BBQ Archives

August 3, 2021

’Cue Course: How to Make Smoked Beef Tallow Tortillas at Flores Barbecue

The secret ingredient in Flores Tortillas is all too familiar to Texas pitmasters.

July 27, 2021

Burning Questions With LaVaca BBQ

Lupe Nevarez made barbecue the family business, but his heir has some big plans herself.

How This Sad Barbecue Tray Became a Meme, Then an Artwork, Then a Cash Cow

Business|

July 22, 2021

How This Sad Barbecue Tray Became a Meme, Then an Artwork, Then a Cash Cow

After years of online mocking by barbecue fans, “Brooklyn BBQ” is now being auctioned as an NFT. The starting bid is about $10,000.

July 21, 2021

Mac’s Bar-B-Que in Dallas Will Close After 66 Years

The Dallas barbecue institution will serve its last chopped-brisket sandwich sometime next week. Proprietor Billy McDonald couldn’t be happier about it.

July 16, 2021

Jefe’s Tex-Mex BBQ Successfully Combines the Two Most Texan Cuisines

The Fort Worth barbecue truck blends styles with well-smoked brisket tacos, smacking good pork ribs, and more.

A tray of barbecue at Tom & Bingo’s Hickory Pit Bar-B-Q in Lubbock.

July 15, 2021

A Lubbock Barbecue Institution Steps Bravely Into the Bark-on-Brisket Present

Since taking over Tom & Bingo’s Hickory Pit Bar-B-Q in 2017, Ian Timmons has paid homage to the restaurant’s half century of legacy while serving some of the region’s best brisket.

July 13, 2021

Burning Questions With Ray’s BBQ Shack

Ray Busch’s barbecue obsession, coupled with his Houston pride, makes Ray’s BBQ Shack the go-to joint for traditional H-Town barbecue.Tell me about the first person who taught you about barbecue. Mr. River Falls was a Houston legend back in the sixties, seventies, and eighties. He taught me everything I know.

July 7, 2021

Catch This Roving Barbecue Trailer If You Can

1082 BBQ rises like a smoky mirage in three different rural counties north of Abilene.

July 1, 2021

Huntsville’s Famous Church Barbecue Joint Is Resurrected

The fires are still burning at the restaurant, newly named Holy Smoke BBQ, next to New Zion Missionary Baptist Church.

June 29, 2021

Burning Questions With Smokey Joe’s BB-Q

Kris Manning of Smokey Joe’s BB-Q in Dallas is no less than barbecue-obsessed. Ever since he was a kid, he’s been trying to emulate the top-notch ’cue he grew up eating. Now that he’s a professional pitmaster, it just keeps getting better and better. Tell me about the first

June 28, 2021

The Best and Only Filipino Lechon Spot in Texas

The Dallas-area joint went viral on YouTube, but ORC Filipino Asian/American BBQ is much more than an internet sensation.

Tailgaters-BBQ-truck-Weatherford-Texas-tray

June 24, 2021

Get Your Party Rub on at Tailgaters BBQ

Thanks to methods gleaned from the competition circuit and a rub honed on the road, almost everything on this Weatherford truck's menu pops with flavor.

Mimi Swartz in the early sixties; Alamo Plaza in 1976.

Being Texan|

June 22, 2021

San Antonio, After All That

Almost five decades after spurning the city—and following several deep losses—a long-lost San Antonian revisits her hometown.

By Mimi Swartz

June 16, 2021

An Oasis Rises in a North Texas Barbecue Desert—but Only on Saturdays

With Treviño’s Craft Smokehouse, a former oilman brings solid barbecue and creative sides to Possum Kingdom Lake, one day per week.

The spread at JW’s Barbecue, which includes savory smoked corn and a fresh vegetable side of squash and zucchini.

June 9, 2021

JW’s Barbecue Is Here to Fill the ’Cue Void in Jacksonville

With apple pie–spiced ribs, juicy brisket, and a rare offering of fresh vegetables, the new joint is a worthy stop in East Texas.

June 8, 2021

Burning Questions With Fargo’s Pit BBQ

Fargo’s Pit BBQ first entered the Texas Monthly barbecue scene back in 2013, when pitmaster Alan Caldwell first showed us his straight-shooting character in an interview with barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn. It wasn’t until the next year that Alan even allowed us a look at his mysterious

Tacos|

June 8, 2021

A Texan’s Guide to the Kansas City Taco Scene

The Lone Star State and Kansas share a long, rich taco tradition. We ate our way through KC and picked five of our favorites.

By José R. Ralat

June 3, 2021

Stop by and See Wade, the One and Only Employee of Wade’s Barbecue

This Lufkin trailer is winning over customers so quickly that owner, pitmaster, server, and cleaning crew Wade Barbe has barely taken a day off.

A plethora of low no-alcohol beers sits on a wooden table.

Libations|

June 2, 2021

A Drunk Cook Is a Bad Look: 19 Low- and No-Alcohol Beers to Drink While Barbecuing

We implore you to stay sober enough to properly barbecue your brisket.

May 28, 2021

T&D Barbecue, a New Entry Into Suburban ’Cue, Is a Joint to Watch

Set just outside Fort Worth, T&D serves up solid staples and flavorful surprises—and its pitmasters haven’t even found their footing yet.

May 27, 2021

Asian-Inspired Barbecue Restaurants Are Getting Their Shine

Plus: see how smokers are made and listen to a poem about Texas smoked meats.

Dr. Jessica B. Harris and Stephen Satterfield.

Film & TV|

May 26, 2021

‘High on the Hog’ Rewrites Food History On-screen

The new Netflix documentary series reclaims African American culinary and cultural contributions to the U.S. with the utmost care.

By Christian Burno

May 25, 2021

Burning Questions With Evie Mae’s Pit Barbecue

After selling their family landscaping business in Tucson, Mallory and Arnis Robbins moved to Texas with no plans to make a name for themselves in Texas barbecue. But in 2015, the couple opened a highway-side food trailer (named after their daughter, Evie Mae). The joint quickly rose in the ranks,

Libations|

May 20, 2021

Smoked Beer and Whiskey Are Now Brewing in Texas

The entrepreneurs behind TexMalt, a Fort Worth–based malt processor, are the only purveyors of smoked malt in the state—for now.

May 19, 2021

North Carolina Pitmasters Are Spreading the Gospel of Texas Brisket, With Mixed Results

Our barbecue editor went looking for brisket in a state that’s downright hogmatic about its pork-centric barbecue traditions.

Andrew Samia, left, and Marcus Baskerville at Weathered Souls Brewing Company, in San Antonio, on April 18, 2021.

Libations|

May 17, 2021

Three Breweries That Take Their Barbecue Seriously

Craft smoked meats and craft beers come together beautifully at these San Antonio, Garland, and Corpus Christi joints.

Sausage links at Bodacious BBQ in Longview in 2017.

May 13, 2021

As Bodacious Bar-B-Q Temporarily Shutters, a Sunbird Rises

Plus: Valentina’s leaves Austin, and Arkansas gets its own barbecue trail.

Andres Reyes from Rankin High School manages his team's fire at the Texas State High School BBQ Championship on April 23, 2021.

May 7, 2021

Inside Texas’s State High School BBQ Championship, from Fire Management to Flirting

These teens are the future of Texas barbecue, and they all landed in Llano to compete for scholarship money and recognition as the best young pitmasters in the state.

By Jennifer Simonson

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May 4, 2021

’Cue Course: Cold-Smoked, Dry-aged Ribeyes at Thorndale Meat Market

Trey Felton’s ancestors have been cold smoking meat for hundreds of years, but keeping the tradition alive has made Thorndale Meat Market a unicorn in Texas barbecue.

May 3, 2021

A New Pitmaster Finds His Footing at Smoak Town BBQ

Last year, Cameron Haley quit his sales job, parked a trailer on his father-in-law's property, and got to smoking.

April 29, 2021

Texans Don’t Need to Worry About a Beef Ban

Plus: A must-read barbecue book and a great jobs resource for aspiring pitmasters.

April 27, 2021

Burning Questions With Tyler’s Barbeque

Tyler Frazer has been going out of his way for ’cue since fourth grade, and that longtime love of the craft is evident at his welcoming Amarillo joint.

The brisket crunchwrap at CM Smokehouse in Austin.

April 23, 2021

This Austin Trailer Is Gaining Customers (and Notoriety) With a Brisket Crunchwrap

Bored of "just a barbecue platter," Cade Mercer has created an experimental new menu at his CM Smokehouse trailer in Austin.

April 21, 2021

Get in Your Car and Drive to Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin

This "flawless," "spectacular" new barbecue joint serves destination-worthy meats and a delicious Sunday breakfast.

April 16, 2021

Capital G Barbecue Is the Worthy Culmination of a Lifelong Dream

John Gutierrez wanted to bring masterful barbecue to his hometown of Beeville, and with his new restaurant, it seems like he's succeeded.

April 15, 2021

The Joy of #Meatposting

Plus: free bacon burnt ends, a new location for Smoke Sessions, and yet another project for Blood Bros. BBQ.

April 8, 2021

Curry Boys BBQ Expertly Marries Texas ’Cue With Southeast Asian Flavors

Green and yellow curries and house-made chili oil accompany the smoked meats at this exciting San Antonio joint.

April 6, 2021

Burning Questions With Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ

At 21 years old, Eliana Gutierrez is the youngest female pitmaster in the Texas barbecue game, but she already has the passion and wisdom of a pro. Since she first experienced Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ, Eliana has been dedicated to the craft—and the joint. Valentina’s is