Texas' top 50..

[gearhead]

All rise and gentlemen remove your hats...
https://www.texasmonthly.com/interac...p-50-bbq-2021/

[sourdough]

I would Brent but as Texas Monthly has become aggressively "out there", wanting to push the "envelope" to be more "woke" I don't pay any attention to them. Subscribed for decades until I could not stomach the articles.....and now bbq??

Notice they very much adorn the bbq joints in certain enclaves. The joint in Wolfforth is lauded but I've eaten there; I make better in my own smoker.

I know the bbq from established joints change, and others come on line with new offerings, but I don't like "new" because it's "new". I like good bbq and not stuff acknowledged to "move the needle". To each his own and in real life the nuances of good bbq is small and the tastes vary across the country (just try Buccees in Alabama vs TX). I'm still in the court of the old standby TX bbq joints but trying new places is what it's all about.....sort of.

[gearhead]

Oh yeah, I agree. We used to read TM but they got so far out there we quit, and that was a long time ago.
My BBQ tastes are fairly simple. We have a small place in town we occasionally eat at but their sauce has too much vinegar for me.
We will probably try the 1700 place in Beaumont.
I think we have hit the old popular places in Lockhart several times. I stopped there a couple times driving back and forth to work in Laredo. It's all good. We stood in line too long and just left at Corkscrew in Spring.

[Gegrad]

Yep, I grew up in Texas but I can only laugh at their #1 ranked place. They made sure to have their #1 ranked place be run by 4 dudes each of different races all under 30. LOLOLOL. I am gonna guess TM ranked them #1 because they are probably the most "diverse" group of pitmasters. Sorry, but 4 dudes under 30 AIN'T making the best bbq in Texas. They might be making the most eclectic and new and different stuff, but they AIN'T making the best. Those are two different categories. Another way to look at it: 4 of the 5 are among the youngest millennials (the youngest millennials turned 25 this year), and the 5th is a Gen Z. Ok. And I am only 40 myself. Just my 2 cents of course.

[mikec557]

I don't think this is too far off topic, do you guys know an info source for a trail of BBQ (smoked) competitions? I always thought it would be fun one camping season to chase the competitions and eat my way through the season. Might throw in some chili cook offs to.

If there's a choice of BBQ competitions, then Texas style BBQ is preferred. But any smoked

TIA

[notanlines]

Texas....beef. Memphis.....pork. The rest don't matter.

"Sorry, but 4 dudes under 30 AIN'T making the best bbq in Texas. They might be making the most eclectic and new and different stuff, but they AIN'T making the best."
I couldn't have said it better.

[Badbart56]

BBQ is much like Beauty. It's in the eye (or taste bud) of the beholder. Much like opinions, we all have our own. BBQ is just that way.

That said, when my wife and I ran our food truck and catering business we rocked the pulled pork! I smoked 144 pork butts for one event. And on the catering end we got lots of request for Baby Back Ribs. My secret rub will go to the grave with me.

[curtiscapk]

It all ends up here at the only comp that matters! One year all 50 states and 10 countries showed!

https://www.americanroyal.com/bbq/

[wiredgeorge]

Not sure what BBQ cooking competitions have to do with the top 50 brick & mortar places in Texas. Not sure how the TM folks chose the places they did but I have traveled extensively (biker) in Texas and not one of the best places I know of made their list. Most centered around urban places where the city folk hang so can't say the decisions on that list mean a lot.