See you in Austin and Memphis, who won The Jack, and more weekly BBQ news
Hello readers of The Smoke Sheet and Happy Halloween! This week, I’ll be embarking upon another barbecue road trip, heading south to attend the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest in Austin before driving to Memphis to experience the city’s legendary barbecue scene for the first time. This road trip will cap off a year filled with journeys that had me visiting old haunts and new upstarts in Kansas City, shrines of smoke in rural Texas, and revered barbecue joints in Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, and North Carolina.
This past week, an interview I did with Kevin Kelly on his podcast Kevin’s BBQ Joints was released in which we talked about my epic barbecue road trips to Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina earlier this year. It was a treat being able to talk about my favorite subject with someone who has just as much interest in barbecue as I do. I tried to share as many tips as I could from my own experiences for anyone who might be undertaking similar trips in the near future. Planning ahead is essential and might help you avoid unnecessary hardships and disappointment. The reality is, however, each journey is unique and there is always more that you want to see or do than you can fit into even the most well-planned road trip.
By far the best part of heading out across the country on these barbecue road trips has been the people I have met along the way. From celebrated pitmasters and their staff to knowledgeable historians and writers to even other barbecue enthusiasts, it has been wonderful to discover the many different people from all walks of life who make up the tight-knit barbecue community. I hope I am able to meet many more people on this upcoming journey and if you’re going to be in Austin for the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest this weekend or Memphis next week, please feel free to drop me a line.
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist)
Co-Founder, The Smoke Sheet
Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
The Butcher BBQ team (above) won the Grand Championship at the 2018 Jack Daniels Invitational in Lynchburg, Tennessee this past weekend. The team—based in Chandler, Oklahoma—has had a successful 2018 after having won the Reserve Champion honors at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue Open Competition in September. Second place went to Iowa’s Smokey D’s BBQ, while third place went to The Pit Crew of AZ. Congrats to the winners!
This past weekend, more than 100,000 people pigged out at the Barbecue Festival in Lexington, North Carolina, one of the biggest festivals of the year.
NBC’s Today Show recently profiled Tootsie Tomanetz, the legendary 83-year-old pitmaster from Snow’s BBQ, who was nominated for a James Beard Award and inducted in the Barbecue Hall of Fame this year.
Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn calls the garlic parmesan ribs at Smoke Sessions Barbecue in Royse City, Texas “one of the craziest bites of barbecue you’ll have this year.”
Pitmaster Sam Jones talks about his experience in joining Operation BBQ Relief to help his home state of North Carolina recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Florence.
J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle writes that beef cheeks are the hot new item on barbecue menus around the country. He says, “trimmed beef cheek is deliciously fatty and exceedingly tender and showing up in tacos, sausages or just as a stand-alone dish, often in place of brisket.”
Two good BBQ joints closed this past week in the U.S., one in Brooklyn (The Smoke Joint) and one in downtown Phoenix (Rhema Soul Cuisine). We wish them the best of the luck down the road.
Here are few BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
Watch: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, Season 8: Episode 2 - Nashville
In this great episode on Netflix, Bourdain hangs out with Nashville pitmaster Pat Martin (above), Husk's Sean Brock, and other acclaimed chefs to discuss how the city’s dining scene has evolved over the last 15 years. Watch it here.
Listen: Tales from the Pits, Episode 74: B’s Cracklin Barbeque
This episode of the Tales from the Pits podcast features an interview with acclaimed Georgia pitmaster Bryan Furman of B’s Cracklin Barbeque. Furman talks about his decision to open up his own restaurant and what makes him stand out with his unique style of barbecue. He also details the setbacks he faced and shares how he was able to overcome these challenges to open multiple locations, with more planned in the future. Listen to the show here.
Read: Texas BBQ, Small Town to Downtown by Wyatt McSpadden
Photographer Wyatt McSpadden’s highly-anticipated follow-up to his book Texas BBQ is now available. The book revisits Texas’ rural barbecue joints and highlights the vibrant urban barbecue scene that has developed over the past decade. Buy the book here.
November 3-4: 4th Annual Indio California BBQ State Championship and Festival - Indio, California
The 4th Annual Indio California BBQ State Championship and Festival will take place at The Big Rock Pub & The Indian Springs Golf Club. The BBQ Festival is a sanctioned Kansas City Barbeque Society contest featuring pitmasters from across the nation competing in a double header for up to $9,000 in prize money each day. The event will also include a classic car show, live music, food vendors, and entertainment. More info here.
November 3-4: Texas Monthly BBQ Fest - Austin, Texas
The Top 50 barbecue joints in Texas have all been invited to the ninth annual Texas Monthly BBQ Fest. Check out who will be cooking during this smoking weekend of ‘cue! Events include a workshop put on by the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science that uncovers the secrets of meat science and the first ever Franklin & Friends event, hosted by award-winning pitmaster Aaron Franklin. You can also join The Smoke Sheet co-founder Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist), who will be in attendance at all of the weekend festivities! More info here.
November 11: Meat Fight - Dallas, Texas
Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn gets a taste of his own medicine as he goes up against twelve of Dallas’ top chefs and pitmasters at the Meat Fight barbecue competition. See if Daniel can dish it out in the pit like he does in his restaurant reviews. Proceeds will benefit the National MS Society. More info here.
November 30 - December 1: Backyard BBQ Skills and Holiday Smoking & Grilling with Heath Riles and Malcom Reed - Tempe, Arizona
Pitmasters Heath Riles and Malcolm Reed are teaming up to offer two instructive and informative barbecue classes at BBQ Island, Inc. in Tempe, Arizona. The Backyard BBQ Skills class on November 30th will cover ribs, brisket, ribeye steak, and side dishes. In the Holiday Smoking & Grilling class on December 1st, Heath and Malcolm will share their secrets to cooking turkey, ham, prime rib, and sides for the holiday season. More info here.
December 9: Houston vs Austin BBQ Throwdown - Austin, Texas
The Houston Barbecue Festival and Friends & Allies Brewing have announced the second annual HOU-ATX BBQ Throwdown featuring top barbecue restaurants from Houston and Austin. They’ll be competing to determine who reigns supreme when it comes to Texas barbecue. Austin joints include Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue, LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, and Micklethwait Craft Meats. Houston joints include Beaver’s, Daddy Duncan's BBQ, Harlem Road Texas BBQ, and Victorian's Barbecue. More info here.
Kosmo’s Q: 5 Minute Brisket Chili
The injections, rubs, and sauces developed by Darian Kozz (AKA Kosmo) and his company Kosmo’s Q have been staples of both competition and backyard barbecue cooks for nearly a decade. In this video, Kosmo shares his recipe for his delicious 5-minute brisket chili. While it takes more than 5 minutes to make, this super simple chili recipe will give you a chance to repurpose your leftover brisket and serve up the perfect bowl for a fall day.
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