Family style at Cooper's (Llano, TX)

The lunch spread at the Cooper's stop on our Aug 25 Texas Q Tours bus trip:

What's the best BBQ in Washington, DC?

Landed in Baltimore last night and headed into DC. Staying in Glover Park, right next to the Russian Embassy (which made me really pleased, since I was wearing my KGB Still Watching You t-shirt). There's a BBQ joint (Rocklands) nearby. Got my thinking about D.C.'s BBQ offerings. What's your favorite?

Forbes' "5 Best BBQ Joints for an All-American Roadtrip"

Last night, my buddy Daviz Pham sent me via Twitter this Forbes piece on BBQ roadtrips. The writer, Melanie Haiken, lists 5 destinations, and 2 of them are in Texas, which she calls "the grand central station of barbecue." Her #1 is Opie's in Spicewood, while Black's & Smitty's in Lockhart are #2 on her list. Props to Melanie for these picks (2 of the many worthy BBQ destinations in Texas), but she is clearly not from here (San Fran is her home.), as she says of Smitty's: "it's as no-frills as barbecue gets: Meat slapped straight from the GRILL (emphasis mine) onto butcher paper."

Tending the mesquite coals at Cooper's (Llano, TX)

NFL fantasy draft at Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, TX)

Signs at Woodpile BBQ (Austin, TX)

Fantasy-draft BBQ at Louie Mueller

Wayne Mueller was kind enough to feed those of us who attended our league's NFL fantasy draft at Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, TX). Brisket & baby backs!

Which BBQ joint at today's Texas Monthly BBQ Festival is your favorite?

Today's the 3rd annual Texas Monthly BBQ Festival. (I'll be tweeting pics, starting at noon.) Of the 21 BBQ joints that will be in attendance, which one is your favorite?

5th and final stop of our Aug 25 BBQ bus: Stone House Vineyard (Spicewood, TX)

Last stop of our Aug 25 Texas Q Tours BBQ bus: Stone House Vineyard (Spicewood, TX):

Stop #4 of our Aug 25 BBQ bus: Opie's Barbecue (Spicewood, TX)

The 4th stop of our latest Texas Q Tours BBQ bus: Opie's Barbecue (Spicewood, TX):

The serving pit at Opie's Barbecue (Spicewood, TX)

TheChive.com's top 25 BBQ joints

Yesterday, TheChive.com posted its list of the top 25 BBQ joints in the country (in no particular order). Six are from Texas: JMueller, Kreuz, Goode Co., Salt Lick, Snow's, & Franklin ("Franklin's is, in our opinion, the best BBQ joint in America right now.). Thoughts on the inclusion of these 6? Thoughts on the ones they should've included? BTW, there are zero Alabama joints listed. That alone makes the list illegitimate!

The serving pit at Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que (Llano, TX)

What is Austin's best BBQ trailer?

Austin has its share of BBQ trailers. Let's see...BBQ Heaven, Chappy's, Curly's, David's, Double Trouble, Hog Wild, JMueller, Smokin' Rose of Texas, Sugar Shack, Woodpile. Am I missing any? Regardless, which one's the best? What is Austin's best non-brick-and-mortar BBQ joint?

Backyard BBQ: Chicken

Our 28th Backyard BBQ submission, chicken, comes to us from Mike Whatley (@HoffmanDis), in Birmingham, AL.

More from Woodpile BBQ (Austin, TX)

The rest from Hill's BBQ Market (Austin, TX)

Rest of the pics from my 1st visit to Hill's BBQ Market (Austin, TX):