Tales From The Pits, A Texas Bbq Podcast

When Kris Manning took over Smokey Joe’s BBQ from his father Kenneth Manning and Joe Melton, the original owners, he had a delicate balance to strike: balancing the traditions of a restaurant serving the community since 1985 with the desire to improve the overall menu by modernizing the cooking process. Kris along with longtime Smokey Joe’s pitmaster Earl Harris eventually swapped out their trusted but troublesome brick pit for well built custom offset smokers. Armed with newfound cooking knowledge provided by the tutelage of the Guess Family BBQ crew, Kris began making changes to some of the menu. The sides on the menu are a great homage to Kris’ upbringing and the simply seasoned hickory smoked ribs are a Smokey Joe’s staple that will never change, but the brisket they serve today is definitely the more consistent modern style familiar to today's barbecue audience. It’s safe to say Kris has done a great job straddling the line between tradition and evolving with the times.   Smokey Joes BBQ 6403 South RL Th

In 2015 Ryan Zboril bought the well known Houston based pit builder, Pitts and Spitts, and saw an opportunity to grow the brand of this longtime trusted company. Working alongside his National Sales Director, Coy Christoffel, Ryan and the Pitts and Spitts team have stayed true to the core of the business while smartly expanding its product line to appeal to everyone from backyard novices to competition cookers and seasoned pros. Listen to our interview with Ryan and Coy and check out Pitts and Spitts website to see a full range of their product line. Contact them to order your pit or grill and let them know you heard about it on Tales from the Pits! www.pittsandspitts.com  

As much as we love Texas barbecue, both the traditional and the modern styles, we’ve developed a strong affinity and appreciation for the different whole hog preparations in many of the southern states. A curiosity born from a few Houston area pit masters that had done some whole hog specials over the years, in 2018 we embarked on an ambitious tour through Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to sample and learn more about wood coal fired whole pig cookery. We returned to Texas with a new perspective on the barbecue served in those different regions. Coincidentally it was not long after this trip that whole hog cooking began gaining traction within Texas and it is fortunately much more readily available these days in the lone star state. That said, nothing compares to experiencing the history of some of the long time establishments. We highly encourage anyone who has an appreciation for BBQ culture or who wants to perhaps cook whole hog to visit as many of these places as possible. We’re exci

Having been involved in competition barbecue and running pop ups for decades, Derrick Walker is not new to the barbecue world. After years of working his way through the kitchen ranks at a hospital and getting a culinary degree, Derrick and his family launched their passion project, Smoke-A-Holics BBQ. After operating a food truck for a year, the Walkers opened their brick and mortar in Fort Worth just a short distance from where Derrick grew up. The community took an immediate liking to the food and the accolades would soon follow, including making the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ List in 2021. With a menu that is a welcome combination of barbecue classics that also draws from Derrick’s childhood food memories and utilizes his culinary skills, Smoke-A-Holics BBQ has something on the menu to please all palates with their “Tex-Soul” barbecue. Smoke-A-Holics BBQ Tues: 11a-3p (Turkey Leg Tuesday) Wed-Sat: 11a - sold out Instagram: smokeaholicsbbq  

Five years ago we launched Tales from the Pits to help tell the stories behind the people in barbecue. Daniel Vaughn’s writing and documenting of Texas barbecue has been one of our (and everyone else in the state’s) biggest resources in seeking out new places and visiting the classic joints. We were excited to have Daniel join us on this episode to discuss all things barbecue past, present and future, lists, Texas Monthly, and more. A big thanks to Daniel for sitting down with us and to everyone who’s tuned in over all these years! Thanks to Texas Monthly BBQ Club for sponsoring this episode. Get 50% off your first year subscription to the TMBBQ Club if you sign up during May for national BBQ month:  https://txmnth.ly/3FEvrJu  

We were thrilled to have the chance to sit down with Robert F. Moss during our recent trip to South Carolina for the Charleston Wine + Food Festival. Robert is a wealth of culinary knowledge and the research he's done on barbecue history is second to none. Born and raised in South Carolina, Robert is an accomplished author who has had several books published on Barbecue, spirits, and other facets of culinary history. He's an absolute wealth of information and in this episode we discussed topics ranging from modern barbecue, historical barbecue, and Robert's daunting task of composing Southern Living's 50 Best Barbecue Places in the South list.  Tune in to hear some great stories on barbecue history and be sure to pick up Robert's incredible books. Go to his website to sign up for his 'Cue Sheet newsletter.   Robert F. Moss Twitter: mossr Instagram: robertfmoss Website: robertfmoss.com   Thank you to Charleston Wine + Food for helping to facilitate our recordings during this trip Website: charlestonwineandfood

We joined up with some of our friends in barbecue for a BBQ road trip to some of our favorite old school barbecue joints. For some of us it was a revisit to these classic places and for others it was their first visit.  We ended the day in Lockhart where we recorded this episode reflecting on our favorite bites and memorable experiences. We all agreed that while we love modern barbecue, it is great to stop in to the historic places to see where barbecue came from and get a taste of more simple flavors. Thanks to Joe and CJ from Zavala’s Barbecue, Jay Arnold from Barbecue, Bets and Beats, and Terry Osborn for joining us on the trip.   Stops along the route: City Meat Market (Giddings) Snow’s BBQ Kolacny Bar-B-Q Spoetzl Brewery City Market (Gonzales) City Market (Luling) Kreuz Market Smitty’s BBQ   Thank you to The Texas Monthly BBQ Club for sponsoring this episode. Sign up via the link in our show notes for a 25% off discount on your first year of membership and be on the lookout for new details coming from Te

Hector Garate has combined the inspiration of his heritage, his upbringing, and modern techniques to create a menu at Palmira BBQ in Charleston that produces high quality items from top to bottom. Serving high quality meats and flavorful, carefully crafted sides, Palmira has burst onto the barbecue scene and quickly become one to watch. In addition to being open seven days a week, Hector and his partner chef Graham Calabria have also launched Cienfuegos, a pit building business inspired by the direct heat cookers Hector built to cook the heritage breed hogs he serves at Palmira. Check out Hector’s story and be sure to add a stop at Palmira BBQ to your next Charleston trip. Palmira BBQ Instagram: PalmiraBBQ Located inside Port of Call Food Hall 99 S Market St Charleston, SC Special thanks to Charleston Wine + Food, Hed Hi Media, and Arvaughnna Audio for helping to put this episode together. Charleston Wine + Food Instagram: chswineandfood www.charlestonwineandfood.com Arvaughnna Audio Instagram: Arvaughnnaau

Michael Johnson of Centex Smokers had welding in his blood, growing up with a father who was a professional welder. Though Michael originally resisted the idea of making it into a career, he quickly fell back on his years of training to embark on a successful career in the pipeline welding industry.  Growing up in Luling, barbecue was always a part of Michael’s life but it wasn’t until later that he’d start down the road of pit building. Through a few lucky breaks and word of mouth about the top notch quality of his work, Michael’s pit building business grew rapidly and he now makes pits for some of the best in the industry. Tune in to hear Michael’s story and contact him via Facebook and Instagram to start your custom pit build!   Centex Smokers Facebook: CenTexSmokers Instagram: centex_smokers    Sign up via our link to get 25% off the Texas Monthly BBQ Club! https://txmnth.ly/36qfadF

The Charleston Wine + Food festival is an amazing showcase of so many talented chefs and spirits professionals from not just South Carolina but all around the country. We were thrilled to be invited back to cover the event and made the most of our five days in the Lowcountry.  Tune in to hear about the whole hog road trips we made in between going to festival events, including one of the best bites of whole hog we’ve ever had. We had an awesome time attending the CHSWF events, supporting local Charleston restaurants, and eating old school South Carolina BBQ. Start planning for your CHSWF experience in 2023! Festival dates for next year are March 1-5! https://charlestonwineandfood.com/

Cole Parkman developed a passion for barbecue at a young age and after trying the conventional college route, ended up chasing his smoked meat dreams.   After being hired at Truth BBQ’s Houston location when it opened at 2019, Cole did everything from bussing tables to cutting meat and working pit shifts all the while learning from Leonard Botello, Corey Taylor, Reid Carson and the Truth crew. After building a solid foundation in barbecue Cole was ready for a change of scenery and set his sights on Austin.    LeRoy & Lewis BBQ was where he had hoped to work when deciding to move to Austin and he jumped at the opportunity when it arose. Nearly two years later Cole is one of the key members of LeRoy & Lewis where he’s able to learn everything about running a business and expanding his knowledge as a cook and service professional from Sawyer Lewis, Evan LeRoy and their team. Cole and his girlfriend Kasey are working towards their ultimate goal of opening their own place but in the meantime you can catch

John Bates had a long and successful cooking career before turning his attention to barbecue. After a decade running a scratch sandwich shop which included in-house pickling, bread baking and meat curing, he was ready for a change.  Interstellar BBQ launched in 2019 and quickly began receiving acclaim for their meats, inventive specials and exemplary sides. But the attention for Bates’ team grew tenfold in October 2021 when Texas Monthly named it the second best barbecue place in the entire state.  The achievement of being named near the top of the Texas Monthly Top 50 list has been life changing for the Interstellar team. Tune in to hear all about John’s career, the menu, and how they’ve navigated the recent change in business brought on by this accolade.    Interstellar BBQ 12233 Ranch Road 620 N. Suite 105 Austin, TX 78750 Hours of operation: Wed-Sun 11a-5p   Instagram: InterstellarBBQ Website: www.TheInterstellarBBQ.com    This episode is sponsored by The Texas Monthly BBQ Club. TMBBQ Club is

Having owned a BBQ restaurant for over twenty years, Russell and Misty Roegels are no strangers to the barbecue industry. After being part of a chain for many years, the Roegels struck out on their own in 2015 to great acclaim. Check our archives for episodes 39 and 40 to hear the story of Russell’s early career. Their original restaurant on Voss Road in Houston has long been one of the top  BBQ joints the city has to offer, and in 2021 they saw an opportunity to expand their brand in the ever-growing Houston suburb of Katy, Texas. Towards the end of the year Russell and Misty began the process of opening their second location. Roegels Barbecue in Katy - set to open any day now at the time of this episode posting - will be serving the same great ‘cue they’ve become known for alongside their rotating specials menu that features items like their smoked pastrami Reuben, turkey katsu sandwich, and housemade sausages. The Roegels’ standout pit crew that includes Alfredo Tapia and Fletcher Sheridan will keep lead

Welcome to season three of Tales from the Pits! Season two was a whirlwind of travel and fun, and we have exciting news on what we have planned for 2022. Tune in as we reflect a bit on last year, highlight some of our favorite episodes to date, and provide details on some of our big show plans for the new season including a big announcement on our return to one of our favorite food events. The barbecue world suffered numerous losses in 2021, and we spend a few moments reflecting on memories we have with two figures in barbecue. Our site: www.TheBBQPodcast.com Instagram: talesfromthepits Twitter: bbqpodcast

The much anticipated 2021 Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ List has finally arrived! Hear our thoughts on the top ten, the list overall, and some fun facts and tidbits about the long awaited list that always has BBQ nerds talking. Congratulations to all of the great spots that made the list, and make sure you go out and support all of your favorite local BBQ regardless of whether they’re on a list or not. TheBBQpodcast.com Instagram: talesfromthepits Twitter: bbqpodcast  

One of the most exciting times for both BBQ restaurant owners and fans alike is the release of the latest Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ list. Always a great resource for BBQ travels as well as a hot topic for spirited debate, the list is one of the most coveted accolades a BBQ place can receive. We both decided to predict the entire top 50 this time around, as well as the order of the top ten. While we have a lot of common selections, there are a few differences. We’ll see which of us had more correct predictions soon! Send us some of your predictions on our social media, it’s always fun to hear what our fellow fanatics are thinking. And remember, have fun with this list and eat at your favorite spots as much as you can! Instagram: talesfromthepits Twitter: bbqpodcast Website: TheBBQpodcast.com   Email: talesfromthepits@gmail.com

We finish our countdown of the top 20 BBQ Spots in Texas with our final five spots. All of these places represent the best of the best that Texas ‘cue has to offer, and each one should be on every BBQ fanatic’s bucket list. Follow us on social media for more updates as we launch our website which will have show updates as well as additional information on our big Texas BBQ Hunt, including a map of all 100 spots we considered. Check out the new website here: www.thebbqpodcast.com Instagram: talesfromthepits Twitter: bbqpodcast Email: talesfromthepits@gmail.com

We continue to countdown the best BBQ places in Texas! With this episode we highlight our 10th through 6th rated spots, a diverse group that all offer different and delicious menus of meats, sides, desserts with varied experiences. Let us know your thoughts on the list so far, we enjoy hearing the feedback and are always up for a spirited debate. It was no easy task ranking the best of the best, but we were rewarded with so much excellent barbecue along the way.

After months spent crisscrossing Texas in search of the best barbecue we could find, we’ve completed our research, debated dozens of restaurants, and are ready to start unveiling our top 20. Tune in to this episode to hear us begin our countdown from the 20th best BBQ spot in Texas all the way to the 11th best. The next two episodes will unveil the final ten. With so much great barbecue available all across the state, this was no easy task!  

When we began our quest to determine the 20 best BBQ spots in Texas, we knew it would be difficult. It proved even harder than we suspected, but we’re finally finished with our search and will soon be unveiling our rankings. Tune in to this one to hear which 100 places we considered and what our ranking criteria was. We spent much of 2021 on the road traveling all over Texas, eating a lot of great barbecue and trying to narrow down a very crowded field of quality spots. A huge thanks goes out to all of the friends we met along the way who helped us take on this ambitious task. We will be launching a companion website in the near future to keep you up to date on the show and provide more detail on our Great Texas BBQ Hunt. We will be including a map of all the spots, specific items to order, and episode links to places we’ve had on the podcast.   Instagram: talesfromthepits Twitter: bbqpodcast