John Brotherton and Jay Yates seemed headed in different directions in the barbecue business until they found a way to work together. Both started with their own food trucks. John ran Hall of Flame BBQ in Pflugerville, but it closed earlier this year. Jay was successful enough with
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.Denny Culbert – Lafayette, LouisianaDenny Culbert is a freelance food, portrait, and documentary photographer living in Lafayette, Louisiana. Armed with a degree in
For most people, cabrito, or goat meat, might not elicit great food memories. The dish is often dismissed as stringy or “gamey,” and because so few places serve it, most aren’t sure what to expect when they order it. Of course, nearly every major city around the state has a
– The FDA has announced that they will restrict antibiotic use in livestock animals. The move “will effectively make it illegal for farmers and ranchers to use antibiotics to make animals grow bigger.”– Lord willing and the creek don’t rise:American ingenuity at its best #pigroast
Photo by Nicholas McWhirterOwner/Co-Pitmaster: Bob’s Bar-B-Que, opened 1980Age: 74Smoker: Wood-fired offset smokerWood: HickoryHenderson, Texas is a small town of about 13,000 between Tyler and Nacogdoches in East Texas. This is where Bob Allen was born and raised, and where he aims to stay. He’s seen a lot of
My first trip to Valentina’s was on a whim. I stopped at the trailer behind the Star Bar on Sixth Street in Austin on my way out of town. A friend was writing a story on taco variations, and I thought I might be able to add a novelty to
That barbecue is not Texas’s state dish is a travesty. Paul Burka first made the argument decades ago in his scathing article “I Still Hate Chili” claiming that “never has the legislature so abandoned its sworn duty to enhance the public welfare as when it certified chili as the
Brisket is our favorite cut for barbecue here in Texas, and it’s also pretty popular elsewhere, as evidenced by the sheer number of brisket recipes one can find on a shelf of barbecue cookbooks or can pull up using a Google search (searching “how to smoke a brisket”
– La Barbecue has moved…Sold Out for the last time in South Austin from the crew @la_Barbecue. See you on the East Side. @tmbbq pic.twitter.com/cow9QBA7AT — Robert Jacob Lerma (@robertjlerma) December 1, 2013…and they are up and running at their new location:Looking
My library is packed with barbecue books, and it seems there are more options showing up every year. Most folks at this time of year would provide a round-up of the best books of 2013. I’ve got some catching up do, so I included some great ones from 2012 as
Living in Texas, we have easy access to great barbecue every day. We also understand that the whole country isn’t so lucky. If you’re looking for that unique gift, or you just want to serve some great food over the holidays, you might want to get some great barbecue shipped
Barbecue is usually all about the meat, but we also love everything that surrounds the world of barbecue. Tomorrow we’ll have a complete buying guide for mail-order barbecue, and a guide to this year’s barbecue books on Wednesday. Today, we bring you a gift guide for Texas barbecue. If you
– I saw lots of a great smoked turkeys in my Twitter and Instagram feeds throughout the day yesterday, but this one was the best fail. This is what happens when your smoker catches on fire: – Pecan Lodge is moving. They’ve announced that they are leaving the
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your Turkey Day is going well. If you don’t have your turkey cooking yet, that might be a problem, but you can read this to procrastinate in the meantime. There are plenty of ways to cook a turkey. Roast it, fry it,
Kathleen Mann, from the company’s Facebook pagePitmaster: Mann’s Smokehouse BBQ, opened 1996Age: 31Smoker: Gas-Fired rotisserie smokerWood: Pecan and OakIn a town that’s all about the meat, Mann’s in Austin boasts sixteen side items. It’s cut from a different cloth, which makes sense if you know that Jim and
A reader forwarded me this note comparing Shorty’s BBQ to Pecan Lodge in Dallas. “At Shorty’s, you don’t have to wait and they don’t run out of food, AND the beef is just as good.” I’d seen the prominent signs for Shorty’s on Highway 80 east of Dallas*, but this
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.Doug Klembara – Dallas, TexasDoug Klembara is a Native Texan whose passion for photography has led him around the world. Recently he
Not everyone vilifies fat. Heritage hog varieties rich with layers of fat are gaining in popularity, leaf lard is now a chic ingredient to pie crust, and noted author Michael Ruhlman just published The Book of Schmaltz: Love Song to a Forgotten Fat. No longer do we value
The tenuous relationship between the Dallas Farmers Market and Pecan Lodge now has a path toward closure. Pecan Lodge has decided to move into a stand-alone location. In a report by the Dallas Morning News that they may take a sweet deal from
– Black’s BBQ is coming to Austin. After announcing a new location in San Marcos in the summer, Black’s now reveals they’re coming to Barton Springs Road between S. First and S. Lamar:Mark & Michael Black,great-grandsons of Black’s founder,opening Black’s Barbecue Austin on Barton Springs
Owners: H.E. Finley and Mike HigginsCompany: J&R Manufacturing, since 1974Mike Higgins, a chemical engineer, and H. E Finley, a mechanical engineer, joined forces and families nearly forty years ago to start J&R Manufacturing. H. E. had just married Mike’s sister, and Mike had just started with the
Along Alpha Road you’ll pass a few furniture stores, a discount mattress outlet and a block or two of banal single-story retail buildings. When you turn north on Gamma Road you’ll think for sure that you’re in the wrong neighborhood, but look for the sidewalk signs advertising BBQ. There will
True ‘Cue logoA campaign has been started in North Carolina that could turn into a national movement. It’s called True ‘Cue and it aims to certify those barbecue joints that use real wood to make their barbecue. “We think the world will be a better place when
Schlenkerla in Bamberg, Germany makes what is probably the most famous smoked beer, or rauchbier, in the world. Recently they started selling it in the US, so I was able to get a bottle at my local Spec’s. On the same shelf was another rauchbier, but it came
So, you call yourself a barbecue traditionalist. You eschew modern innovations in the world of barbecue, like using charcoal to start your fires, and you certainly don’t believe there’s any room on American menus for “nouveau” barbecue, whatever the hell that means. To you, good sir or madam, I commend
– Meat Fight is a barbecue competition held in Dallas this weekend. Chefs compete with their versions of barbecue, while pitmasters (and Ron Swanson) do the judging. One of the competing chefs is Dallas’s Brian Luscher, and he helped (we think) produce this parody video of
Dirk Miller. Photo by Nicholas McWhirterPitmaster: Miller’s Smokehouse, opened 2008Age: 48Smoker: Wood-fired offset smokerWood: OakDirk Miller has never been this busy in his life. He called me from a van outside of his barbecue joint so nobody would bug him. He hasn’t taken a vacation in
Hans Peter Muller is a second generation baker. His father came over from Switzerland and started the Swiss Pastry Shop in 1973. While Hans is a great baker and I’ve enjoyed every pie and cake he can dish out, he also has a passion for barbecue. He runs
Big Al’s Smokehouse Barbecue has been smoking meats in Dallas for forty years. I recently sat down with owner Al Plaskoff to discuss a little Dallas barbecue history, and to learn where Big Al’s fits into the local story. It’s quite a legacy. There aren’t many restaurants of
We made a map. A giant barbecue map to be specific. It’s the best way I, as the Barbecue Editor, could come up with to keep track of where I’ve been and where I need to go. The map is accessible to all, so it can also be
“This is my crack habit right here.” That’s how Tom Bera of the Philly Blind Pig BBQ team describes competition barbecue in a new documentary, American Smoke. Bera’s comparison is not only a comment on how addictive the competitions are and the high of winning one, but he’s also
I cursed the Dallas traffic as I tried to get out of town on a rainy Tuesday morning. Secluded fields and old river crossings were my destination, and I was eager to leave the city behind me. I wanted to find the best barbecue along North Texas’s historic cattle trails.
– Lonely Planet just included Texas as a Top 10 regional destination in the world. That’s flattering, but their BBQ choices across the state are pretty ill-informed, especially Harold’s in Abilene which has been closed for two years.– Here’s what they learned about how
Travis Mayes at his walk-up window.Pitmaster: Meshack’s Bar-Be-Que, opened 2009Age: 64Smoker: Wood-fired Brick Smoker w/ gas assistWood: PecanIt was a Monday morning and Meshack’s was closed like normal. Travis and I had arranged this time to meet since the tasks to get ready for Tuesday were pretty slow-paced. There
This incredible line-up for the 3rd Annual Wine & Swine should be enough to get you there. Well, that and the fact that it’s only $75 for a ticket. It will be from 1-4 on Sunday, November 10th.Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue (Austin) – South Carolina-Style Whole Hog Sliders with Vinegar
On his 1994 album Gringo Honeymoon, Texas singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen recorded a song entitled “Barbeque.” It has become the anthem for many of my smoked meat adventures along with most every other REK song. When I had a chance meeting with he and Lyle Lovett at the
A collection of some of our favorite photos from yesterday’s Texas Monthly Barbecue Festival: [View the story “TMBBQ Fest 2013” on Storify]
The Texas Monthly Barbecue Festival is coming up this Sunday, but it’s been sold out since a few hours after tickets went on sale. There’s still a way to attend for just $35. Here’s the official explanation:NEW IN 2013: A limited quantity of Walk Up tickets
In this age of barbecue’s expansion and experimentation we see cuts of meat enter the smoker that have never previously been even figments of barbecue culture. But, there’s one protein that has gone largely ignored in real life, but has a rich history in art and film – human flesh.
– First, a lesson from Evan LeRoy of Freedmen’s Bar on what a properly smoked brisket looks like:Perfectly cooked brisket https://t.co/PDIpksEQ6o — Evan LeRoy (@evanleroy) October 29, 2013 – Barbecue & Blues was held in New York at last week’s New York City Wine & Food Fest. Here’s
Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Hard Eight Pit BBQ“The further west I go, the more I seem to like the barbecue.” That’s a curious way for a native of North Carolina to start off a press conference, but NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. was just being honest. He doesn’t much
This weekend Wyatt McSpadden will have his first photo exhibit. Entitled Two Meat Plate, it features many of the terrific images he shot for the recent Texas Monthly BBQ issue (including the cover), along with a number of his classic barbecue photographs. This weekend,
There’s a trailer in East Austin that is creating a new target for what it means to be a complete barbecue joint. Micklethwait Craft Meats not only serves great smoked meats, they also bake their own bread and desserts, all the sides and sauce are homemade, and they start with
Salt and pepper is a good start to any barbecue rub, but most on the market go well beyond that. The many labels on store shelves show the infinite combinations of paprika, sugar, garlic powder and anything else from the spice aisle that manufacturers believe will make their rub stand
“Line are overrated.” This is the conclusion of economist Tyler Cowen in a recent article where he shared some of his principles for finding good restaurants. For Cowen, standing in line is a conformist activity, and the presence of a line is a not a good indicator of the
– Two years ago Pierson’s BBQ closed in Houston. It was beloved, but owner Clarence Pierson had two bad knees which forced him to close. Now with two new knees, the joint has reopened. Pierson’s BBQ is back!– The Texas Book Festival is coming to Austin
Al, Lauran and ScottOwner: Big Al’s Smokehouse, Opened 1973Age: 69Smoker: Wood-fired rotisserieWood: HickoryI sat down with Al and his daughter Lauran Weiner to talk about the history of Big Al’s, the Plaskoff family and a little Dallas barbecue history. Al Plaskoff fell into the barbecue business. He wasn’t from a storied barbecue family,
The Texas Book Festival comes to Austin this weekend, and this year there’s a new food option – or three. Texas Monthly has partnered with three barbecue joints and a taco truck to create the TMBBQ ‘Cue Court. From 10-5 on Saturday and 11-5 on Sunday,
If you live in Austin, chances are you wouldn’t pass by Larrie’s Smokehouse in Bastrop. Billy’s, Cartwright’s and Fittie’s along busy four-lane Highway 71 may be familiar, but Larrie’s sits on the north side of town along tree-lined Highway 95. Coming south from Elgin the sign is hard to miss.
Thomas Abramowicz wants to open the first barbecue joint in Paris, France. You can help make it happen, that is if you’re a pitmaster who can help. Thomas is from France. He loves Texas barbecue, and wants to bring it back home by opening a barbecue joint in Paris. He
