BBQ-Bus Tickets On Sale!!!

Those of you interested in our first BBQ bus trip have waited patiently for tickets to go on sale, so I'm happy to keep you waiting no longer. Tickets are $100 each. (Payment link at bottom of post. Or just click here.). What will you get with your ticket?

Meal at Snow's BBQ (Lexington), City Meat Market (Giddings), & Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor) - More details to come on the meal for each, but you will either have a set lunch or will be able to choose from between or among set lunches/items. You shouldn't leave hungry, but if you wish to order more food beyond the set lunches, you will have the freedom to do so, at your own expense. 
Transportation in air-conditioned coach with individual seats 
Cold drinks from Big Red and Honest Tea   
Dessert from Sugar Mama's Bakeshop
The Q Card ($10 value) 
Taste of the South magazine's 2011 BBQ issue ($4.99 value) 
A surprise stop in Austin 
Free merchandise, coupons/discounts, and more! 

Itinerary (including some possible non-BBQ stops) still being worked out. We will keep you updated. The plan is to leave Austin at 8AM sharp on Sat, April 28 and return mid- to late-afternoon. No later than 5PM. If you have any questions, please let me know. We hope to see you on April 28!

The pit at Sisterdale Smokehouse (Sisterdale, TX)

Pork ribs a la Southern Pride!

Way back when, I posted my pics of the pork ribs that we ate at the American Royal in Kansas City, courtesy of Southern Pride. Today's, Brad's shots of 'em:

QOTD: Which Texas BBQ joint is rudest?

Earlier this month, I asked readers which Texas BBQ joint is friendliest. Today, the natural follow-up question: Which Texas BBQ joint is rudest?

Inside Sisterdale Smokehouse (Sisterdale, TX)

What is your favorite Texas BBQ joint?

It's that simple. Your favorite Texas BBQ joint. Don't do like I do and say, "Well, it depends." No. Also, no ties. If you had to pick just one, which one would it be?

Our man Todd mans up on 40 pounds of meat!

An email and pictures from Man Upper Todd Plunk, making us proud: 

Do you ever really need an excuse to BBQ 40 pounds of meat? I didn’t think so! So over the weekend my room-mates and I decided to host a party, invite a few friends and fire up the smoker. When the smoke cleared we ended up with a 14 lb turkey, 12 lb brisket, 8 lb ham, 3 racks of baby back ribs, some venison sausage and even a few veggies.

How does one smoke that much meat, you ask? Start early. Using the measure of an hour/pound for the brisket, we started the grill at 5:30 in the morning and smoked the brisket a good 12 hours, 6 hours for the turkey (use your meat thermometer to get to 175°), about 3 hours for the ham (it was pre-cooked, so we just had to reach about 140°), and about 6 hours for the ribs (perhaps a bit too long) at an average temperature of 200°.

Hope you enjoy the photos, and for those lucky 50 or so people that sampled, give us your comments!

-Todd

More from the table at Sisterdale Smokehouse (Sisterdale, TX)

2nd round of pics from 1st visit to Sisterdale Smokehouse (Sisterdale, TX):

BBQ BUS!!!

I've been teasing it on Twitter, but I think it's now time to post about it. People have been asking us for a long time to get into BBQ tours/trips for groups. We've always tabled the idea but are now ready to give it a shot. To that end, on Saturday, April 28, 2012, we will lead our first chartered-bus BBQ trip. (Hopefully, there will be many more, but baby steps for now.) I can't reveal all of the details, but I can tell you that the bus, which will depart that morning from Austin, will make BBQ stops at Snow's BBQ (Lexington), City Meat Market (Giddings), & Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor). We'll have a bunch of other goodies in store for our patrons, but mum's the word on 'em right now. Tickets are not on sale yet, but when they are, they'll be first come, first served. So, if this sounds like something you might be interested in, keep April 28 open!

First meal at Sisterdale Smokehouse (Sisterdale, TX)

Made my first trip to tiny Sisterdale this past Saturday. Population is apparently 25. I'm thinking about making it 26. Their BBQ joint is open the 1st and 3rd weekend of each month. Like Snow's in Lexington, the folks who own and run Sisterdale Smokehouse have other jobs and do BBQ on the side. I'm glad they do. SS is an affiliate of The Q Card, so I can't publicly review my meal, but here are the first pics of the meal (brisket, pork ribs, burnt ends, chopped-beef baked potato, & pea salad):

Pallin' around with Pork Barrel BBQ

I'm finally getting back around to Brad's pictures from last fall's American Royal BBQ competition in Kansas City. While there, I had the pleasure to meet and chat with Heath Hall, of Pork Barrel BBQ (Alexandria, VA). They're up to some neat things, not least of which is making BBQ-scented perfume.  Men's Health magazine said they make the best BBQ sauce in the country. Hope they'll enter it in this year's Gettin' Sauced!, so we can see how it stacks up against the folks vying for our title.

QOTD: Which Texas BBQ joint has the best physical atmosphere?

Forget food. Don't care about service. I'm not even talking about the ambiance, the feel of the place. Just the physical place. The setting, the venue. Which Texas BBQ joint's is your favorite?

The rest from Stiles Switch (Austin, TX)