They’ve been smoking briskets over mesquite since Tony’s The Pit Bar-B-Q opened in 1958. Tony Vargas Sr. started the place, but according to Martha Vargas, it was her husband Tony Vargas Jr. that’s responsible for its most famous menu item – brisket hash.Mrs. Vargas recited the ingredient list without hesitation
With the rising cost of meat, specifically beef brisket, inexpensive barbecue is becoming rare today. It’s especially difficult to find a decent version of it. Finding $20 per pound brisket isn’t a challenge in Austin, Dallas, and Pearland, but that doesn’t fly in Corsicana. At
– The Houston Chronicle asks “Have we reached peak barbecue?”– Texas BBQ Treasure Hunt examines just how much we pay for bones when ordering ribs at a barbecue joint.– The Austin City Council passed a resolution to study smoke mitigation requirements for barbecue joints.–
Owner: Patillo’s Bar-B-Q; Opened 1912Age: 67Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: Hickory, red oak, white oak, and pecanPatillo’s Bar-B-Q has been operating in Beaumont since 1912. It has moved around a lot in the past 100 years, but it’s always been in the family. That makes it the oldest family owned barbecue establishment in
Bad brisket is nothing new on the barbecue trail, but there are some days when you just can’t catch a break—or, as was the case for me recently, two consecutive days where I searched high and low for a good slice of smoked beef in Beaumont and Southeast Texas.It began in
At 10:00am, the sun seemed nearly at full strength in the desert. One man had unfolded a chair and sat next to the door waiting for it to open. By the time it did, a line stretched at least forty deep, and the parking lot was so full that some
The spring of 2015 looks to be bullish on barbecue books. A new one seems to show up in the mailbox every week, and I’ve finally gotten the time to thumb through them. This is by no means a complete list of the barbecue books hitting the shelf this year,
– The Austin City Council will discuss the new barbecue smoke resolution in today’s council meeting.– The resolution has been revised from its original version that Aaron Franklin spoke out against on Monday.– The Austin American Statesman covered the resolution as well with comments
Aaron Franklin is giving us the keys to his barbecue kingdom. Some of his meat smoking secrets have already been leaked via his YouTube series BBQ With Franklin, and more is to come with a new PBS series of the same name, but his upcoming book
If you live on the outskirts of Austin, your suburb might be the new target for barbecue joints looking to open in Travis County. That is if prospective restaurateurs see a new resolution from the Austin City Council as too onerous. It requires that barbecue smokers (and other wood-fired cooking devices)
“The good smell in Evadale” is the tag line painted on a wooden fence beside Chuck’s Bar-B-Q and Burgers which sits about thirty minutes north of Beaumont. Folks say the local paper mill produces a stench, and the smoke from owner Chuck Howard’s pit is sometimes the only relief. I
– A Missouri State Senator has begun a so-called Pork Steak Rebellion to rail against the EPA, claiming that they are trying to take away our grills.– The Daily Kos and Meathead Goldwyn provide some clarification about the EPA study, which is actually a little less
Owner: La Barbecue; Opened 2012Age: 42LeAnn Mueller hails from a famous barbecue family, but all she ever wanted was to be a professional photographer. Now she has the photography career and one of the state’s most highly regarded barbecue joints, which is ironic for someone who wanted nothing
Barbecue pulls at a traditionalist’s heart strings like few other cuisines, but it is no stranger to innovation. An offset smoker filled with brisket bathed on oak smoke has only been common across the state for about fifty years, but introducing science into a cooking process so reliant on
When I booked a trip to São Paulo, Brazil for my family and me it wasn’t for barbecue. We were traveling for spring break, but I had heard about a Texas style barbecue restaurant in the city called BOS BBQ. I was figuring out a way to break it to my
George Gerard didn’t have much time for adjustment to running a barbecue joint. He had planned to leave behind the family business for a life as an electrician in Austin, but his parents pleaded with him to come back home to Beaumont. He relented and a short time later, his
– BBQ in Florida has hope. This 4th grader derides the “BBQ” sloppy joes at his school cafeteria: – The beef supply in 2015 is projected to be the lowest since 1993.– Some folks upset with the upcoming USDA dietary guidelines, which will likely include recommendations to eat less
There’s hardly a better way to discover a slice of Texas, so to speak, than with a barbecue road trip—especially one that takes you outside of the city borders. In Central Texas, Austin is undeniably the area’s greatest barbecue city, and its proximity to some of the state’s greatest smoked meats make
Owner/Pitmaster: Brooks’ Place; Opened 2009Age: 45Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: Red Oak, Pecan, Hickory, and MesquiteBrooks’ Place isn’t exactly easy to get to, but that’s part of its charm. Cypress is at least a thirty minute drive from downtown Houston. It’s a destination, and those in line
It was a unique day for barbecue in Dallas last Saturday. Whole hog isn’t an item you normally see on a barbecue menu in Texas, and Cattleack Barbecue isn’t normally open on Saturday. Owners Todd and Misty David were showing off what they had learned in January’s
It’s not exactly new, it’s not flashy, and it’s not dogmatic about the barbecue style it serves, but Off the Bone Barbeque in Dallas’s Cedars neighborhood is just good. Dwight Harvey has run this joint in a converted gas station with his son Steven since 2008. It was a scheme to
– The World’s Championship Bar-B-Que at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo crowned a new champion:Grand Champion Overall #WCBBQC Team Across The Track Cookoff Team pic.twitter.com/oCEk7PN6tN — RODEOHOUSTON (@RODEOHOUSTON) March 1, 2015 – Darren Warth of Smokey D’s BBQ was the runner up: GOD
Owner/Pitmaster: Davis Meat Market; Opened 1988Age: 76Smoker: Gas-fired Rotisserie SmokerWood: OakI rang a buzzer outside this bright red metal building in Houston’s Fifth Ward, and owner James Davis met me at the door. As soon as I stepped inside the smell of raw meat was present, but not
If you follow barbecue news (and I’m going to assume you do if you read TMBBQ.com), you’re going to hear a lot more about barbecue in Alabama in the coming months. Or at least that’s the goal of the Alabama Tourism Department, which launched its Year of Alabama
The World’s Championship Bar-B-Que was held at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo this past Saturday, and a new world champion was crowned. Last week, I wrote about those competitors in the Champion’s Circle, but none of them took home the top prize. It was Kerry
For forty years, Paul Burka has been a part of Texas Monthly. His retirement officially begins today, on Texas Independence Day. His legacy will live on in Texas Monthly’s list of the best and worst legislators, and his celebrated career has made an impact on Texas politics. But what few know
Spring, Texas is evidently large enough for more than one great food truck. This town of 50,000 just north of Houston has been home to Corkscrew BBQ, a Texas Monthly Top 50 selection, since 2011. Now, just five minutes east is a new food truck park where BBQ Godfather sits
It’s not breaking news that la Barbecue pitmaster John Lewis is working to open a new barbecue joint in Charleston, South Carolina. He announced his intentions late last year, and Lewis Barbecue will open later this year. That means John Lewis will be spending a
With all the contests and various sanctioning bodies, competition barbecue can get confusing, but one thing is clear. Getting into the Champions Corner at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo World’s Championship Bar-B-Que is a big honor. It is bestowed upon the winners of the San Antonio Stock Show
– GQ Magazine places Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland on its list of the best restaurants in the country and asked “Was Ronnie Killen’s plate rib merely the single greatest piece of barbecue of my entire life, or was it the most magnificent piece of beef ever cooked at
Co-Owner/Chef: Smoke; Opened 2009Age: 39Smoker: Wood-fired Offset SmokerWood: VariousTim Byres is a man who is hard to pin down, mainly because he despises labels. He has been chef, pitmaster, author, culinary diplomat, and almost a food stylist. Six years ago he opened Smoke in West Dallas along with Chris Zielke and Chris
Barbecue’s reputation in the culinary world has turned a corner. Last week the nominations for the New York based James Beard Foundation’s annual awards were announced, and a pitmaster was among the names that were otherwise a roll call of haute cuisine. Under the heading “Best Chef: Southwest”
The Texas Legislature designated Lockhart, Texas as the “Barbecue Capital of Texas.” That, you probably knew along with the fact that it is home to five barbecue joints. Kreuz Market, one of Texas’s oldest, opened all the way back in 1900, while Mad Jack’s BBQ Shack is just two years old.
The valet stand just outside the front door of Meat U Anywhere BBQ is a unique barbecue joint amenity. It might seem out of place for this type of restaurant, but owner Andy Sedino has his reasons. When he opened this joint late last year he saw it as a side
– Pitmaster Aaron Franklin of Austin’s Franklin Barbecue has been nominated for the Best Chef; Southwest award by the James Beard Foundation.– Austin and Lockhart take the #1 and #3 spots on this list of best barbecue cities in America from Thrillist– Will and Nichole Buckman
Brisket may dominate barbecue menus in Texas today, but nearly a century ago, a Dallas institution built its mighty restaurant empire on a simple Tennessee-style barbecued-pork sandwich: the “Pig Sandwich.” Perhaps some already know that I’m referring to the signature item served at the Pig Stand, a Dallas-based chain that formed
It was Valentine’s Day, and some neighbors – who have also been married long enough to stay away from restaurants on the 14th – agreed to join us for dinner. I picked up a couple racks of beef ribs and had planned to smoke them indirectly. After too many dinosaur rides
Finding a road trip stop with real character always feels like an accomplishment. Highway exits are so often populated with nothing but mini marts and golden arches, it’s hard to find something unique. That’s a quality you’ll certainly find at the Loco Coyote Grill, and long as you see the
– On this Valentine’s Day weekend, the Houston Chronicle reminds us that Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland is a good place to dump someone.– Burger Mary uses leftover beef fat to make body butter, or “cow lotion.”– “We are in a weird, like, barbecue bubble…Somehow barbecue has
Owner/Pitmaster: Hays Co. Bar-B-Que; Opened 2007Age: 41Smoker: Indirect Heat Wood-Fired PitWood: Post OakIn just eight short years, Michael Hernandez has gone from complete barbecue newbie to running one of the best barbecue joints in Texas. He was a fast learner and was dedicated to learning a new craft that he
No matter how much barbecue I’ve consumed (typically five times the recommended daily allowance), it always feels like there’s room left for something sweet. A bowl of peach cobbler or a slice of buttermilk pie offer comfort, but their recipes don’t really vary much from one end of the state
Joshua and Paige Kaner opened Pieous in early 2013. They took over an old Cartwright’s BBQ building southwest of Austin on Highway 290. The plan was always to cook with fire, so a custom wood-fired oven was installed to cook the pizzas. A rotisserie smoker was left behind
It’s only fifteen percent of a wandering menu, but the listings under “New Texas Smokehouse” at Clark Food & Wine in Dallas begged for a visit. It’s a chic new restaurant on Lower Greenville, a neighborhood that has been amping up its restaurant game of late. The meat-centric Blind Butcher
– Brisket is getting more expensive, yada, yada, yada.– With the high price of beef, there’s a brisket bandit on the loose in San Antonio.– Maybe these three guys were looking for brisket when they got arrested after breaking into a Rudy’s BBQ in
Owner/Pitmaster: John Mueller Meat Co.; Opened 2013Age: 46Smoker: Wood-fired Offset SmokerWood: OakMercurial is often the word chosen to describe John Mueller. Verbal attacks on customers and employees are a regular occurrence, but they keep coming back for his famous barbecue. There’s a famous name involved too.John’s father was the legendary Bobby Mueller
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
Lindsey Nutter and Brian “Buster” Rauschuber operate Nutter Buster BBQ from a trailer in a small dirt patch of a food truck park near 290 and MoPac in Austin. They sat in relative obscurity in Manchaca south of Austin for a year and a half, but a few months ago they scooted
A new Kreuz Market doesn’t come along very often. They opened their doors in Lockhart as a meat market in 1900. In 1924 they moved to a new building, currently occupied by Smitty’s Market. They moved once again in 1999, thanks to a well publicized family
– I wish this story would die, but for now brisket prices just keep going up.– Some barbecue restaurants in Lubbock are responding to the cost of brisket by raising their own prices, and one even added pulled pork to the menu.– Lots of new Texas sauces
Business: Bartley’s BBQ; Opened 1968Owner: Lynn OwensPitmaster: Shane Wilkinson, 36Smoker: Wood-Fired Rotisserie PitWood: HickoryBartley’s BBQ has changed hands a number of times since it opened in 1968, and it was forced to change locations in the nineties. Shane Wilkinson is the pitmaster, and son-in-law of owner Lynn Owens, and he jokes that
