One man’s strange, quixotic journey from New Braunfels to Longview.
Ribs
Korean, Tex-Mex, and Vietnamese influences hit the plates at Candente and International Smoke.
Plus, Riscky’s Barbeque in Fort Worth celebrates 92 years in business with 92-cent sandwiches.
Two Texas favorites combine for a unique barbecue sauce to slather on your meat.
A Notrees man thinks dousing meat in boiling water is akin to cheating.
Shout outs to the best meat, sides, atmosphere, and more that we found while putting together the top fifty barbecue list.
Brown sugar, white sugar, and honey are all common sweeteners in the pitmaster’s arsenal. They’re great in a pork rub or on chicken to accelerate the browning of the skin. In fact, sugar might be the most popular ingredient in commercial barbecue rubs, which is why I was excited to learn…
I recently documented my love for the rib sandwich, so when I learned there was a company selling boneless racks of ribs, I had to order them. It seemed these ribs from Ohio-based Bubba’s Q would be the perfect alternative to the deconstructed rib sandwich. Al “Bubba” Baker,…
Perhaps you’ve seen it on a menu and have been too embarrassed to ask if what you’re ordering is a sandwich full of bones. That’s understandable. “Rib sandwich” does sound like a dental episode waiting to happen, and while yes, it does have bones, it’s often the best deal at a Texas…
It was 10:00am and I wanted ribs for lunch. A good rack of pork ribs takes anywhere from four to six hours in a smoker. The low-and-slow method is pretty foolproof for making them tender and juicy, but I figured I could get the job done quicker. A lot quicker. The…
“There is no one definitive way to make Memphis barbecue.” So says Craig David Meek, author of Memphis Barbecue: A Succulent History of Smoke, Sauce & Soul. After a four day tour through the River City, I must agree with him. Those…
The waitress says the man at Table Three is making noises. You’d think she would be used to grunting when the sun goes down at Melvin’s Rib Château, but this one’s whispering amen into his marinade, getting sauce all over his Armani. It could…
Ode To Brisket When you’re a food writer, people are always asking about the best meal you’ve ever eaten. I know they’re expecting tales of an unforgettable lunch at Michel Bras or a poetic kaiseki meal in Kyoto or a beluga extravaganza on the banks of the Volga, but what…
Mouse over for captions, or click for full-size image. See ya next year (or tomorrow at your favorite joint)!…
Photo by Trey Kazee Make that 22 pitmasters. Since Bertram Smoke Haus made our Top 50 in 2008, a lot has happened with the joint northwest of Austin. Pitmaster and owner Jim Wallace moved out of his original location, a 100-plus year-old former mercantile and lumber store,…
Editor’s Note: The Texas Monthly BBQ Festival is almost here! Each day until then, we’ll be talking to one of the featured pitmasters, with questions from TM staffers, esteemed BBQ experts, Twitter followers and you, the readers of this blog. Today we bring you Marco Oglesby, 30, of Opie's BBQ in Spicewood. For more info, visit their page on TMBBQ.com. Photo by Daniel Vaughn Who did you learn your craft from? To be honest, before I started working at Opie’s, I never used smoker before. I used a backyard circle grill with my dad, but when I worked at a gas station I became friend’s with the owner of Opie’s; when they had a spot open up, I jumped at the opportunity to start working there. Mike, the pitmaster who was already there, taught me how to use the smoker, and that was pretty much how I started. I’ve always loved BBQ, and I was born and raised in Austin, so I’ve just always cooked it. What's your signature meat? I like everything we cook. However, I’d say our most popular meat is our sweet and spicy baby back ribs. Sauce or no sauce? No, I don’t use sauce. The baby back ribs are the only thing we cook with sauce. But me personally? I think if you cook meat properly, the simpler the better. I prefer to taste the meat. Slow and low or high and fast(er)? We usually cook at about 250 degrees.We used to cook a bit hotter than that, but now we go low and slow. We do the briskets overnight, ribs for about three hours, and the chicken usually takes a couple hours.