Heading north for a 5-stop tour!

Rise & shine! It may be cold out, but it's not too cold to head out for a day of Texas BBQ, Texas rum, & Texas pie. I'm leading a public Texas Q Tours trip to Royer's Pie Haven (breakfast), Johnny's Steaks & Bar-Be-Que (meal & tour), Spirit of Texas Distillery (tasting), Louie Mueller Barbecue (meal & tour), & Texan Cafe (pie). Twitter updates throughout the day via @ManUpTexasBBQ & @TexasQTours. If you missed today's public tour, our next public tours are:

Friday, April 10 - 2 stops: craft beer & BBQ
Saturday, April 18 - 5 stops: BBQ, rum, pie, craft beer, & BBQ
Saturday, June 27 - 5 stops: BBQ, BBQ, vodka, craft beer, & BBQ

And we are available for private, customized tours. Contact us for availability & pricing. Let's tour together! 

Thirsty Planet beer + Franklin Barbecue brisket = happy tour group

After picking up a whole brisket at Franklin Barbecue earlier that morning, the first stop of our first private Texas Q Tours trip of 2015 was Thirsty Planet, one of our frequent tour stops. Our folks enjoyed their beers while they took down the brisket. Huge shout out to Matt Alexander, who booked the tour. He picked the itinerary. He rounded up the group. And then right before the tour, he got the flu! So, he didn't even get to attend his own tour. Matt, you were missed...but not enough to save you any brisket.

Texas BBQ Wannabe: 128

128. Texas Smoke Barbecue (Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey)

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. Huntsville Barbecue Company (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)

106. The Beast (Paris, France)

107. Texas BBQ (Tel Aviv, Israel)

108. Horse Thief BBQ (Los Angeles)

109. BBQ Rush (Tucson, AZ)

110. Allison's Texas BBQ (Mesa, AZ)

111. The Proper Pig BBQ (Cleveland, OH)

112. The Beach Pit (St. George Island, FL)

113. Rangers Texas BBQ (Sydney, Australia)

114. Taste of Texas BBQ (Waitara, Australia)

115. Marley's Central Texas BBQ (Albuquerque, NM) 

116. Round Up Texas Smoked BBQ (Cold Spring, NY)

117. Texas Pit BBQ (Cloudcroft, NN)

118. Joe's Texan BBQ (Currumbin, Australia)

119. The Calhoun Family's Texas Barbeque (Murrieta, CA)

120. Rio Grande Texas Barbecue (Balgowlah, Australia) 

121. The Texan Bar-B-Q & Chili House (Algonquin, IL)
122. Bob's Omahoma Barbeque (Wooster, OH)
123. Gary Ray's Texas BBQ (Tucson, AZ)
124. Texas Barbecue Cafe (Stabekk, Norway)
125. Morgan's Brooklyn Barbecue (Brooklyn, NY)
126. All Friends Smokehouse (Westport, MA)
127. Firehouse on the Run Famous Texas BBQ (Black Forest, CO)
128. Texas Smoke Barbecue (Lake Hopatcong, NJ)

The rest from Smokey Denmark's

Rest of the pics from my 1st visit to Smokey Denmark's (Austin, TX):

More from Smokey Denmark's

More pics from 1st visit to Smokey Denmark's BBQ (Austin, TX):

First vist to Smokey Demark's BBQ (Austin, TX)

A few weeks ago, I had a lunch scheduled at Smokey Denmark's BBQ, a food trailer at 3505 E. 5th St. Due to the rain, the lunch was rescheduled, but I stopped in anyway to check it out for the first time. Spent time chatting with pit master Bill Dumas, who loves his job so much. He was kind enough to show me the trailer and smoker. I ate a pork rib on the spot and took some food to go, namely the Double Oinker: a sandwich with pulled pork, sausage, & slaw. Here are some pics. More to come.

The Q Joint set to open in New Caney, TX

Just got word of a BBQ joint that is opening soon. The Q Joint will open March 6 in New Caney, TX.  Address: 21928 Loop 494 (at Community Gras). For more information, follow Q Joint on Twitter.

June 27 Texas Q Tours public tour!

Time to announce our third Texas Q Tours public Saturday tour of 2015! Our first is heading north. The second is heading south. For the third, we're going west, young man! On Saturday, June 27, we're off an all-inclusive day of BBQ, vodka, & craft beer. Here's the itinerary (subject to change):

Hwy 29 BBQ (BBQ & pit tour)
Opie's Barbecue (BBQ & pit tour)
Deep Eddy Vodka (tasting)
Twisted X Brewing Company (tasting)
Smokey Denmark's BBQ (BBQ)

Your ticket includes everything listed above and covers transportation & guide. There is no need for you to spend any money on the trip, unless you decide to make additional purchases at any of the stops. You hop on the van, relax, and we cart you around. Trip should depart Austin around 10:00 AM and return around 5:30 PM. Must be 21 or older to purchase. No refunds. If you have questions, email us. 

Texas BBQ Wannabe: 127

127. Firehouse on the Run Famous Texas BBQ (Black Forest, Colorado)

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)

106. The Beast (Paris, France)

107. Texas BBQ (Tel Aviv, Israel)

108. Horse Thief BBQ (Los Angeles)

109. BBQ Rush (Tucson, AZ)

110. Allison's Texas BBQ (Mesa, AZ)

111. The Proper Pig BBQ (Cleveland, OH)

112. The Beach Pit (St. George Island, FL)

113. Rangers Texas BBQ (Sydney, Australia)

114. Taste of Texas BBQ (Waitara, Australia)

115. Marley's Central Texas BBQ (Albuquerque, NM) 

116. Round Up Texas Smoked BBQ (Cold Spring, NY)

117. Texas Pit BBQ (Cloudcroft, NN)

118. Joe's Texan BBQ (Currumbin, Australia)

119. The Calhoun Family's Texas Barbeque (Murrieta, CA)

120. Rio Grande Texas Barbecue (Balgowlah, Australia) 

121. The Texan Bar-B-Q & Chili House (Algonquin, IL)
122. Bob's Omahoma Barbeque (Wooster, OH)
123. Gary Ray's Texas BBQ (Tucson, AZ)
124. Texas Barbecue Cafe (Stabekk, Norway)
125. Morgan's Brooklyn Barbecue (Brooklyn, NY)
126. All Friends Smokehouse (Westport, MA)
127. Firehouse on the Run Famous Texas BBQ (Black Forest, CO)

April 10 Texas Q Tours public tour!

We're pumped to announce a unique Texas Q Tours public tour! Unique in that, for the first time, we will lead a public tour on a FRIDAY! It's a stripped-down, shorter tour that will let you enjoy a Friday night with us. The tour is Friday, April 10, and it's a 2-stop tour. We're starting with a craft-beer tasting and ending with dinner, drinks, & dancing (if you're so inclined) at an iconic Central Texas BBQ joint. Here's the lineup:

Hops & Grain Brewing (craft-beer tasting)
Cele Store (family-style, 3-meat dinner, with 1 adult beverage, & live music, courtesy of Cele Store's House Band)

Everyone will arrive on his/her own at Hops & Grain, and then we will transport you to and from the restaurant. We will likely depart for the restaurant around 6:30. Your ticket includes everything listed above and covers transportation & guide. Your ticket also includes The Q Card, which entitles you to a range of deals/discounts at various Texas BBQ joints. There is no need for you to spend any money on the trip, unless you decide to make additional purchases at either of the stops. Must be 21 or older to purchase. No refunds. If you have questions, email us. 

Texas BBQ Wannabe: 126

126. All Friends Smokehouse (Westport, Massachusetts) - "Texas Style Bar-B-Que with a New England Twist"

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)

106. The Beast (Paris, France)

107. Texas BBQ (Tel Aviv, Israel)

108. Horse Thief BBQ (Los Angeles)

109. BBQ Rush (Tucson, AZ)

110. Allison's Texas BBQ (Mesa, AZ)

111. The Proper Pig BBQ (Cleveland, OH)

112. The Beach Pit (St. George Island, FL)

113. Rangers Texas BBQ (Sydney, Australia)

114. Taste of Texas BBQ (Waitara, Australia)

115. Marley's Central Texas BBQ (Albuquerque, NM) 

116. Round Up Texas Smoked BBQ (Cold Spring, NY)

117. Texas Pit BBQ (Cloudcroft, NN)

118. Joe's Texan BBQ (Currumbin, Australia)

119. The Calhoun Family's Texas Barbeque (Murrieta, CA)

120. Rio Grande Texas Barbecue (Balgowlah, Australia) 

121. The Texan Bar-B-Q & Chili House (Algonquin, IL)
122. Bob's Omahoma Barbeque (Wooster, OH)
123. Gary Ray's Texas BBQ (Tucson, AZ)
124. Texas Barbecue Cafe (Stabekk, Norway)
125. Morgan's Brooklyn Barbecue (Brooklyn, NY)
126. All Friends Smokehouse (Westport, MA)

April 18 Texas Q Tours public tour!

We're excited to announce our second Texas Q Tours public tour of 2015! Our first tour is heading north, so we decided to head south for our second tour. On Saturday, April 18, we're off an all-inclusive day of BBQ, rum, craft beer, & pie. Here's the itinerary (subject to change):

Nutter Buster BBQ & Comfort (meal & pit tour)
Cypress Creek Reserve (rum tasting & distillery tour)
Wimberley Pie Co. (pie, of course)
Middleton Brewing (tasting & tour)
Hays County Bar-B-Que (meal & pit tour)

Your ticket includes everything listed above and covers transportation & guide. There is no need for you to spend any money on the trip, unless you decide to make additional purchases at any of the stops. You hop on the van, relax, and we cart you around. Trip should depart Austin around 10:30 AM and return around 6:30 PM. Must be 21 or older to purchase. No refunds. If you have questions, email us. 

Wednesday's dinner at Rudy's (Austin, TX)

Last Wednesday, a group of us had dinner at Rudy's County Store & Bar-B-Q on Hwy. 360 in Austin. My wife, daughter, & I shared brisket, sausage, baby-back pork ribs, turkey, creamed corn, and new potatoes:

Thrillist's "The 11 Best BBQ Cities in America"

Another day, another BBQ list! This one from Thrillist: The 11 Best BBQ Cities in America. Two of the 11 on the list are in Texas. Can you guess which 2? They landed at #3 and #1. Check out the full list, and let us know your thoughts!

2014 Readers' Choice Awards Winners

All January, I received votes for our 2014 Readers' Choice Awards. (As always, I didn't vote. Just tallied.) Geographically, the BBQ joints you voted for were the most varied we've ever had. Without further ado, here are your picks:

Best Brisket: Franklin Barbecue (Austin, TX)

Best Overall: Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, TX)

3rd Annual Houston Barbecue Festival!

From our favorite BBQ friends in Houston, the press release for the 3rd Annual Houston Barbecue Festival!

WHAT: The 3rd Annual Houston Barbecue Festival will celebrate and recognize what is unique about Houston barbecue. Specifically, we want to:

• Recognize the talent, hard work, and dedication of the owners and pitmasters that make Houston barbecue great.
• Make Houstonians true connoisseurs of barbecue by offering samples of great barbecue so they can choose to patronize those barbecue joints committed to only the highest quality of barbecue.
• Celebrate the diversity and history of Houston barbecue by including the many styles of barbecue found here.

WHEN: Sunday, April 26th, 2015 from 1:00-5:00pm. VIP Admission at 12pm.

WHERE: NRG Park, Green Lot. Parking entrance on Lantern Point Drive.

COST: General Admission ($50) includes entry into the festival and unlimited sample portions from each participating Houston barbecue joint. VIP Admission ($100) includes entry into the festival one hour early (at noon) and unlimited sample portions from each participating Houston barbecue joint. A T-shirt and one (1) drink ticket are also included in VIP admission. To ensure a quality event for everyone involved, ticket sales are limited. All tickets sold in advance, online athttp://houbbq.com. No ticket sales at the door. Tickets for the first and second festivals sold out before the day of the event.

A bar (beer and wine) and live music will also be included.

About the Houston Barbecue Festival
Now in its third year, the Houston Barbecue Festival will continue to showcase the best that Houston barbecue has to offer to a growing and diverse audience of barbecue lovers.

"Texas barbecue continues to be an international sensation, and Houston is at the epicenter of this trend," says J.C. (Chris) Reid, festival co-founder and Houston Chronicle barbecue columnist.

"With the emergence of highly-regarded barbecue outlets like Killen's Barbecue and Corkscrew BBQ and the continued success of local joints like Pizzitola's, Ray's and Gatlin's, I don't think it's a stretch to say Houston is challenging other cities for Texas barbecue supremacy."

This year's festival will feature most, if not all, of last year's list of the who's who of Houston's best barbecue. Currently confirmed are: Blake’s BBQ, The Brisket House, Brooks’ Place BBQ, CorkScrew BBQ, El Burro & the Bull, Fainmous BBQ, Feges BBQ, Gatlin’s BBQ, Gerardo’s, Killen's BBQ, Lenox Bar-B-Que, Oak Leaf Smokehouse, Pappa Charlies Barbeque, Pizzitola’s Bar-B-Cue, Ray’s BBQ Shack, Roegels Barbecue Co., Spring Creek Barbeque, and The Wooden Spoke.

A new participant this year is up-and-coming Blood Bros. BBQ which has developed a loyal following over the last year with their weekend barbecue pop-ups.

Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas will make another guest appearance to serve his Central Texas-style barbecue.

Additionally, staff from Texas A&M University's BBQ Genius Counter will be answering attendees' questions about all things barbecue, backyard or otherwise.

This year's premier sponsors represent two of Houston's most recognizable brands. Saint Arnold Brewing Company is Texas' oldest craft brewery and a long-time supporter of Houston barbecue. Pitt's & Spitt's has been building consumer and custom barbecue pits for Houstonians and international customers alike since 1983.

A note from our Charitable Partner
Vita-Living, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) social services charity that provides lifelong support programs for adults and children with disabilities like cerebral palsy and autism. We operate on the precept that every human being deserves an equal right to a decent life.  Since our inception in 1982, we have provided a range of support programs that currently include:

• Residential living through 17 group homes in Harris County which currently support over 70 adults.
• Host companion care, which provides respite care, nursing, and transportation, to 30 adults in Harris and Fort Bend County.
• Case management services to coordinate health-related supports, like attendant care and adaptive aids, to over 360 adults and children in seven counties.

A portion of all ticket sales and sponsorships will be contributed to the important mission of Vita-Living, Inc. 

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Where should we tour in April?

Planning is underway for a public Texas Q Tours trip on Saturday, April 18. I have a couple of itineraries in mind, but I'm interested to know what you'd recommend. We always want to supply tours that people demand, so please let us know where you think we should go.

Speaking of tours, our next public tour is Saturday, February 28. It's an all-inclusive, 5-stop tour. We're making stops for breakfast, BBQ, rum, more BBQ, & pie! There are only a couple of seats left, so if you want to join us, do it fast!

Lunch from Hays County Bar-B-Que (San Marcos, TX)

Last Friday, we stopped at Hays County Bar-B-Que en route to San Antonio. Didn't have time to dine in, so we got the order to go. Chopped-beef sandwich, ring of jalapeño-cheese sausage, avocado, crackers, pickles, onions, sauce, & iced tea.