2010

Texas BBQ Posse / 2010

2010

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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

How the sausage is made…

Sometimes it isn’t pretty. See that crumpled Nestea can at the lip of the truck bed in the photo above? On a barbecue tour, after five stops, eight hours of eating, and an occasional beer, that can is called a tripod. Give Barbecue Posse founder Chris Wilkins credit for innovative thinking under stress, even if he loses a few style points for agility. At OO Smokehouse in Sherman, Wilkins, a photo editor at The Dallas Morning News, was composing a souvenir keepsake for posse members. He eventually used the crushed can to support his camera. We’re not even going to…

Joints - 06/23/2010

A little posse peer pressure

As an appetizer at Clark’s Outpost in Tioga, the Barbecue Posse ordered lamb fries and passed them around. There were some snickers. Lamb fries are lamb testicles, breaded and fried. “I’m not eating those,” said David Woo, a barbecue posse veteran and Dallas Morning News photographer. Peer pressure, though, is a powerful force. Don’t be chicken, the posse told Woo. Everyone else had eaten at least one. He must, too. Woo grabbed a lamb fry and popped it in his mouth. “Wow! Nasty!” he said. “Take two, they go in pairs,” posse newcomer Bruce Tomaso said. But one and done…

People - 06/21/2010

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

The secret is out: It’s Yum Yum wood

Every pit master has secrets. Eddie Brown at Off The Bone in Forest Hill, the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s top-ranked barbecue joint, is no different. What kind of wood do you use in your smoker, we asked Brown on our recent Tarrant County tour. “Yum Yum,” he said. What’s that? “Can’t tell you, it’s a secret,” he said. “But it starts with a ‘P.’” Pecan. Brown smiled and nodded his head. He said he mixes pecan with oak. And he kept that proportion to himself.Off the Bone BBQ, 5144 Mansfield Hwy, Forest Hill. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8…

Joints - 05/10/2010

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

The Barbecue Chronicles: Fort Worth area has good barbecue, but it's wise to space the tastings

On barbecue tours, it's better to plan a break for the middle rather than the end. We learned that valuable lesson on a recent Saturday during a 100-mile, nine-hour excursion to four places in and around Fort Worth. Since the stops were close, all the eating was stuffed into five hours. Even our biggest eater, Gary Barber, couldn't keep pace. Barber (a multimedia editor at The Dallas Morning News) ate a half-pound of sausage, a quarter-pound of brisket and two ribs at the first stop, Off the Bone in Forest Hill, at 11 a.m. By our last stop, Smokey's Barbeque…

Roadtrips - 05/08/2010

Woe is Woo on Fort Worth tour

Regular readers of our barbecue chronicles will remember David Woo, pictured below, the great wheelman on our East Texas tour in February. Newspapers and websites across the country picked up the story, which lauded him, and his GPS, for helping us navigate rural roads. On our Fort Worth Tour in April, however, Woo’s GPS failed him. He followed its instructions to the letter and wound up trapped in the middle of the packed Downtown Arts Festival. Some of us, by luck, detoured around downtown. “I forgot about the festival,” Woo said as he, and those in a couple other tour…

People - 05/07/2010

Franklin BBQ: The little trailer that could

Dallas Morning News colleague Michael Ainsworth was recently on assignment in Austin when he asked advice on which barbeque joint to visit on his way back to Dallas. I directed him to Franklin BBQ, a little place in Austin that's been generating big buzz lately on the Texas BBQ trail. Michael arrived at the auqa blue and white trailer located in a parking lot beside I-35 around 2pm on a Wednesday. They were about to close but still had brisket left. Franklins is a "til the meat runs" out place when it comes to a closing time. He messaged me…

Joints - 05/04/2010

Posse favorites: Stanley's Brother-in-Law sandwich

One of the great discoveries on our recent East Texas BBQ Tour was the brother-in-law sandwich at Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q in Tyler, the first stop on our four-joint tour. Several of us went directly for the 4-meat sampler, no sides, as a way to quickly judge the long-time barbeque joint. Fortunately, a couple of our posse members ordered and loved the brother-in-law sandwich, not your everyday BBQ sandwich. Author David Gelin writes a great description of the infamous sandwich in his book, "BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbeque Belt." "STANLEY'S FAMOUS BROTHER-IN-LAW HOT LINK, BUTTERFLIED. Grill…

Joints - 04/30/2010

Pat Gee's: BBQ palace in the piney woods of East Texas

Pat Gee's Barbecue is a few miles east of Tyler, nestled under towering pine trees near the small community of Chapel Hill. Dallas Morning News writer and Texas BBQ Posse founding member Gary Jacobson set the stage for the joint perfectly in his story, "The barbecue chronicles: One day, four pit stops in East Texas." Gary writes, "The small, wood-frame building sits on a small lot notched between pine trees and pasture. An outhouse is out back. Inside the main room, near the front door, is a fridge. Once, it was white. Four fly swatters hang from the counter, under…

Joints - 04/29/2010

The BBQ Queen critiques the Ft. Worth Tour

Posse member Ahna Hubnik doesn't beat around the bush when if comes to barbeque. A country girl from Snook, Texas, she was brought up on ribs, brisket and sausage. Here's the uncensored view of the Ft. Worth BBQ Tour by our Texas BBQ Posse Queen, pictured at below right with husband Gary. "Sadly I wasn’t very impressed with the beef at any of the stops. It’s “cowtown” for crying out loud. I guess everyone stopped trying when they perfected the ribeye. Now the pork ribs, I can see they are giving a full effort. None were dry or overcooked. I…

People - 04/25/2010

Posse favorites: Frito Pie at Mac's Bar-B-Que

Between our weekly trips to the Baby Back Shak, the Texas BBQ Posse has been heading just east of Deep Ellum to Mac's Bar-B-Que, 3933 Main St. in Dallas. For some strange reason, really good barbeque isn't always easy to find in Big D, but Mac's delivers consistently well-cooked meats and good sides from their lunch menu. Speaking of sides, the french fries cooked in soybean oil have to be among the best in DFW. Several of us have become addicted to Mac's Frito Pie, a dish not offered at most BBQ joints. They start with a layer of ranch-style…

Joints - 04/24/2010

View from a BBQ Posse newcomer

Suzi Woo, wife of Texas BBQ Posse wheelman David Woo, accompanied us on the first stop on our recent Ft. Worth BBQ Tour. She brought a unique perspective to the tour and shared it with our resident writer Gary Jacobson. Read below to see Suzi's thoughts on her first trip to Off the Bone BBQ. She's pictured above, center, as the posse interviews pitmaster and owner Eddie Brown during our tour stop. "David has asked me to send my comments on my maiden voyage with the BBQ Posse. While I am unable to make much of a comparison with earlier…

People - 04/19/2010

Longoria's BBQ: It's like family

Longoria's BBQ was ranked number three on D Magazine's Best BBQ in DFW list. The Texas BBQ Posse pulled into the gravel lot in Everman and headed to the back of the building to check out the smoker area, of course. Pitmaster David Longoria invited us in to check out the place, not even knowing we were on tour. Have to say I took an immediate liking to this place. David showed us the finer points of his family's cooking techniques, then gave us a VIP tour of his dad's "James Dean Room" before heading to the small but comfortable…

Joints - 04/17/2010

Ft. Worth tour begins at Off the Bone

Number one on D Magazine's Best of DFW BBQ list. Quite a target for the Texas BBQ Posse. We peaked early and pulled in the parking lot at 10:30am. They opened at 11am, so we gravitated toward the smoker for some BBQ 101. We were greeted by pitmaster and owner Eddie Brown and peppered him with questions as he loaded racks of ribs into the smoker. Our BBQ posse was 21-strong when we ordered at Off the Bone, which is housed in an old Dairy Queen. The service was pretty good, around 10-15 minutes between ordering and eating. This was…

Joints - 04/15/2010

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