in Lockhart.

Just when you thought he only ate at Bill Miller:
https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1204562247638536192

Something about this $3 million in cash smells porky. The sheriff’s office in Cleveland County, North Carolina, recovered the cash hidden beneath raw pork shoulders inside a semi headed for the border.

There is no known cure for alpha-gal syndrome, which causes an extreme allergy to red meat, but a man in North Carolina just overcame it.

This man is an inspiration:
https://twitter.com/theonion/status/1201928348068458496?s=11