September 2023 Pit Perks
Available exclusively to TM BBQ Club members.
Available exclusively to TM BBQ Club members.
Let that BBQ Freak flag fly on your lock screen!
Rate your 'cue like Daniel Vaughn and the pros.
Available exclusively to TM BBQ Club members.
(Updated!) Everything you need to know to get early access to TM BBQ Fest tickets.
Available exclusively to TM BBQ Club members.
Available exclusively to TM BBQ Club members.
Available exclusively to TM BBQ Club members.
Available exclusively to TM BBQ Club members.
Available exclusively to TM BBQ Club members.
Available exclusively to TM BBQ Club members.
Barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn and taco editor José R. Ralat pay a visit to Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q—a white-and-black trailer at Hop & Sting Brewing—to enjoy some of the most “jaw-dropping” bites in Grapevine. Pitmaster Trey Sánchez III puts a delicious Texas barbecue spin on traditional Mexican dishes, like their
If you plan to impress your guests with a showstopping smoked meat, Daniel Vaughn suggests you learn to make beef ribs—the Goldee’s way.
What does it look like to build a barbecue empire from the ground up? Ask Grant Pinkerton.
The legendary pork chop special at Slow Bone BBQ is only available on Sundays and Mondays, but it’s well worth the wait. Jeffery Hobbs’ intricate process takes a solid three weeks from start to finish. With four seasoning applications, three trips to the smoker, three weeks aging in the
Ever had top fifty barbecue from a mayoral candidate? Now's your chance.
Joe Zavala is a living, breathing example of what it looks like to love your job.
It was never a question whether Blue Broussard would serve his Beaumont community, but his passion for barbecue led him down an unexpected path.
Ronnie Killen was born to be a restaurateur, but the passion it takes to make a name in Texas barbecue isn’t something that can be taught in culinary school. Killen is a perfectionist at heart, so it’s no surprise that Killen’s Barbecue made both the 2017 and
Russell Roegels may claim to be stuck in his ways, but he also believes that when it comes to Texas barbecue, "If you quit learnin', you're dyin'."
In the new series BBQ Bites, Texas Monthly food experts take us behind the scenes of the Top 50 tasting process.
For Phillip Moellering, barbecue means family, hard work, and basic instinct.
The difference between a good pitmaster and a great one is the burning passion to improve and evolve—and Esaul Ramos Jr. is on fire.
Family has always been at the center of Smokey John’s, and keeping their father’s memory alive through food and service comes naturally to Juan and Brent Reaves. As with most restaurants, the global pandemic hit the business pretty hard, but the Reaveses found ways to adapt and give back
Dylan Taylor, Lane Milne, Jalen Heard, Nupohn Inthanousay, and Jonny White—the five pitmasters behind Goldee’s Barbecue—finally opened up shop in Fort Worth just a few weeks before the statewide shutdown went into effect in March 2020. Despite a less-than-ideal first year in business, these young pitmasters climbed all the
John Brotherton wants to "punch you in the mouth with flavor" at his Pflugerville joint.
After making a name for himself hosting pop-up events, Brandon Hurtado finally opened his brick-and-mortar in February 2020. Hurtado Barbecue drew two hundred customers on opening day—and then the pandemic set in. Through the shutdown and the beef shortage that followed, Hurtado has remained resilient.
Bo Moreno didn't open his own joint until 2019, but he has brisket, fajitas, chicken, tripas, and wild hog in his blood.
Richard Funk was bitten by the barbecue bug later than some, but that itch isn't going away anytime soon.
The secret ingredient in Flores Tortillas is all too familiar to Texas pitmasters.
Lupe Nevarez made barbecue the family business, but his heir has some big plans herself.
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.
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
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
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,
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.
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.
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
Ernie Morales is a man of few words, but if you’ve ever tasted the ’cue at Panther City, you know he has barbecue running through his veins.
Pitmaster Reid Guess, of Guess Family Barbecue, gives us a graduate-level course on smoking wings in this video series for TM BBQ Club.
If the key to making great barbecue is loving great barbecue, then Andrew Soto is more than qualified for the job.
The latest from Daniel Vaughn, exclusively for club members: where to eat near Lake Texoma, holiday recipes, and more.
With a name like that, this West Texas barbecue joint—not to mention its pitmaster—is just as awesome as you’d think.
Small-town barbecue and big-time passion were the ingredients to success for Aaron Rejino.
The pitmasters behind Panther City BBQ, in Fort Worth, walk us through the process of making their Mexican corn specialty in this video series for TM BBQ Club.
Dustin Pustka grew up on barbecue. Now it’s his business.
Quy Hoang, Robin Wong, and Terry Wong of Blood Bros. BBQ, in Houston, teach us how to make the perfect barbecue sandwich in this video series for TM BBQ Club.
From their first date to opening up their own joint, the dynamic duo of Houston's Erin Smith and Patrick Feges spill the (sweet) tea on life as a Texas barbecue power couple.
Charles Brewer tells us about invaluable lessons from his grandfather and what to look for when trying a new joint.