Bryan Gooding

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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

The challenge of cooking chicken right

Posse member Bryan Gooding preps whole chickens for competition at the first Blues, Bandits & BBQ cookoff in Oak Cliff. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse) In barbecue and grilling, properly cooking chicken is a tough challenge. Much of the chicken served by backyard grillers and smokers, as well as barbecue joints, is overcooked. Probably because no one wants to undercook. Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins and I had undercooked chicken at two consecutive stops on a recent tour of Austin-area places. It’s jarring to bite into a piece of chicken and see small red splotches — blood — deep in the…

Cooking - 07/03/2018

Smoked chicken star of this night at Mum Foods

Jake Gagne, 2, rides a pony at the Texas Farmers' Market at Mueller last Sunday in Austin. (Photo ©Gary Jacobson/Texas BBQ Posse) We ate prime rib and smoked chicken under a historic airport hangar at a mid-week farmers market while, not far away, a singer crooned an Elvis tune. Nearby, kids and adults had their pictures taken atop a giant Longhorn, which was saddled and very much alive. Wise men say this must be Austin. Since moving to ATX a couple years ago, we’ve been regulars at the Sunday pop-up market on the site of the old Mueller Airport, just…

Joints - 05/04/2018

Bill Gillespie reveals the secret of butter in BBQ in his new book

For me, the Bible of backyard barbecue books remains Weber’s Big Book of Grilling, published in 2001. My battered copy is littered with yellow, blue and pink sticky notes marking dishes I’ve cooked over the years. In a quick search of my home library, I found a half-dozen Weber-related books. No surprise. I’ve been a devoted Weber Kettle user for nearly half a century. More recently, I’ve become a fan of the Weber Smokey Mountain. The latest addition to my book collection is The Secrets to Great Charcoal Grilling on the Weber by competition champ Bill Gillespie, published this month.…

Cooking - 04/13/2018

Recipe: The secret to great BBQ Chicken -- brining!

The whole bird with rub applied from Bryan Gooding's award-winning recipe for brining and smoking BBQ. chicken. (Photo ©Bryan Gooding) Brining and smoking BBQ chicken recipe Our brining and smoking BBQ chicken recipe earned the Posse its first category win at the Blues, Bandits festival in Oak Cliff, Tx. The key to any good chicken -- from fried to smoked-- is brining. We all have endured a tough, stringy, dry piece of chicken and making it juicy is an easy fix. Ingredients for Bryan Gooding's BBQ chicken recipe. (Photo ©Bryan Gooding) Just take a little extra time to brine. Ingredients:…

Cooking / Popular - 03/28/2018

Check out the top Posse Stories in 2017

Our trip to Texas Monthly Top 50 newcomer Truth Barbeque in Brenham was one of the best meals the Posse had in 2017. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse) As Texas BBQ Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins observes, when Texas Monthly comes out with its Top 50 list of joints every four years, “it’s the Super Bowl of BBQ.” So, it’s no surprise that five of the 10 top Posse stories in 2017 were related to TM’s list. For this post, we're defining top as most read. And, right at the very top, we batted .500 in our fearless barbecue predictions. Franklin…

People - 12/28/2017

Recipe: A Texas-style test of ribs, and rib rub on Lopez Island

A plate of finished baby backs, "spares" from Midnight's Farm and chicken. (Photo ©Bryan Gooding) Creative embers aglow, Martha Gooding walked to her spice cabinet. "We've got to find some magic ingredient for our rib rub." she said. "And what I was thinking was garam marsala." It was the last Sunday of Sherry Jacobson's and my visit to Martha and Bryan Gooding's home on Lopez Island. Our mission was to test a punchy Texas style rub on two kinds of pork ribs: a meaty, fatty grocery store-bought rack of baby backs and a much smaller, leaner rack from pigs raised at…

Cooking - 10/10/2017

Recipe: Lightly smoked, grilled salmon on a Weber -- Let the fish speak for itself

Lightly smoked, grilled salmon served with grilled fresh vegetables. (Photo ©Bryan Gooding) When you live on an island where you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a salmon you have to cook fish. The touch of smoke you get with this approach to lightly smoked, grilled salmon really kicks up the umami flavor profile giving it a heartier taste. The added benefit of this recipe is a fast cook on a regular Weber. The dish looks and tastes great. Ingredients: 2 – 2 lb. Coho salmon fillets kosher salt lemon pepper olive oil fresh or dry dill lemon Martha's…

Cooking - 09/13/2017

Recipe: This ain’t your Mama’s smoked bacon

Whole pork belly from Midnight's Farm on Lopez Island, before trimming. (Photo ©Bryan Gooding) There are only a few dishes in barbecue where a pit master can take it to the edge and really personalize the food. Sausage is one. Smoked bacon another. Former ferry Captain Kenny Burtness dropped by one day and left us a one pound slab of his homemade smoked bacon. This was not by any stretch of the imagination normal looking bacon. Irregular in shape with wide swings in fattiness and leanness, Kenny had used an unusual blend of spices and maple syrup for his personal…

Cooking - 08/29/2017

Recipe: Apple smoked pork belly from heritage pigs

Apple smoked pork belly on the cutting board as appetizers are prepared. (Photo ©Bryan Gooding) This apple smoked pork belly recipe won the Posse its first People’s Choice Award at the Blues, Bandits and BBQ Cook-off in Oak Cliff, Texas. The pork belly, brie, and peach marmalade crostini knocked out the crowd and was the first item we ran out of that year. In the photos here, our pork comes from David Bill and Faith Van De Putte here on Lopez Island, Wash. It is a Berkshire/Tamworth mix that has been developed into a fantastic heritage meat pig. “Great tasting…

Cooking - 08/03/2017

The day the Posse flew Chile's national flag (oops) and other tales from Blues, Bandits & BBQ

The Posse cook team celebrates after the first Blues, Bandits & BBQ festival in 2010. (Photo@R.J. Hinkle) The Posse has always loved Blues, Bandits & BBQ, the food and music festival held in Oak Cliff. Loyalty is a factor. Some of us lived in the O.C. and the festival does a good job of showcasing a great part of Dallas. We also liked the fellowship of close friends cooking together around the clock and competing against other barbecue teams. Occasionally, winning was a side benefit. So with the seventh annual BB&BBQ coming soon (Nov. 11 and 12 at Kidd Springs…

People - 11/02/2016

Recipe: How to make the best smoked pimento cheese in the world*

From start to finish, here's a look at Bryan Gooding's amazing smoked pimento cheese. Photos ©Bryan Gooding * Or, at least in Oak Cliff, Texas For a while, I've been trying to persuade good friend and fellow Posse member Bryan Gooding to write about some of his barbecue recipes. But the reigning chicken king of Oak Cliff has been reluctant to share. He has guarded his secrets as closely as Kentucky Fried. Maybe for good reason. Bryan has twice won the award for best chicken at the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook-off, including last year. He also has won best…

Cooking - 08/28/2016

Kreuz Market wins best sausage in BBQ Posse's Best of Texas Tour

Jalapeño cheese sausage at Kreuz Market in Lockhart. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse) Regular readers know we had some internal Posse conflict before our recent Best of Texas Tour. Should sausage count equally with brisket and pork ribs when trying to rate the best joints in the state? Initially, we decided, no, sausage should count less. Then we got an impassioned defense of the sausage maker's art from Posse member Bryan Gooding, the sausage king of Oak Cliff after his victory last fall in the Blues, Bandits and BBQ cookoff. So, we switched. All three meats, rated on a 1 to…

Joints - 02/21/2013

It’s the Super Bowl of BBQ tours for the Posse

As we prepared for our biggest tour ever this weekend, members of the Texas BBQ Posse faced their biggest controversy yet: Should sausage count as much as brisket in determining the best barbecue joint in the state? On our organized tours and smaller excursions over the past 4 years, members of the Posse have visited hundreds of places in search of the best smoked meats in Texas. Now, to determine the very best – at least for this one trip -- we plan to visit our 10 favorites over three days, covering nearly 700 miles. Then, we’ll rank the top…

Joints - 02/04/2013

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