Chris Wilkins

Sorted by Date

3:30am at the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off, only the strong survive.

Can't believe I'm still standing. It's 3:30am and it's finally cooled down, after a pretty strong little thunderstorm over the OC at the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off. Below is a photo I shot at sunset, right before the rain moved in. What an awesome night, looking forward to a glorious Sunday amongst the smoke & BBQ pits. (Photos by Chris WIlkins)

People - 09/12/2010

Amazing dinner at the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook off

An awesome spread of food was laid out by the Posse at our spot outside the Kessler Theater in the OC tonight. We invited the public to join in. Posse member Bryan Gooding dished up his famous smoked chicken tacos and Marshall Cooper laid out smoked spareribs, joined by sides and a cold fruit salad, which really hit the spot after being in the heat, humidity and smoke all day. Bryan's chicken was so excellent that he even converted a vegetarian to come back to meat, shown in the bottom photo! Truly amazing, believe me folks, we can convert them…

People - 09/12/2010

The Posse heading to Oak Cliff for the Blues, Bandits and BBQ Competition

Come by and say hi to the Texas BBQ Posse cook team on Saturday and Sunday at the first annual Blues, Bandits and BBQ Sustainable BBQ Competition in Oak Cliff. Sustainable means organic, or grass fed, meaning you don't have near as much fat to help flavor and smoke your brisket or ribs. This should be interesting! Lead cook Marshall Cooper and others on the competition team have had several test cooks trying to perfect our organic meat smoking technique for our first BBQ cook off. Come on by the OC and look for the posse banner flying proudly. This…

People - 09/09/2010

The RibShack, a little old place, where we can get together

The last stop on our recent Brazos & Beyond BBQ Tour was RibShack BBQ in Granbury. We had gotten several emails from readers urging us to visit the joint following several of our tour stories in The Dallas Morning News. Posse member Marshal Cooper observed, "The RibShack appeared to be a great BBQ haven from the outside, especially seeing a huge pit outside the front door." The food we sampled was as good as the hospitality, We were greeted like old friends by Barbara Watts, who's a dead ringer for Sarah Palin when she puts her glasses on. We visited…

Joints - 09/03/2010

BBQ Signs of our times - Chapter 2

Our series of photos of great signs at BBQ joints continues. These photos are from our recent trips to Taylor, for the Taylor International BBQ Cookoff, and from the recent Brazos and Beyond BBQ Tour. As I've said before, nothing reveals the character of a good BBQ joint better than a great sign! The more homemade the sign, the more remarkable your dining adventure will likely be. Loco Coyote Grill, Glen Rose Taylor Cafe, Taylor, Texas Taylor Cafe, Taylor, Txeas Loco Coyote Grill, Glen Rose Loco Coyote Grill, Glen Rose RibShack BBQ, Granbury Interstate 10, east of Beaumont (Photos by…

People - 08/31/2010

Lunch at Pecan Lodge: Is this the best brisket in Dallas?

Dallas is a city in desperate need of great barbeque. The chains are on every corner, but I'm talking GREAT barbeque. You have Meshack's, oops, that's in Garland. What about Randy's BBQ? That's in Red Oak, doesn't count. Fort Worth had some great joints, but that ain't Dallas either. It's been pretty lonely for the Baby Back Shak over the past few years, reigning as the best joint in Dallas. Enter Pecan Lodge at the Dallas Farmer's Market. Once again, Daniel Vaughn and his Full Custom Gospel BBQ blog blazes the trail when it comes to new and upcoming BBQ…

Joints - 08/27/2010

The Hard Eight: Jewel's favorite BBQ joint

The Hard Eight in Stephenville was our third stop on the Brazos & Beyond BBQ Tour. The posse was eleven strong as we rode into the town, described as "The Cowboy Capital of the World" by some folks. The posse was all over the board when it came to critiquing Hard Eight Barbecue. Some thought it was great, some average. However, on one issue we were all in agreement --- the free beer on a hot day was great! Here are a few Texas BBQ Posse member observations on the Hard Eight, just named by singer Jewel in a People…

Joints - 08/26/2010

Loco Coyote Grill: We'll be baaaack...

Our second stop on the recent Brazos and Beyond BBQ Tour was the Loco Coyote Grill, near Glen Rose. Posse member Tom Fox shares his take on this first class BBQ joint, as follows: "Pulling up at the Loco Coyote Grill in rural Glen Rose, one gets the all too familiar feel about the place. It wasn’t until I opened the car door and heard Waylon and Willie’s ‘Luckenbach, Texas ‘ playing on the outdoor speakers, I realized, that’s it. A Meat Joint. On that hot summer day the beer was ice cold in the bucket and the barbecue was…

Joints - 08/25/2010

Sunday morning at the Taylor Cafe

One of the highlights of our weekend trip to Taylor was meeting Vencil Mares on Sunday morning at the Taylor Cafe, which he has owned and operated since 1949. After two straight days of nothing but BBQ, we had skipped a planned stop there on Saturday night when the wives refused to go, forcing Gary and I to eat healthy salads instead. I wasn't sure they were open on Sundays, but when we cruised by that morning and saw Vencil sitting at the bar through the screen window, it was game on. I introduced myself and he explained this was…

Joints - 08/24/2010

Fear & Loathing at the Taylor International Barbeque Cookoff

We had an absolutely amazing weekend starting Friday night in Taylor, Texas. The primary purpose of the trip was to attend the Taylor International Barbeque Cookoff on Saturday, but the weekend began on Friday night with a dinner visit at Louie Mueler Barbecue followed by wine, cigars and great music on the back deck at the Talbot Street Bed & Breakfast in Taylor. Saturday morning brought the Texas BBQ bloggers round table at Louie Mueller, arranged by our friend Daniel Vaughn. Then on to the Taylor cookoff for some BBQ 101. Fellow posse member Gary Jacobson and I need all…

Cooking - 08/23/2010

BBQ bloggers gather at Louie Mueller Barbecue

We had a really cool experience this morning meeting other BBQ bloggers from around the state. Thanks to the BBQ Snob, Daniel Vaughn, for getting everyone together for a smoked meat breakfast at Louie Mueller Barbecue, one of the Posse's favorite joints in the world. Most of us were in town for the Taylor International Barbeque Cookoff. Gary Jacobson and I represented the Texas BBQ Posse. In addition to Daniel, bloggers from Dallas, Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin and Euless were represented. The highlight was trying some BBQ ice cream after our breakfast. The taste was interesting, to say the least!…

People - 08/21/2010

Posse Favorites: BBQ Po Boy sandwich at Loco Coyote Grill

The Texas BBQ Posse's collective mouths dropped open after seeing the Loco Coyote Grill's BBQ Po Boy being delivered to a neighboring table during our Brazos and Beyond BBQ Tour last Saturday. The sandwich reminded us of a steroid version of another of our combo-meat favorites, Stanley's Brother-in-Law sandwich in Tyler. The Brother-in-Law combines sausage, chopped brisket and cheese on a bun. Loco's BBQ Po Boy may be the biggest sandwich I've ever seen. It combines chopped and sliced brisket with sausage on a massive hoagie bun, with your choice of onion rings or fries. The price is a cool…

Joints - 08/19/2010

Brazos and Beyond BBQ Tour: The posse rides to Stephenville

Yesterday the Texas BBQ Posse headed southwest from Dallas on Hwy. 67 for our fifth BBQ tour in the past year. Leaving Dallas at 10am, we met up an hour later at Red Chew Chew BBQ & Grill in Cleburne. After a quick breakfast of brisket, chicken and sausage, we headed seven miles west of Glen Rose to the Loco Coyote, one of the best joints the posse has found over the past year of barbeque tours. We'll be writing a tour story for The Dallas Morning News and individual blogs about each of our stops, but take note that…

Joints - 08/15/2010

The Barbecue Chronicles: Sampling the best barbecue between Dallas and Texoma

Too hot for barbecue? Hardly. With the Texas heat pushing triple digits, we headed north toward Lake Texoma on a recent Saturday for the latest chapter in our Barbecue Chronicles. Over about 11 hours, we traveled 200 miles and ate at five joints. Our tour included planned stops and some chance finds, one of which turned out to be the highlight of the day. Learning from our earlier expedition to Tarrant County, when we overstuffed ourselves, we took a midday break at Cedar Mills Marina. We found some nice shade where we relaxed, watched sailboats, played horseshoes and rejuvenated our…

Joints - 08/14/2010

Gary Jacobson hits the airwaves with Mr. BBQ

Listen in as Texas BBQ Posse founding member and Dallas Morning News writer Gary Jacobson talks smoked meats with Mr. BBQ, a syndicated radio show out of Portland, Oregon. Gary got a call earlier this year from Mr. Barbeque, aka Bruce Bjorkman, who has an outdoor cooking show on Newsradio 750 KXL in Portland. He was on the show in April and invited back this weekend to talk more Texas que. Gary's has now written four installments of tales from the BBQ trail. His story on our Far North Texas BBQ Tour will run soon in The Dallas Morning News.…

People - 08/01/2010

Posse favorites: Boudin at the Baby Back Shak

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I always struggle with what meat to order at the Baby Back Shak. Their baby back ribs are the best is Dallas, bar none. The smoked chicken is among the best I've ever tasted and the other meats follow in this tradition of excellence. We've written several times over the past year about the Shak, the unofficial headquarters of the Texas BBQ Posse. What I've neglected to mention is their boudin, one of the best and most unusual sides, or Shaksessories, you can get at a Texas BBQ joint. By definition, boudin is a Cajun sausage stuffed…

Joints - 07/28/2010

The secret to a great brisket is in the wood

There's a really good article on the wood and barbeque on page one of The Dallas Morning News this morning. Writer Erinn Connor takes a look at Arnold Brothers Forest Products, who supplies wood to most of the barbeque joints around the region. Texas BBQ Posse member Marshall Cooper is quoted in the article. He's been a long-time customer of Arnold Brothers and sums up the importance of good wood in the story. "A lot of people who don't do this don't realize the wood is really important," Marshall said. "The smoke gives the meat the flavor." Click here to…

Cooking - 07/18/2010

BBQ and blue highways - Just follow the smoke

The North Texas BBQ Tour schedule had three bonified stops, based on reviews by Daniel Vaughn, aka the BBQ Snob. Since last November, we’ve taken four barbecue tours, and driven a total of more than 1,100 miles, from Central Texas to the Oklahoma border. We didn’t plan for that horse-trailer-turned-barbeque-joint on Highway 377 north of Whitesboro, Big Ronnie's Texas Pit Bar-B-Que. Damn, those ribs were pretty good. We’d work them off at the planned exercise/horseshoes break on the shores of Lake Texoma. If that’s possible when you exercise with a cigar in one hand and a cold beer in the…

Joints - 07/09/2010

BBQ Signs of our times

You can always get an idea of the character of a BBQ joint by the sign out front. The more down home the sign, the more amazing your meal will likely be. Here are some signs from our recent North Texas BBQ Tour. Also a couple from posse member Irwin Thompson, shot as he drove though east Texas last week. Big Ronnie's Texas Pit Bar-B-Que, Whitesboro The Bone on the Grill, Sherman OO Smokehouse, Sherman Clark's Outpost, Tioga Pitt Stop Bar-B-Que, Lufkin Lindsey's BBQ, Alto (Photos by Chris Wilkins, Mike Gibson & Irwin Thompson)

Joints / People - 06/30/2010

OO Smokehouse - The end of the BBQ trail

Editor's note: This joint is now closed. Our marathon five-stop North Texas BBQ Tour a couple of Saturdays ago ended at OO Smokehouse in Sherman. We cruised into the lot a little before 7pm, hoping to make closing time. The OO had gotten a top 50 ranking in Texas Monthly magazine, so expectations were high among the nine surviving posse members. Despite the fact they were sold out of ribs, we were impressed. Here's some feedback from a couple of posse members. Marshall Cooper: "This place was an icon of an authentic Texas BBQ Stand; no dining room or restrooms,…

Joints - 06/29/2010

Unplanned stop on the BBQ trail

Since our North Texas BBQ Tour last weekend, I've had a hard time explaining the discovery of The Bone on the Grill, located on Hwy. 82, around six miles west of Sherman. I turn to Texas BBQ Posse expert Marshall Cooper to describe this inspiring stop on the BBQ trail, as follows: "This place deserves first place in sexy Texas drive-up appeal for all roadside BBQ joints! The two attached trailers with the attached spongy deck had outstanding views of bordering ranches with vast spreads of producing cornfields and oil wells. A Texas Classic! The BBQ pit was nothing more…

Joints - 06/26/2010

North Texas BBQ Tour - 5 joints in 8 hours

Here's a sneak peak at our North Texas BBQ Tour this Saturday, the first five-stops-in-one-day tour for the Texas BBQ Posse. The itinerary was as follows: 11am Clark's Outpost, Hwy. 377, Tioga 1:30pm Smokehouse Barbecue, E. Hwy 82, Lindsay 3:00pm Big Ronnie's Texas Pit Bar-B-Que, Hwy. 377 north of Whitesboro 3:30pm Horseshoes and beer break at Cedar Mills Marina on Lake Texoma 6:00pm The Bone on the Grill BBQ, Hwy. 82 west of Sherman 7:00pm OO Smokehouse, 200 S. Montgomery, Sherman The posse lines up outside of Clark's Outpost in Tioga, waiting for the doors to open at 11am. We…

Joints - 06/20/2010

The G Man comes up short again

Gary Barber, the Texas BBQ Posse's biggest eater, caught flak during the Marshall Cooper BBQ fest for once again coming up short in the end. Gary, aka G, started building his legend on our first BBQ tour to central Texas, as described by Dallas Morning News writer and posse founding member Gary Jacobson. "Think of the fullest you have ever been at a Thanksgiving meal, then multiply by two," Barber said, after eating five more-than-full meals in 24 hours. After a strong performance again on the East Texas BBQ tour, Gary B. faded during the Fort Worth BBW Tour, where…

People - 05/12/2010

Posse favorites: Clark's french fried corn on the cob

Editor's note: this joint is now closed. Clark's Outpost BBQ in Tioga offers a unique side dish to go with your ribs and brisket. And no, we aren't talking about their world-famous lamb fries, aka the cowboy's favorite. We took a road trip to Clark's last month, to do our posse duty of sampling various smoked meats while passing on the sides. Our waitress mentioned we should try their french fried corn on the cob, it was something special. We gave up without a fight and ordered one each. The deep-fried corn cob arrives at your table warm and covered…

Joints - 05/11/2010

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper

Texas BBQ Posse members were treated to a special stop on the barbeque trail on Saturday afternoon. Expert backyard pitmaster Marshall Cooper invited us to join his family and friends for an incredible spread of smoked meats and sides. Marshall began following our BBQ tours through Gary Jacobson's stories in The Dallas Morning News. He wrote Gary, "I would like nothing more than to include you and your entourage at my next backyard BBQ. I will slow smoke beef brisket, pork ribs and pork shoulder and make sure there is enough for everybody to eat until they are stuffed! Just…

Cooking - 05/09/2010

Advertise with the Posse

Product Review Request Form

“

Let the meat speak for itself.

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy