Mann's Smokehouse at Gettin' Sauced!

So excited to announce Mann's Smokehouse will have a booth at this year's 5th annual Gettin' Sauced! festival! This is the first time Mann's has joined us! We are thrilled to have another Austin joint take part in our festival  Make plans to stop by their booth & have a good time with them. In the meantime, follow them on Facebook and Twitter!

TexasFood.com is the Presenting Sponsor of this year's Gettin' Sauced!

We are so pleased to announce TexasFood.com is the Presenting Sponsor of this year's 5th annual Gettin' Sauced! We've partnered before with TexasFood.com and love teaming up with them. If you snag a VIP ticket to the festival, all of your VIP swag will be in a TexasFood.com bag. We are so thankful for TexasFood.com's continued support and encourage you to take time to check out their site. And follow them via Facebook and Twitter. Thanks, TexasFood.com!!!!

5th annual Gettin' Sauced! wristbands for sale!!!

Time to get sauced! We're so excited to announce BBQ-sampling wristbands (VIP & General Admission) are now on sale for our 5th annual Gettin' Sauced! contest & festival. This year's festival, presented by TexasFood.com, will be held Sunday, October 19, 2014, at Shady Springs Party Barn in Austin! 

As always, this year's festival will be full of hot BBQ, cold drinks, live music, door prizes, & more! Event entry is free, though sampling the BBQ and BBQ sauce will require a BBQ wristband. General-Admission wristbands are $15 online & $20 at the gate. VIP wristbands are $35 online and at $40 the gate. VIP wristbands include entry to the event 30 minutes before general admission, a Gettin’ Sauced! pint glass, a Gettin’ Sauced! koozie, The Q Card, a one-year subscription to Taste of the South magazine, a discount on a Texas Q Tours trip, & more. BUY WRISTBANDS!

This year's festival features a great lineup of Central Texas BBQ joints & craft breweries. Subject to change, here is the lineup we have thus far...

BBQ Joints

Black's Barbecue

Louie Mueller Barbecue

Opie's Barbecue

Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-Q-Que

Hays County Bar-B-Que
SLAB BBQ

Schmidt Family Barbecue

Mann's Smokehouse

PoK-e-Jo's BBQ 
Smokey Mo's Bar-B-Q
Snow's BBQ 

Craft Breweries

Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Independence Brewing Co.

South Austin Brewery

Middleton Brewing

Infamous Brewing Company

Circle Brewing Co.
Austin Eastciders (cider)

In addition to craft beer, several non-alcoholic drinks will be available, including drinks from HonestTea & Cuvee Coffee. Also, Miche Bread, our official bread sponsor, will have a booth with a selection of artisan breads for you to sample. And OMG! Cheesecakery, the event's exclusive dessert vendor, will have a lineup of personal-sized cheesecakes for purchase. If you're looking for a hotel, discounted rates are available at Radisson Hotel & Suites Austin Downtown, the official hotel of this year's Gettin' Sauced! Visit the Gettin' Sauced! website for complete details.

WHEN: Sunday, October 19, 3-6 p.m. (2:30 entry for VIP-ticket holders) 

WHERE: Shady Springs Party Barn, 9401 Sherman Rd, Austin, TX 78742

DETAILS: 

Official website: http://www.gettinsauced.com/

Direct link to BBQ-sampling wristbands (VIP & General Admission): https://www.livingsocial.com/events/1225464-ticket-to-gettin-sauced-bbq-festival 

Twitter: @GettinSauced

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gettin-Sauced/139872462725933

Email: drew (at) gettinsauced (dot) com 

Pork ribs in Punta Cana

Last week, one of the daily specials of the oceanside grill at the resort I stayed at in Punta Cana was pork ribs. Don't ask my why there's an apostrophe in "ribs." Here are some pics:

Texas BBQ Wannabe: 105

105. Texas Ribs (10 locations in Mexico)

Updated list: 

1. Texas Smokehouse (Decatur, AL)
2. Hill Country Barbecue (Manhattan)
3. Dallas BBQ (Manhattan)
4. Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q (Beijing)
5. Capital Q (Washington, DC) - RIP
6. Little Texas (Iasi, Romania)
7. Back Forty Texas BBQ (CA)
8. West Texas Barbeque Co. (Jackson, MI)
9. Dr. Hogly Wogly’s Tyler Texas BBQ (Van Nuys, CA)
10. Barn Burner Texas Barbeque (Pasadena, CA)
11. JR’s Texas Bar-B-Que (Sacramento, CA)
12. Texas West BBQ (3 CA locations)
13. Tootie’s Texas Barbeque (Cathedral City, CA)
14. Armadillo Willy’s Real Texas BBQ (Los Altos, CA)
15. The Original Texas Barbecue King (Los Angeles)
16. Longhorn Barbecue (3 WA locations)
17. Bubb's Big Texas Style BBQ (Big Bend, WI)
18. The Texas BBQ Company (Northborough, MA)
19. DJ's Texas Style BBQ (Lewiston, ME)
20. Serious Texas BBQ (3 CO locations)
21. Abbey's Real Texas Bar-B-Q (San Diego, California)
22. Jake's Authentic Texan Bar B-Q (Rensselaer, NY)
23. Buster's Texas Style Barbecue (3 OR locations)
24. Howard's Texas Barbecue Service (Portland, OR)
25. Bennett's BBQ (CO, TN, & NC)
26. Kin Folks Texas Style BBQ (Altoona, IA)
27. Cecil's Texas Style Bar-B-Q (2 FL locations)
28. Shaw's Texas Style BBQ (Hercules, CA)
29. Backwoods BBQ (Corona, CA)
30. Cedar River Smoke House (Renton, WA)
31. Big Al's Texas BBQ (Lehi, UT)
32. East Texas BBQ, LLC (Huntsville, AL)
33. Bonehead's Texas BBQ (San Francisco, CA)
34. Texas Pride Barbecue (Huntsville, UT)
35. Bart's Texas Style BBQ (Traverse City, MI)
36. Roland's Bar-B-Que Company (Hot Springs, AR)
37. Ralphies Texas Style BBQ & Ribs (Fairmont, WV)
38. Taste of Texas Bar-B-Q (Spencerport, NY)
39. Danny's Little Taste of Texas (South Windsor, CT)
40. Taste of Texas BBQ (McCook, NE)
41. Lockhart's BBQ (Royal Oak, MI)
42. Big John's Texas BBQ (Flagstaff, AZ)
43. Big Star Texas Barbeque (Flagstaff, AZ)
44. Big Mouth BBQ (Great Falls, MT)
45. Bull Durham’s Texas BBQ and Steakhouse (West Chester, PA)
46. Texas Ribs and BBQ (Clinton, MD)
47. The Silver Spur Texas Smokehouse BBQ (Elm Grove, WI)
48. Elmer's Authentic Texas BBQ (Battle Lake, MN)
49. Doc's Texas BBQ & Burgers (Sonora, CA)
50. Dixie's Smokehouse Texas BBQ & Rotisserie (Kings Park, NY)
51. Bob's BBQ & Mexican Grill (Pattaya, Thailand)
52. Bob's Texas BBQ (Boise, ID)
53. Hickory River Smokehouse (6 locations in OH & IL)
54. Texas Tony's BBQ Shack (Naples, FL)
55. Roosters Texas Style BBQ & Steakhouse (Nashville, TN)
56. Lee's Texas Style Bar-B-Q (Detroit, MI)
57. Texas Smokehouse Bar-B-Q (Woodinville, WA) - RIP
58. Austin BBQ (Wheaton, IL)
59. Alamo BBQ (Richmond, VA)
60. Austin's BBQ (Mountain View, CA)
61. 4C BBQ (Ponce De Leon, FL)
62. Rotuno's Texas Style Barbeque (Elyria, OH)
63. Smoke City Market (Sherman Oaks, CA)
64. The Ranger Texas Barbecue (Manhattan)
65. 4Rivers Smokehouse (2 FL locations)
66. Podnah's Pit Barbecue (Portland, OR)
67. Taste of Texas BBQ (Keystone, NE)
68. Bubba's Barbecue (Jakarta, Indonesia)
69. Molly's Smokehouse Texas BBQ (Wahiawa, HI)
70. Smokin' J's BBQ - Real Texas Barbeque (Gulfport, FL)
71. Texas BBQ & Steaks (Nha Trang, Vietnam)
72. Texas BBQ (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
73. Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer (Las Vegas, NV) - RIP
74. Red River BBQ (Melbourne, Australia)
75. Triple A Bar (Toronto, Canada)
76. Texas Bar-B-Q (Puebla, Mexico)
77. Bubba's Texas BBQ (Philadelphia)
78. Tex's World Famous Bar-B-Q (Nashville, TN)
79. Gilley's BBQ (Las Vegas)
80. Texas Pit BBQ (St. Thomas, VI)
81. Texas Best BBQ (Valley Village, CA)
82. Selma's Texas Barbeque (Moon Township, PA)

83. Texas BBQ House (Phoenix)

84: Bludso's BBQ (Compton, CA)

85. Wayne's BBQ Shack (Superior, CO)

86. Little Miss BBQ (Phoenix, AZ)

87. Wise Barbecue Company (Los Angeles)

88. Hickory River Smokehouse (multiple locations in OH & IL)

89. Jim's Pit Bar-B-Q (Reddick, FL)

90. Burnt to a Crisp Texas Smokehouse (Los Angeles)

91. Smoke Ring (Rome, Italy) 

92. Texas BBQ Grill (Chehalis, WA)

93. Texas Joe's (London, England)

94. Texas Stockyards BBQ (Lady Lake, FL)

95. Bubba's Texas Style Bar-B-Que & Saloon (Shanghai, China)

96. Hill Country Barbecue (Brooklyn, NY)

97. Hill Country Barbecue (Washington, DC)

98. Double J Texas BBQ (Havelock, NC)

99. Bar-B-Q Shack (Brighton, England)

100. White Smoke - A Texas Smokehouse (Tokyo)

101. Kim's Texas BBQ (San Diego, CA)

102. Swingin' Door Texas BBQ (North Hollywood, CA)

103. Brick's Barbeque (Sarasota, FL)

104. Texas Hold'em BBQ (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

105. Texas Ribs (multiple locations in Mexico)

Great day for a tour (that I'm missing)!

I started the day in Punta Cana, Dominican Republican, and just landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico. So, I'm not in Texas to lead today's private Texas Q Tours trip. Fortunately, the clients are in good hands with Brad. Today's tour: Meals at Hays County Bar-B-Que and Opie's Barbecue, craft-beer stops at Thirsty Planet and Jester King, & a whiskey stop at Rebecca Creek. I look forward to seeing all the pictures! If you want a private tour, customized just for you, let us know! 

LivingSocial is the exclusive ticketing agency of this year's Gettin' Sauced!

We are pleased to announce LivingSocial is the exclusive ticketing agency for this year's 5th annual Gettin' Sauced! festival! It's our first time to partner with LivingSocial, whose focus is all about having fun in the community. Tickets will be be for sale shortly. As usual, both VIP and general-admission tickets will be available. You will be able to purchase tickets via gettinsauced.com. In the meantime, if you're not already familiar with LivingSocial, check them out online, on Facebook, and on Twitter!

Radisson Hotel & Suites Austin Downtown! is the official hotel of this year's Gettin' Sauced!

We are excited to announce Radisson Hotel & Suites Austin Downtown is the official hotel of this year's Gettin' Sauced! festival! It's our first time to partner with Radisson, and we are so pleased to do so. If you're unfamiliar, Radisson Hotel & Suites Austin Downtown is on the north side of the Congress Avenue Bridge (where the bats are), at the SE corner of Congress & Cesar Chavez. It has complimentary Wi-Fi, a fitness center, an outdoor, heated, infinity-edged pool, a Southwestern-cuisine restaurant (chavez), a Starbucks, and more. If you're joining us for this year's festival and are looking for a hotel, snag a room at the Radisson with a 15% Gettin' Sauced! discount! Along with the discounted room, overnight parking is just $10 per night (a savings of $8 per night). To book, click here!

Pitmaster John Lewis cutting a brisket

Pitmaster John Lewis, cutting a fresh brisket during our June Texas Q Tours public-tour stop at la Barbecue (Austin, TX):

More from la Barbecue (Austin, TX)

More pics from our June public Texas Q Tours visit to la Barbecue (Austin, TX):

June tour stop at la Barbecue (Austin, TX)

The 3rd & final stop of our Texas Q Tours public trip in June was la Barbecue. Brisket, beef rib, pork ribs, sausage, beans, & potato salad all around:

Most efficient Texas BBQ joint?

Lots of Texas BBQ joints have long lines. Some longer than others. Surely a factor in some people's decision about which joint to patronize is the pace of the line. Which Texas BBQ joint have you found to be the most efficient at moving people through the line?

Town Lake on a BBQ tour?!

The 2nd stop of last month's Texas Q Tours public tour was a 1-hour, guided tour of Town Lake. Most of the group chose to stand-up paddle board. A couple of us kayaked. And a couple of us canoed. Our tours aren't just BBQ joints and adult-beverage stops (breweries, wineries, distilleries). Our tours have taken us to places like the Riverwalk, golf, skeet shooting, and, as you now know, Town Lake. The beauty of our private tours is we customize the tour to the client's wishes. However you want to spend your tour day(s), we will see if we can make it happen. And though our public tours have pre-set itineraries, we set those itineraries with your requests in mind. So, if there's a spot you'd like to see us hit up on a public tour, just let us know. And if you're interested in a private tour for your family, friends, office, etc., email us!

Pork lunch at Charlotte airport

During my 3 years of law school, flying back and forth between Alabama & Massachusetts, I made more connections in Charlotte than any other city. Each time, had a BBQ meal from Brookwood Farms, the BBQ offering in the food court. Yesterday, Charlotte was my layover between Austin & San Juan. Naturally, I hit up my old haunt. Pulled pork, collard greens, squash casserole, fried pickle, & cornbread. As Todd Snider sings, "Just like old times."

What's the next big city for Texas BBQ?

I could say it's arguable Austin is the #1 destination in the country for Texas BBQ, but it's not arguable. Austin is the hottest town in the world of Texas BBQ. No city in the country has more buzz about Texas BBQ. But which town, if any, is going to step up as a contender for the title of hottest ticket in Texas BBQ? Is it Houston? Is it Dallas? Is it...wait for it...New York City?!?! Could it be London? Weigh in!

The rest from Kerlin

The rest of the pics from our June Texas Q Tours visit to Kerlin BBQ (Austin, TX):

June tour stop at Kerlin BBQ (Austin, TX)

The 1st stop on our public Texas Q Tours trip last month was Kerlin BBQ (Austin, TX): On the table: brisket, sausage, pork ribs, slaw, pickles, onions, & bread.

Schmidt Family Barbecue at Gettin' Sauced!

So excited to announce Schmidt Family Barbecue will have a booth at this year's 5th annual Gettin' Sauced! festival! This is the first time SFB has joined us (which is not surprising, since they opened within the last year!), and we are thrilled to have the Bee Cave joint aboard. Be sure to stop by their booth, try their BBQ, & hang out with them. And be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter!

Where's the best Texas BBQ joint for watching a sporting event?

Today's the World Cup final. Got me thinking about gathering with friends to watch a sporting event. So, I'm curious which Texas BBQ joint offers the best atmosphere for watching a game. What do you think?

The rest from Choke Canyon

Rest of the pics from my first visit to Choke Canyon Bar-B-Q (San Antonio, TX):