The five best BBQ meals we ate in 2019 (plus top news, events, & more)
In 2019, we traveled to more locations for great barbecue than ever before. As barbecue becomes more popular nationwide, the quality of smoked meats, side dishes, and desserts has continued to increase exponentially. With the availability of so much great barbecue in so many cities, it’s hard to summarize our favorite meals we ate this year, but we’ve done our best.
Here are our five favorite barbecue meals of 2019.
Truth Barbeque in Houston offers one of the best and most complete barbecue experiences in Texas.
Truth Barbeque — Houston, Texas
Houston has no shortage of amazing barbecue restaurants, as . Pitmaster Leonard Botello IV, whose restaurant Truth Barbeque in Brenham, Texas had landed at number ten on the most recent Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ joints list, added to this deep pool of talent when he opened a second location in Houston. Everything about the experience at Truth is top notch, from the exquisite smoked meats, delicious side dishes, delectable desserts, impeccable service, and inviting decor. The brisket is worth the price of entry alone but make sure you save room for one of the amazing desserts on offer as well.
The brisket from this tray from Harp Barbecue paired perfectly with the waffles, pickled fruit, and maple syrup-based barbecue sauce.
Harp Barbecue — Raytown, Missouri
Recently, pitmaster Tyler Harp of Harp Barbecue has been making waves on the Kansas City barbecue scene, making several “best of” lists this year in a city with over one hundred barbecue joints. He has even attracted the attention of Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn. Rather than drawing inspiration solely from Kansas City, Tyler has traveled extensively through Texas, Tennessee, and beyond in his study of barbecue. He partnered with Crane Brewing Company to offer smoked meats to hungry customers on weekends and has worked in collaboration with local chefs on multiple occasions. One of the best meals of the year was his “Brisket and Waffles” brunch collaboration with Sam Donnell’s Lawrence-based Waffle Iron. His sliced brisket paired perfectly with the waffles, pickled strawberries, and maple syrup-based barbecue sauce from Common Descent Provisions.
The food at Leroy and Lewis feels like the future of Texas barbecue.
Leroy and Lewis — Austin, Texas
You could be forgiven for not expecting to have your mind blown at the unassuming food trailer of LeRoy and Lewis in Austin. When you walk inside the grounds of the Cosmic Coffee and Beer Garden, it seems like it’s just a fun place to hang out with the food trucks being secondary to the drinks. But you’d be wrong. The barbecue at Leroy & Lewis, owned by Evan LeRoy and Sawyer Lewis, is a look at the future of barbecue, with creative cuts of meat and unusual sides that challenge and excite your taste buds. Everything we tried was good, including the beef cheeks, meatball sausage, turkey, and kale Caesar slaw.
Panther City BBQ was the highlight of a trip to Fort Worth this summer.
Panther City BBQ — Fort Worth, Texas
The Fort Worth barbecue scene is one of the hottest and fastest-growing in Texas, . Pitmasters Chris Magallanes and Ernie Morales of Panther City BBQ are leading the charge of new up-and-coming barbecue joints in the area, even being named one of the Top 25 Best New BBQ Joints by Texas Monthly. Their menu includes standard Texas barbecue fare, but where their menu really shines is with their delicious Tex Mex dishes, including their prime brisket tacos, pork belly burnt ends, brisket stuffed jalapeno poppers, and jaw dropping brisket elote. Our visit to Panther City BBQ in August was not just one of the best meals of 2019 but perhaps one of the best in all of our travels.
Skylight Inn perfectly showcases what makes whole hog great.
Skylight Inn — Ayden, North Carolina
Skylight Inn has been serving up Eastern North Carolina style whole hog since 1947, and people still travel from around the country to try it. Our visit to the Skylight Inn in November was one of high anticipation given the reputation of the joint, but it delivered on expectations. The whole hog was some of the best we’ve had on our travels and there is something special about eating it at joint that transports you to the past. Owner Sam Jones (who also has a great joint with his name on it down the road) deserves to be commended for keeping his family’s barbecue traditions alive so we can continue enjoy it.
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On a final note, we’d like to give shoutouts to a few honorable mentions that barely missed this list. We loved the following meals:
The brisket, pork ribs, and turkey at 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio, Texas.
The smoked pastrami sandwich at Hometown Bar-B-Que in Industry City, Brooklyn.
The full spread (especially the brisket, burnt ends, and ribs) at Smōk in Denver, Colorado.
The pulled pork and smoked jackfruit at Dalie’s Smokehouse in St. Louis, Missouri.
Everything we tried — including brisket, pork, ribs, and Delta tamales — at Ubons Barbeque in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
We greatly look forward to checking more barbecue joints in 2020, and we always want to hear about underrated and lesser known joints that aren’t on our radar. Here’s to more barbecue visits and getting to spend more time with the barbecue community in the next year.
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist) and Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ)
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
Mike Johnson and Christina Fitzgerald announced they will be opening a new location of their popular St. Louis-based Sugarfire Smokehouse restaurant in Dallas, Texas.
Over the past year, we have reported extensively on the growing popularity of Texas barbecue outside the state of Texas. The tables have turned this week with popular St. Louis barbecue restaurant Sugarfire Smokehouse announcing it will open its newest location in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas, Texas.
Aaron Franklin, one of the biggest names in the barbecue world, had multiple news stories break in the past week. First, he has launched a new taco truck called Franklin Barbecue’s Tacos & Coffee, which is next door to the famous Franklin Barbecue location in Austin. Second, Franklin and chef Tyson Cole announced they will open a new location of Loro, their Austin-based Asian smokehouse, in Houston in 2021.
Famed pitmaster and barbecue author Tuffy Stone will soon open a new coffee shop concept in Richmond, Virginia, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. "We will be focusing on the quality of the food, coffee and other products sold there," Stone said. "We are very excited about this place and we hope to be a cherished spot in the neighborhood where you can come by for a great cup of coffee, breakfast, lunch and perhaps eventually dinner."
John Mueller, of the famous Mueller family, has returned to the barbecue game with his fourth smoked-meat venture in the past eight years at Granger City Brewing, which is northeast of Austin. The “Dark Prince of Texas Barbecue” will be serving up ‘cue Thursday through Saturday at this new operation, Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn reports.
In a strange twist of fate, Hurricane Harvey (which devastated Houston in August 2017) unexpectedly helped revitalize Houston Barbecue Company. Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn writes that the forced closure of the restaurant for five months gave the restaurant’s owners and pitmaster time to improve their food quality.
The team behind Micklethwait Craft Meats in Austin have announced that their upcoming taco truck, called Taco Bronco, will open at 3220 Manor Rd. in late 2019 / early 2020, CultureMap Austin reports.
A lot of noise has been made recently about the state of burgeoning Australian barbecue scene and now the New York Times has added itself to the fray. They’ve profiled two Sydney restaurants (and one in Singapore as a bonus) that are “using flames and Australian ingredients in ways that feel exciting and new.”
Grand Ole BBQ was recently named one of San Diego’s best new restaurants in 2019. According to Beth Demmon of Thrillist, “Finally, San Diego has barbecue worth bragging about.”
St. Louis barbecue restaurant Salt + Smoke is set to open a new location inside One Cardinal Way, a residential building under construction downtown at Ballpark Village.
Popular Shawnee, Kansas restaurant Blind Box BBQ has opened a new 7,000 square foot location inside of Nebraska Furniture Mart. The location will feature pulled pork, brisket, burnt ends, and sausage as well as non-barbecue items, desserts, coffee, and alcoholic beverages.
The East Lake location of The Greater Good BBQ restaurant recently closed, while two other locations of the restaurant will remain open in the Atlanta metro area.
Here are BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
Greg from The BBQ Central Show interviewed Malcom Reed and Emily Detwiler recently.
Watch: Malcolm Reed and Emily Detwiler — The BBQ Central Show
Host Greg Rempe welcomes YouTube sensation and pitmaster of How To BBQ Right Malcom Reed, who makes his usual first Tuesday of the month appearance. Malcom is an avid hunter so we will get an update on how his season is currently going, plus he talks about a few of his latest recipes, what gifts he is hoping BBQ Santa will bring him this year, and more. Next the CEO of the Kansas City Barbeque Society Emily Detwiler joins the show to talk about the sale of their corporate building, what the second version of the KCBS World Invitational may like, some 2020 programs, and more. Watch here.
Listen: Photographer Ben Sassani of BBQ Confessional — I Crush BBQ Show
In this episode, host Abe Delgado interviews the talented photographer and entrepreneur, Ben Sassani. Sassani got into photography to take clear pictures for his family albums and has converted this passion into a successful career. He photographs beautiful weddings and also has a project entitled Shoot My Chef, which was an idea from a late friend of his. They chat about his photography business, his side projects and dive deep into his latest creation, BBQ Confessional, which has taken the BBQ community by storm. The BBQ Confessional project is a series of personal stories from close friends and family in the world of barbecue. You can find the narratives featured on Instagram along with a beautiful Black and White portrait of each individual subject. Sassani shares the inside scoop on some of these stories and demonstrates how the process works. Listen to the episode here.
Read: Southern Smoke: Barbecue, Traditions, and Treasured Recipes Reimagined for Today — by Matthew Register
Informed by the history of classic southern recipes, Southern Smoke is an intriguing dive into the barbecue of North Carolina, the Lowcountry, Memphis, and the Delta, with must-try meats, sides, and desserts. Matthew Register, owner and pitmaster of Southern Smoke Barbecue in Garland, North Carolina teaches the basics of smoking with a grill or smoker. He outlines how to manage the fire for long smoking sessions and shares pitmaster tips for common struggles and explores iconic barbecue regions and traditions. Whether you've long been a fan of barbecue or are just starting your own barbecue journey, Southern Smoke offers a unique collection of recipes and stories for today's home cook. Buy it here.
Austin’s Stiles Switch BBQ has just started putting on 12 days of uniquely delicious holiday specials.
December 10-22: Stiles Switch’s 12 Days of Smoked Meats 2019 — Austin, Texas
Stiles Switch BBQ hosts a yearly event where they have 12 days of mouth-watering specials around the holidays. Each day they do a crazy special and sometimes bring in guest pitmasters and chefs to help. This year’s menu features smoked chicken fried beef rib, smoked duck confit, brisket meatloaf, smoked tomahawk ribeye, pulled pork tortas, and more. More info here.
December 27-28: Arizona National BBQ Stampede — Phoenix, Arizona
The Arizona National BBQ Stampede is a special event brought to you by the Arizona National Livestock Show in collaboration with the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS). Teams will be able to enter the competition to earn points at the first event of the KCBS competition season. More info here.
January 1: Fired Up Florida Kosher BBQ Battle — Boca Raton, Florida
The Jay Feder Jewelers Fired Up Kosher BBQ Battle and Festival will be held on January 1st, 2019 at the South County Regional Park in Boca Raton, Florida from 1:00-5:00 pm. The event will include a barbecue competition, food for sale, and family activities. Proceeds will help support Hadar High School for Girls. More info here.
January 17-18: Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge — Bullhead City, Arizona
The 6th annual Slab-O-Rama is a large KCBS-sanctioned competition that will invite teams to compete in eight categories over two days. Outside of the competition, there will be something for everyone including a winter beer garden, vendors, live music, line dancing, a Bloody Mary bar, and more. More info here.
January 18: Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival — Brooklyn, New York
The 10th Annual Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival is leaving Manhattan after a decade and heading to Brooklyn. A ticket buys you access to tasting great local barbecue from NYC, hot sauce samples, and tons of spirits and craft beers. The event’s signature “Beast Cage” will be back too with exotic smoked meats, including alligator, lamb, bison, longhorn rounds, and much more. The Smoke Sheet’s Sean Ludwig will be at the event, so if you go, be sure to say hello. More info here.
February 27-29, 2020: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Bar-B-Que Contest — Houston, Texas
More than 250 teams, led by barbecue aficionados, compete in the World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest. While most team tents are invitation-only, visitors can enjoy several public venues, including The Garden, Rockin' Bar-B-Que Saloon, and the Chuck Wagon. Activities include live music, rides, games, and more and visitors will receive a complimentary sliced brisket plate with chips and beans. More info here.
March 4-8, 2020: Charleston Food and Wine Festival — Charleston, South Carolina
The Charleston Wine + Food infuses homegrown flavor with top chefs, winemakers, authors, storytellers, artisans, and food enthusiasts from around the globe for a five-day event that spans the first full weekend each March. More info here.
March 27-28, 2020: Hogs for the Cause — New Orleans, Louisiana
Hogs for the Cause returns as the largest, tastiest BBQ festival in New Orleans. The city welcomes numerous local and regional BBQ masters and the best backyard chefs to compete in seven categories: Whole Hog, Ribs, Pork Butt/Shoulder, Porkpourri, Sauce, Fan Favorite, and Fundraising Champion. The barbecue festival is a two-day event full of music, local beer, and fundraising. More info here.
See the full Smoke Sheet events calendar online here.
A burnt ends meat pie from Plowboys can help warm you up this winter.
Brisket Burnt-End Pot Pie by Todd Johns of Plowboys
Todd Johns, the owner and pitmaster at Kansas City’s Plowboys, recently gave his recipe for a decadent Brisket Burnt-End Pot Pie to In Kansas City Magazine. Johns say this recipe is something he created while at barbecue competitions. The recipe calls for mixing barbecue burnt ends with spices and veggies to create a unique meat pie, and it’s perfect for wintertime. View the recipe here.
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