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.
Texas barbecue, the classic version of which is found primarily in Central Texas and distinguished by its use of beef brisket and its indirect smoking method, is superior to all other regional varieties of barbecue. This is an incontrovertible fact. However, the state boasts tremendous variety of barbecue styles, from the cabrito pits of South Texas to the sweet tangy ribs of East Texas. Over the years, Texas Monthly has written about them all. In our first barbecue story, “The World’s Best Barbecue is in Taylor, Texas. Or is it Lockhart?” Griffin Smith Jr. wrote that, “at first blush, the East Texas chopped pork sandwich with hot sauce has little in common with the slab of Central Texas beef. . . . The emphasis in Central Texas is overwhelmingly on the meat itself—sauce, if available at all, is usually just a side dip.”
Craft smoked meats and craft beers come together beautifully at these San Antonio, Garland, and Corpus Christi joints.
Plus: A must-read barbecue book and a great jobs resource for aspiring pitmasters.
Green and yellow curries and house-made chili oil accompany the smoked meats at this exciting San Antonio joint.
Former fine-dining chef Damien Brockway shows off his barbecue chops and nods to his ancestors with West African spices and unexpected cuts of meat.
Plus: The new Austin FC stadium will serve local ’cue, and Young’s BBQ suffers a crisis.
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.
The adventurous joint, newly opened in Crockett, is here to take back the crown from big-city barbecue.
Our barbecue editor reviews the joint’s loaded tater tots, meaty pinto beans, and more, coming soon to multiple Wichita Falls locations.
If the key to making great barbecue is loving great barbecue, then Andrew Soto is more than qualified for the job.
Equipment, accessories, and treats for the home barbecue chef in your life.
The Austin trailer is serving up a small, focused menu after narrowly escaping a pandemic-induced closing in April.
The team behind this month's well-red cover story.
How to get a Muenster-Parmesan crust with a nice, smoky flavor.
This smoky, comforting taco recalls the chef’s youth as a migrant farmworker in South Texas.
Plus: coronavirus surcharges, the pork crisis, and the inevitable branded masks.
As meat prices skyrocket, we share seven ideas for how diners and restaurants alike can make brisket, ribs, and sausages last longer.
In 1942, the women of Borger protested their exclusion from the town’s barbecue cook-offs. Then a mysterious challenger emerged.
An underrated cut of meat, tri-tip is a practical (and delectable) choice as beef prices skyrocket.
Plus: please stop wringing out the brisket.
This weekends-only Arlington barbecue trailer is a taco joint in disguise.
Open only on Saturdays for now, the barbecue trailer has fun with its smoked meats.
The San Antonio joint's meat market turns out expert, flavorful links and one of the best hot dogs in Texas.
Plus: the secrets of couples navigating the additional pressures of a barbecue partnership.
The 65-year-old Brownsville restaurant specializes in traditional underground pit-smoked cows’ heads.
Fried catfish served with smoked meat is a magical combination—and harder to order than it should be.
Three Texas cities—and their respective tastes—appeared in the review service’s “word clouds.”
As a culinary destination, the Big Easy isn’t famous for its smoked meats, but a host of joints serve quality brisket and pork.
Opened in September, the Forney joint has already outgrown its trailer and ordered two smokers from the high school welding program.
The family-run Dallas institution is finally back in business after 2017's devastating fire.
Those with a sweet tooth will also appreciate the Nutter Butter banana pudding.
A soldier stationed in Afghanistan is looking forward to coming home.
The most delicious trend in smoked meats combines Texas’s two favorite food groups in exciting ways.
Valentina's is known for serving barbecue in tortillas. But for its newest addition, pitmaster Miguel Vidal looked to the Spanish bocadillo.
A Notrees man thinks dousing meat in boiling water is akin to cheating.
In the second episode of our Fire & Smoke podcast, we explore the lasting impact of Etta Randall, a black pitmaster who served four generations of Panhandle residents.
Bourdain looked for the good in people—and he recognized how food can help us understand what we all share.
With its meat cooked on-site and an eye-catching exhaust system, Houston's new Q is a first-class joint.
It started with a sad photo of brisket.
Along with her husband, Thurman, the Hawaii native created a Texas barbecue institution more than 50 years ago.
With a sandwich like the Nasty Nate and impressive barbecue, this one-man show in San Antonio has earned a loyal following.
Write it down: This new Sisterdale joint, which does more than barbecue, picks up where the memorable Maywald's left off.
Stuffed with brisket and cheddar, these long, crisp "potato sausages" are a revelation at Austin joint.
You'll find the best pastrami in the state on weekends only at three Austin farmers markets.
What could follow Nutella banana crepes? A "war on Texas BBQ."
Texas toast makes everything better at this new classic-menu spot in Celina.
Welcome to the golden age of Texas barbecue.
Readers respond to the October 2016 issue.
On Saturdays Tootsie Tomanetz cooks barbecue the old-fashioned way for legions of loyal fans. That doesn’t mean she’ll ever give up her day job.
With beer, live country music, and, of course, Texas-style barbecue.
A midterm report.