Latest Posts

All Posts

Sorted by Date

Stop the Presses: The Posse says ‘yes!’ to a BBQ sauce

Austin pitmaster Mark Gabrick's new BBQ sauce "Texas Tang." Photo ©Gary Jacobson/Texas BBQ Posse First, an admission. Mark Gabrick is a friend. He has accompanied the Posse on some of its smoked meat sojourns. He’s good company and he knows barbecue. Gabrick also operated a food trailer in Austin until the Coronavirus Pandemic shut everything down in March. Now, with his regular business closed, he is making and selling barbecue sauce. His first offering: Texas Tang. We sampled some during a rib cook on July 4 and it got strong positive reviews from four Posse regulars. Keep in mind, these…

Cooking - 07/06/2020

Ridgewood Barbecue, a different -- and secret -- taste

Customers arrive at Ridgewood Barbecue in Bluff City, Tennessee. Photo ©Sherry Jacobson/Texas BBQ Posse) In Bullock's Hollow, there are culinary secrets galore. Amid the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Tennessee, you'll find Ridgewood Barbecue. It opened in 1948 and still attracts a full house of customers, even on a recent Friday not long before New Year's. That's when Sherry and I visited with friends Phillip and Trish Townsend, who live an hour or so away in North Carolina. The secrets? Start with the recipe for the tomato-based sweet and sour barbecue sauce, which goes on much of the food the place…

Joints - 01/20/2020

Tootsie’s barbecue pork steak warms the heart of a Carolina pig cooker

Phillip Townsend shows off his tray of smoked meats at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, one of the highlights of his four-day Texas BBQ trip. (Photo ©Trish Townsend) By Phillip TownsendSpecial to the Texas BBQ Posse The North Carolina barbecue tradition runs in my veins. Doctors say that might account for my triglycerides, but that’s another story for another day. As a kid, I grew up helping my dad raise, butcher, and cook hogs on our small farm. Through my teen and college years, I eagerly embraced every opportunity to sample good barbecue — the Eastern N.C. style of my youth…

Roadtrips - 12/05/2019

Reflections after a decade on the BBQ Trail

Snow's BBQ pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz works the smokers during the Posse's 10th anniversary trip. (Photo ©Tom Fox/Texas BBQ Posse) Anniversaries are often times of reflection. So it was for the Posse on Saturday when we visited Snow’s BBQ and Louie Mueller Barbecue 10 years after our very first trip to these Central Texas meccas of smoked meat. In many ways nothing has changed. The food was still terrific. Snow’s brisket remains among the best around and my first bite of the beef rib at Louie Mueller’s was the best mouthful of barbecue I’ve eaten in a long, long time. Posse…

Popular / Roadtrips - 11/17/2019

Buxton Hall, the Pulled Pork Palace of North Carolina

Paul Wise, left, and David Phelps unload half a pig from the pit at Buxton Hall Barbecue in Asheville, N.C. (Photo ©Gary Jacobson/Texas BBQ Posse) Make no mistake. I’m partial to Texas style barbecue. Nothing compares. But when in Rome, or in this case Asheville, N.C., it’s O.K. to be venturesome. We weren’t disappointed. As we walked into Buxton Hall Bar-B-Cue just after 2 p.m. on a recent weekday, we immediately got a glimpse of barbecue as performance art. Workers lifted half a pig off the pit and put it on a cooling table with the other half. "As a…

Joints - 10/21/2019

The Texas BBQ Posse's Favorite 41

Customers stand in line at the world-famous Franklin Barbecue in Austin. (Photo ©Tom Fox) Others may have their Top 50 or Top 40 lists. Not the Texas BBQ Posse. After years of eating and months of debate, we’re listing our Favorite 41 joints in the state, including a ranking of the Top 10. 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio is No. 1. Of course, there wasn’t universal agreement among Posse members so we’ve included Top 5 lists from others elsewhere in this package. Austin/San Antonio region Brotherton's Black Iron BBQ, Pflugerville: Traditional Texas barbecue and creative sandwiches including brisket grilled cheese,…

Joints / Popular / Posse's Favorite 41 - 07/09/2019

Yikes! The Posse does wine with BBQ

The partial lineup of wines and meats at the Posse's Smoke, Wine & BBQ shindig. (Photo ©Don Rypka) When the Posse eats smoked meat, the word "sipping" is usually not in our vocabulary. We prefer to swig, whether it’s beer or Big Red. But we did change the pace a bit recently with a barbecue and wine tasting shindig that had even Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins sounding like a sommelier. “This is incredible,” he wrote about a Gamble Family Heart Block Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley. “Very smooth, not too dry, full of complex flavors.” The party, which started at…

Cooking - 07/02/2019

See the photos: Hurtado Barbecue grand opening in Arlington

A.J. Ramirez shows off his lunch at the grand opening for Hurtado Barbecue in Arlington. (Photo ©Michael Ainsworth/Texas BBQ Posse) The barbecue scene in Arlington just got stronger last Saturday with the grand opening of Hurtado Barbecue. Pitmaster Brandon Hurtado has set up shop outside of Division Brewing, located on Main Street just north of the UT-Arlington campus. They will be open on Saturdays from 11am until the meat is gone for now, though Brandon says they may expand to Sundays or Fridays in the near future. The barbecue trailer operation is the culmination of a dream for Brandon, who owns and…

Joints - 03/15/2019

Sneak peek: Zavala's Barbecue reopens this weekend in Grand Prairie

Friends & family enjoy a party at Zavala’s Barbecue's new location on 421 W. Main St. in Grand Prairie. Zavala's will reopen this Saturday Feb. 16th. (Photo ©Tom Fox/Texas BBQ Posse) Great news for DFW smoked meat lovers, Zavala's Barbecue reopens in their new location this Saturday, February 16th. The Posse got a sneak peek last weekend as partners Joe Zavala Jr. and Drew Wright fired up the pit and invited friends and family for a soft opening party. Zavala's originally opened as a pop-up across from the Farmer's Market on Main Street in downtown Grand Prairie last March. They…

Joints - 02/11/2019

The BBQ Posse journeys into the heart of Texas

Pitmaster & owner Michael Wyont greets customers at Flores Barbecue in Whitney. (Photo @David Woo/Texas BBQ Posse) EDITOR'S NOTE: We're sorry to report that Flores Barbecue has closed effective Sept. 2019, after moving to a new location in Fort Worth. If the Texas BBQ Posse has a fault, it might be it’s bluntness. We talk bluntly — positively and otherwise — about our favorite food, barbecue. So, on a recent Saturday while I was telling Michael Wyont, pitmaster and owner of Flores Barbecue in Whitney, how much the Posse liked everything he served, I added that at least one of us could…

Joints / Roadtrips - 11/27/2018

Recipe: Smoked Turkey & Sweet Potato Casserole from HangryQ.com

Here's a holiday classic from our friends at HangryQ.com, barrel-smoked turkey and sweet potato casserole. (Photos ©Jason Shane/HangryQ.com) Just in time for Thanksgiving, here's a great set of holiday recipes and a video from the the cook team at HangryQ.com. HangryQ posts a new recipe and video every week, with some fun ideas for your backyard smoker or grill. You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Enjoy! Additional photos for reference Preparation photos of smoked turkey and sweet potato casserole.(Photos ©Jason Shane/HangryQ.com)

Cooking - 11/16/2018

First Look: Uptown Bar-B-Q in Dallas

Three meat plate of brisket, ribs and jalapeno sausage with pinto beans and potato salad at Uptown Bar-B-Q in Dallas. (Photo ©Jim Rossman, Texas BBQ Posse) Editors note: Good news, we got an email that Uptown Bar-B-Q is open again under the ownership of Al Heidari. I ate lunch at a new barbecue joint this week called Uptown Bar-B-Q, which is aptly named, as it shares space with venerable uptown Dallas restaurant The Old Warsaw. Uptown Bar-B-Q shares space with the legendary Old Warsaw restaurant. (Photo ©Jim Rossman, Texas BBQ Posse) Robert Austin, who had the Baker’s Ribs franchise in Grapevine until late…

Joints - 11/13/2018

Is the BBQ Posse just ‘a bunch of city boys’?

The Posse works a Moberg smoker full of briskets before eating at Flores Barbecue in Whitney, our No. 7 favorite spot in the state. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse) We always knew barbecue commentary was a full-contact sport. So many good joints. So many different opinions. That message came through loud and clear after we published our list of the Texas BBQ Posse’s Favorite 41 joints last week. So far there have been a total of nearly 100 comments on Facebook postings by the Posse and others sharing our posts. And even a few here on our site. Some comments…

Join the discussion / Posse's Favorite 41 - 11/13/2018

2M Smokehouse No. 1 Posse Favorite

Lunch spread at 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio, the Posse's favorite BBQ joint in Texas. (Photo ©Tom Fox/Texas BBQ Posse) If you’re a regular Posse reader, you know that we’ve been high on 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio since it opened a couple years ago. So, naturally, we'd take a close look at the place as we put together the Texas BBQ Posse's Favorite 41, our list of our favorite joints in the state. After our first visit in the spring of 2017 we wondered if 2M was, in fact, turning out the best barbecue in Texas. After a return…

Joints / Posse's Favorite 41 - 11/07/2018

Posse members share their Favorite 5 BBQ lists

Pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz works the smokers early on a Saturday morning at Snow's BBQ, the favorite stop of Bruce Tomaso. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse) Full and frank discussions about our favorite food. That's what the Texas BBQ Posse has been all about in the decade or so we've been on the barbecue trail. Sometimes we all agree. Often we don't. So it is with the Posse's Favorite 41. After getting opinions from everyone, co-founders Chris Wilkins and Gary Jacobson made the final selections. Here's how other Posse members rate their Top 5. Bruce Tomaso Snow's BBQ, Lexington: The brisket is…

Joints / Posse's Favorite 41 - 11/07/2018

Dear readers, now it’s your turn

Customers stand in line at Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse) You’ve seen the Texas BBQ Posse’s list of its favorite barbecue joints in Texas. Tell us your favorites. List them in the comments section here along with a short explanation why. You can also send us an email at gary@texasbbqposse.com. We’ll compile the responses and publish a story about the readers’ choices. Have at it. . . Other links from the Posse's Favorite 41 project: The Texas BBQ Posse's Favorite 41 2M Smokehouse is the Posse’s No. 1 Favorite Posse members share their Favorite 5…

Joints / Posse's Favorite 41 - 11/07/2018

Posse's Favorite 41: How we did it

Posse co-founders Chris Wilkins, left, and Gary Jacobson, center, with photographer Tom Fox at 2M Smokehouse, our favorite BBQ joint in Texas. (Photo ©Texas BBQ Posse) In the course of barbecue events we hold this truth to be self-evident: Not all smoked meat is created equal. And so after a decade and tens of thousands of miles on the barbecue trail, Texas BBQ Posse co-founders Chris Wilkins and Gary Jacobson decided the Posse was finally ready to name its favorite joints in Texas, including a ranking of the Top Ten. Our very first tour was in 2009 when a half-dozen…

Joints / Posse's Favorite 41 - 11/07/2018

Tell us about the most unusual Texas BBQ you’ve ever eaten

Brisket caramel corn at Loro in Austin. (Photo ©Sherry Jacobson/Texas BBQ Posse) Over the years, the Posse has eaten some unique Texas barbecue dishes. The Toddfather sandwich from Cattleack Barbeque in Dallas. Brisket with mole sauce from the Tejas Chocolate Craftory in Tomball. More recently, Sherry Jacobson and I had lunch with author Sam Gwynne at Loro, the Aaron Franklin-Tyson Cole collaboration in Austin. Sam made sure we got the candied kettle corn with brisket. “This is possibly the most unique combination that includes brisket. . .carmel corn and burnt ends,” Sherry said. “Delicious but a little greasy for finger…

Join the discussion / Joints - 10/31/2018

A pig roast, the Lopez Island way

Scenes from the annual “Big Fat Pig Roast” on Lopez Island, Washington. (Photos ©Bryan Gooding) It is a week and a half into September and the rains we usually see later in the month are here. It is 60 degrees and it feels like fall. In a week we are having a fundraiser for the Lopez Island (Washington) Grange because it is an old building with a history that sorely needs a paint job. The event is called the “Big Fat Pig Roast” and will be a covered dish dinner for 150 locals where the main course will be a two-and-a-half…

Cooking - 10/23/2018

See the photos: The new Lockhart Smokehouse at Texas Live!

The new Lockhart Smokehouse at Texas Live! is the third location for one of DFW's top barbecue destinations. (Photo ©Michael Ainsworth/Texas BBQ Posse) The first time we wrote about Lockhart Smokehouse was in January 2011, before they opened their first restaurant in the Bishop Arts District of Oak Cliff. Their opening, along with that of Pecan Lodge in the Dallas Farmer's Market, signaled a major change in the then-mediocre Dallas BBQ scene. The Posse joined in as Lockhart Smokehouse celebrated their first anniversary a year later, then we reported that great Texas barbecue had finally come to Plano when they opened their second location…

Joints - 10/17/2018

Join the discussion: Thanksgiving turkey

Two splatchcock turkeys smoke on Marshall Cooper's Jambo smoker. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse) On Thanksgiving, just a short while away, 46 million or so turkeys will be eaten by Americans. Many will be baked in the oven, others smoked or cooked on a grill for friends and family. I learned to cook turkey on a Weber nearly 50 years ago from my wife’s grandfather. But this isn’t about our methods. The Posse wants to know your favored method for smoking or grilling turkey. Do you brine? What kind of wood, charcoal, pellets do you use? Seasonings? Butter baste? Share…

Cooking / Join the discussion - 10/15/2018

Zavala’s Barbecue in Grand Prairie is moving down Main Street

Our lunch at Zavala's Barbecue in Grand Prairie, this is what Texican BBQ perfection looks like. (Photo ©David Woo/Texas BBQ Posse) Barbecue lovers: You have two more Saturdays to head to Grand Prairie for some of the best food, served by some of friendliest people, the Texas BBQ Posse has come across in some time. After that, you’ll have to wait a few months to see why Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins declared, after his first visit to Zavala’s Barbecue, “A star is born.” (That was back in May, so, no, Chris wasn’t pilfering from the sensational new movie starring Bradley…

Joints - 10/10/2018

$Valentinas-Tex-Mex-BBQ$

Recreating Valentina’s breakfast tacos with barbecue leftovers

The gold standard of all breakfast tacos in Texas, from Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ in Austin. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse) What to do with barbecue leftovers? Always an important question. The best advice the Posse ever received on that front came years ago during a visit to Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, Tx. Reheat slowly in the oven with lots of butter, owner Kerry Bexley told us. Still solid advice. After a recent Saturday Posse feast at 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio, we found ourselves with lots of barbecue leftovers on a Sunday morning at our place in Austin. There…

Cooking - 09/26/2018

Smoking beef short ribs and tri-tip steak on a perfect Sunday

Beef short ribs hot off the smoker. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse) A recent Sunday in DFW offered the combination of perfect weather, the start of the NFL season and an interesting package of meats from Texas Beefhouse. So, what a better way to spend the day than smoking beef short ribs and tri-tip steak? After another hot Texas summer, a cold front brought a cloudy 70-degree day to Posse member Darrell Byers' backyard test kitchen. Darrell grabbed the flatscreen TV from his catering rig and set it up on the patio. With the addition of a couple of cold…

Cooking - 09/25/2018

400 miles, or so, to the pork rib on a long road trip

Josh Johnson, left, and friend Cooper Furlong dig into pork ribs at 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio. (Photo ©Tom Fox) Over a decade on the barbecue trail, the Texas BBQ Posse has seen a lot of things. But we ran into a first last Saturday during a visit to 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio: A couple of young guys fueling up on smoked meat before their two thousand mile road trip to Oregon. Talk about a cross country adventure. Cooper Furlong of San Antonio and his friend Josh Johnson of Los Angeles arrived at 2M Smokehouse at 8 a.m. and…

Joints - 09/24/2018

Advertise with the Posse

Product Review Request Form

“

Let the meat speak for itself.

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy