TMBBQ

BBQ|
August 27, 2014

Interview: Seth Glaser of Opie’s BBQ

Pitmaster: Opie’s BBQ; Opened 1999Age: 27Smoker: Wood-Fired Rotisserie SmokerWood: MesquiteTodd and Kristin Ashmore are the owners of Opie’s BBQ in Spicewood. A few years ago Seth Glaser married their daughter, and shortly after he started working there. At first, it was just a

BBQ|
August 26, 2014

St. Louis Day in Castroville

This past Sunday, three tons of sausage and brisket were consumed at the 132nd St. Louis Day Celebration in Castroville, Texas. It was part of an annual event the town hosts to mark the feast of Saint Louis, a celebration that has has been dubbed “The Homecoming of the State of Texas.” The community

BBQ|
August 25, 2014

Woody the Pit Feeder

Around back at Opie’s BBQ in Spicewood is a contraption like none I’ve seen at a barbecue joint. They call it Woody, and it feeds mesquite logs into the fire at night.Kristin Ashmore with WoodyKristin Ashmore is the co-owner of Opie’s. She lives close to the restaurant,

BBQ Joint Reviews|
August 22, 2014

Ray’s BBQ Shack

In a gas station just south of the University of Houston campus you’ll find some of the best fried catfish you’ll ever eat and some great barbecue to go along with it. The barbecue comes from the experienced hands of co-owner Ray Busch who has been serving smoked meat to the

BBQ|
August 21, 2014

BBQ News: 08/15 – 08/21

– Jan Harding was poisoned at a Dickey’s BBQ in Utah after an employee mistakenly added sodium hydroxide into the sweet tea.– Dickey’s BBQ plans to open their 500th location before the end of the year.– I promise, you’ll miss the meat:You won’t even

BBQ|
August 20, 2014

Interview: Cliff Payne of Cousins BBQ

Owner/Pitmaster: Cousins BBQ; Opened 1983Age: 59Smoker: Wood-fired Rotisserie SmokerWood: Hickory & PecanAs the name suggests, Cousins BBQ is about family. Calvin “Bootsie” Payne III opened the place on McCart Avenue in Fort Worth in 1983 along with his wife and three of his children. His son Cliff

BBQ|
August 19, 2014

Highway BBQ Part Two

If you’ve spent any time on the interstates of Texas, you’ve probably seen barbecue restaurants advertised on numerous billboards, blue service signs, or obnoxiously huge structures situated along the access road. Who among hasn’t seen one of those logos and thought, is the food worth stopping for? If a place needs that

BBQ|
August 18, 2014

Dickey’s Barbecue in Hot Water over Tainted Iced Tea

What a difference a few weeks can make. In late July, Dickey’s Barbecue, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, began a new national advertising campaign with the theme “We Know Barbecue.” They also announced that they expected their five hundredth store would open before 2014 came to a

BBQ Joint Reviews|
August 15, 2014

Naaman Championship BBQ

Darby Neaves wanted to be included in the page of Texas Monthly, and he knew that wouldn’t happen with a food truck set up in Arkansas, even if it was just ten miles north of the Red River in Ashdown. It was still worrisome moving his business into the city, but

BBQ|
August 14, 2014

BBQ News: 08/08 – 08/14

– The Barbecue Hall of Fame has announced its 2014 inductees:Congrats to the 2014 #BBQHallofFame Inductees: Henry Perry, Pat Burke, & @drbbq! http://t.co/UPVEHhFuqN — American Royal (@AmericanRoyal) August 11, 2014 – Ten 50 BBQ in Richardson will open next Monday. The Dallas Morning

BBQ|
August 13, 2014

New BBQ Joint Opening in Grapevine

For nearly a decade San Angelo native and current Keller resident Andy Sedino worked for Rudy’s BBQ. When he left in 2012 he was a managing partner and the Director of Operations for the North Texas franchises of the popular chain. Now he’s looking to bring his own

BBQ|
August 13, 2014

Interview: Ricky Murray of Murray’s BBQ

Owner/ Pitmaster: Murray’s BBQ; Opened 1987Age: 58Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: Hickory and PecanRicky Murray handed me a chopped beef and hot link sandwich and lined up several bottles of hot sauce. He makes a good barbecue sauce, but he considers himself more

BBQ|
August 12, 2014

The Texas BBQ Aesthetic

Texas-style barbecue seems to be taking over the world, and that doesn’t just mean you can find smoked brisket on the menu in Seattle and New York. There’s an aesthetic to presentation that has permeated these places deeper than post-oak smoke has seeped into Louie Mueller’s walls. Places across the country

BBQ|
August 11, 2014

Fires in Recent Texas BBQ History

Last week a fire at Hinze’s BBQ in Wharton shut the restaurant down indefinitely. The fire began as a grease fire in the pit, but quickly spread. The building was a total loss, but the owners have vowed to rebuild.That’s not always the case. A fire can be emotionally and

BBQ Joint Reviews|
August 8, 2014

FM Smoke House

FM Smoke House began with sous vide brisket and bacon grease injections. The owners of Holy Grail Pub in Plano had some success with inventive barbecue items at their weekend “Smoke Out” barbecue events, so they brought some of those ideas along when they branched out last year into Irving

BBQ|
August 7, 2014

BBQ News: 08/01 – 08/07

– Sad news out of Wharton, Texas. A fire started in the pit room of Hinze’s BBQ, and the building is a total loss: – More details on the devastating fire at Hinze’s BBQ in Wharton from the Houston Chronicle.– A Go Fund Me site has been starting to

BBQ|
August 6, 2014

Interview: Bert Bunte of Zimmerhanzel’s Bar-B-Que

Owner/ Pitmaster: Zimmerhanzel’s Bar-B-Que; Opened 1980Age: 55Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: OakBert Bunte is a man of few words. When I stopped in at Zimmerhanzel’s for this interview, he tried to shove it off onto his wife Dee-Dee, but then finally

BBQ|
August 5, 2014

The Lowest and Slowest, Part II

Last week we took you to Tioga, Texas, where Warren Clark developed a three-day smoked brisket recipe that is still served at Clark’s Outpost, the restaurant he founded decades ago. His method was borne from his earlier days using a traditional smokehouse in Arkansas, where cooking time was measured in days.

BBQ|
August 4, 2014

Biggest TMBBQ Fest Ever

In a little over a month we’ll be hosting our biggest Texas Monthly BBQ Festival yet, with twenty-five pitmasters from around the state bringing their barbecue to Austin. It’s the fifth annual event in a series that’s proven very popular. This year was no different with the VIP

BBQ Joint Reviews|
August 1, 2014

Mad Jack’s BBQ Shack

A pulled pork sandwich with slaw and sauce in between a honey bun and served in a Styrofoam container – it doesn’t get much further from the barbecue you’d expect to get in Lockhart, Texas. That’s precisely why Mad Jack’s BBQ Shack has been successful over the past year. Instead of trying

BBQ|
July 31, 2014

BBQ News: 07/25 – 07/31

– In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Goode Co. owner Levi Goode is disgruntled with “high-profile places that throw two or three briskets on the smoker and sell out by 11 a.m.”– How a few Austin restaurants, including Franklin Barbecue and la Barbecue, deal with their massive

BBQ|
July 30, 2014

Interview: Nina Sells of Smitty’s Market

Owner: Smitty’s Market; Opened 1999Age: 64Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: OakThere’s plenty more to Smitty’s Market in Lockhart (formerly Kreuz Market) than the family split that occurred fifteen years ago. Nina Sells grew up in this barbecue joint, and

BBQ|
July 29, 2014

The Lowest and Slowest, Part I

Smoking brisket takes time—sixteen, eighteen, even twenty hours. These cooking times get thrown around with a little pride, but none of the braggarts can top the hours a brisket spends in the smoker at Clark’s Outpost in Tioga. I’m talking more time in the smoker than Jesus spent in the tomb. It takes

BBQ|
July 28, 2014

BBQ Signs Gone By

Barbecue joints come and go, and they usually take their signs with them. Some linger. They either cling to our memory or remain attached to the building that no longer serves as their home, becoming ghosts of the past. A few have become revered – their images shared with the

BBQ Joint Reviews|
July 25, 2014

Schmidt Family Barbecue

When Schmidt Family Barbecue opened late last year it was billed as a taste of Lockhart, without having to drive to Lockhart. Two of the most famous barbecue joints in the state, Kreuz Market and Smitty’s, had put aside their differences. In a show of family unity, they partnered and

BBQ|
July 24, 2014

BBQ News: 07/18 – 07/24

– Zagat calls these thirty-four barbecue joints the most important in Texas. Maybe describing the list as “definitive” and “unequivocal” was a reach.– The Dallas Observer has started a new column called Shigging. This week they look at the secrets behind the barbecue at Lockhart Smokehouse.–

BBQ|
July 23, 2014

Interview: Ronnie Killen of Killen’s Barbecue

Owner/Pitmaster: Killen’s Barbecue; Opened 2014Age: 47Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired Pit, Wood-Fired Rotisserie SmokerWood: Oak, Pecan, Hickory, and MesquiteLast week, we reviewed Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland. It received one of the highest ratings on TMBBQ, which likely wasn’t enough for

BBQ|
July 22, 2014

Operation BBQ Relief

The formation of Operation BBQ Relief, the only nationwide barbecue charity, began with a phone call. On Monday, May 23, 2011, the day after the massive tornados in Joplin, Missouri, Stan Hays called his barbecue buddy Jeff Stith. Hays, who was walking to his office at the Farmers Insurance building near Kansas City,

BBQ|
July 21, 2014

More than Leftovers at Slow Bone

When Jack Perkins opened the Slow Bone in Dallas last year, it was with a standard barbecue menu. Since then he’s been tinkering with ways to use up leftover meat. Perkins doesn’t want to serve you yesterday’s ribs, but throwing them out would be bad business sense, not

BBQ Joint Reviews|
July 18, 2014

Killen’s Barbecue

“The Best Barbecue, Period.” That’s the motto Ronnie Killen has printed on the shirts that he and his staff wear, putting a daily target on every one of their backs. Making that declaration even after a good run of success toes the line between confidence and arrogance, but Killen had them

BBQ|
July 17, 2014

BBQ News: 07/11 – 07/17

– Texas BBQ Week is still going strong for a few more days.– Looking for golf and barbecue together?.@bbqsnob RT @supremegolf: 75 BBQ spots+70 rounds+90k mi = Ult. BBQ Golf Trail via @FatGuyGolf http://t.co/Ch5ZScZ8C9 pic.twitter.com/9O4CIyLL6I — Sean F Hosley (@sketchwerk)

BBQ|
July 16, 2014

Interview: Roy & Tim Hutchins of Hutchins BBQ

Owner/Pitmaster: Hutchins BBQ; Opened 1978 (current location 1991)Age: Roy 65, Tim 33Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: Pecan and OakRoy Hutchins started his family in the barbecue business in 1978 with a tiny smokehouse in Princeton, Texas. Since then his sons have been involved

BBQ|
July 15, 2014

Commanders in Beef (and Pork)

Texas smoked brisket—especially the good stuff—can be addictive. That’s what President Obama learned last week. After eating John Mueller’s beef ribs for dinner during his stop in Dallas on Wednesday, the President took a whole brisket with him for the ride on Air Force One to Austin. I just can just imagine Obama

BBQ|
July 14, 2014

A Tour of Houston Sausages

As one third of the Texas barbecue trinity, smoked sausage has important stature in Texas. Central Texas has its beef sausages, East Texas has got hot links, and you’ll find plenty of smoked boudin along the Louisiana border. In Houston, they have it all as J.C. Reid and Michael Fulmer

BBQ Joint Reviews|
July 11, 2014

Clark’s Outpost

In 1974 Warren Clark opened a little barbecue shack in Tioga, Texas, and it didn’t take long before it became the darling of food critics, chefs and celebrities. In 1989, Alan Richman, then writing for People, claimed “Clark produces the best barbecue in Texas, which is something to brag about.” Dallas

BBQ|
July 10, 2014

BBQ News: 07/04 – 07/10

– Thrillist has ranked every state based on their food and drink options. Texas scored a #2 ranking based mainly on our great barbecue.– Texas Barbecue Week starts this Sunday, and there’s some good eating to do around Texas barbecue joints.– John Raven, the

BBQ|
July 9, 2014

Presidential Barbecue

The Dark Prince of Texas barbecue smoked beef ribs for the POTUS. John Mueller is in Dallas today along with President Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi for a barbecue fundraiser at the home of Marc Stanley just southwest of Forest and 75. John Mueller commented on the president’s

BBQ|
July 9, 2014

Interview: Greg Gatlin of Gatlin’s BBQ

Photo by Nicholas McWhirterOwner/Pitmaster: Gatlin’s BBQ; Opened 2010Age: 34Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: HickoryGreg Gatlin went from breaking up pass plays as a member of the Rice Owls to the world of corporate real estate, but he always knew he wanted to

BBQ|
July 8, 2014

Umami-Bomb Pork Butt

When you ask people to name the five “tastes,” the average person typically has an easy enough time naming four: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. It’s the fifth–umami–that’s a bit more elusive. The concept of umami has been around for more than a century, but it was largely unheard of until the Wall Street

BBQ|
July 7, 2014

Texas Barbecue Week 2014

Next Sunday marks the beginning of the second annual Texas Monthly Barbecue Week. During this week-long celebration of our culinary heritage, everyone’s invited to visit the participating joints featured in our 2013 Top 50 BBQ issue who are offering a barbecue special. Fifty-four in total are included this year, and

BBQ|
July 3, 2014

BBQ News: 06/27 – 07/03

– Camp Brisket, presented by Foodways Texas, is coming January 9-10, 2015. Tickets go on sale August 14th.– Here’s a recap of the Foodways Texas Barbecue Camp that was held last month.– Texas BBQ Week is starting July 13th. Here’s a list of great

BBQ|
July 2, 2014

Interview: Will Buckman of Corkscrew BBQ

Pitmaster: Corkscrew BBQ; Opened 2011Age: 35Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: Red Oak“If I’m not here, we’re closed.” That’s why Will Buckman doesn’t take many vacation days away from Corkscrew BBQ. The hours are long, which leaves just a little time each

BBQ Joint Reviews|
July 1, 2014

Kerlin BBQ

Kerlin BBQ isn’t yet a year old, making it one of the youngest barbecue joints in Austin to be mentioned with the big names. Owner and pitmaster Bill Kerlin is also pretty new to the craft of smoking meat. “I never cooked a brisket until I moved to

BBQ|
June 30, 2014

BBQ Photographers: R.J. Hinkle

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.R.J. Hinkle – Addison, TexasA native son of the Lone Star State as well as a

BBQ|
June 27, 2014

Chucks and Shanks

As I’ve talked about before, smoked brisket wasn’t always the cornerstone of Texas barbecue. Before the beef purveyor IBP started shipping individual cuts to meat markets, these establishments (if they smoked meats at all) were cooking the entire beef forequarter. This meant they were smoking both the cuts familiar to us

BBQ|
June 26, 2014

BBQ News: 06/20 – 06/26

– John Lewis of Austin’s la Barbecue will travel to South Carolina to show them what Texas BBQ is all about in this cross-cultural barbecue event.– Alice Laussade lists ten ways you know your relationship is over in Dallas. #2 is “He takes you to Dickey’s.”–

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June 25, 2014

Interview: Will Fleischman of Lockhart Smokehouse

Pitmaster: Lockhart Smokehouse, Plano; Opened 2014Age: 42Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: OakWill Fleischman has tattoos and steel hoops in his ears, but his most distinguishing feature is the beard. He’s hard to miss when behind the counter slicing, but it might be a

BBQ Joint Reviews|
June 24, 2014

Hinze’s BBQ

Nothing about Hinze’s BBQ in Sealy says trendy. It’s situated a half block from I-10, and right next to a Whataburger. Just like that Whataburger, Hinze’s has a drive-thru stacked with vehicles. There were so many cars that I went inside to find their massive menu displayed on

BBQ|
June 23, 2014

Barbecue Rant

I eat a lot of barbecue, but rarely do I fear taking a bite of what I’m served. This weekend was one of those rare experiences. It was some of the most soulless, thoughtless barbecue I’ve encountered. There were so many questionable decisions made in the course of assembling a

BBQ|
June 20, 2014

Father’s Day in Millheim, Texas

Austin County has served as the cradle for German Texans since 1831 when Friedrich Ernst founded the town of Industry. It was the first permanent German settlement in Texas, and Ernst became a huge promoter of Texas through his letters back to his home country. His home also became

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