If you've listened to our show you know we love road trips and experiencing different BBQ across the U.S.     We traveled through ten states over six days, traversing over 3,400 miles to try over a dozen barbecue places that served different regional styles and visited multiple distilleries for a variety of different experiences. Tune in to hear what stood out along the way and learn a little bit about the different barbecue and bourbon we got to sample.      We're proud to partner with...

We asked our listeners what questions they’d like to ask pitmasters, and as always you came through with some good ones! We sent out questionnaires to several of the best in the barbecue world and many were kind enough to respond.  Want to know what Todd David, Lane Milne, Evan LeRoy, Leonard Botello, Arnis Robbins and Joe Zavala have to say about things like tallow, prime grade beef, reheating brisket, their favorite bites in BBQ and more? Tune in for this fun episode.   We're proud to...

Our recent trip to the Rio Grande Valley was filled with so many memorable food experiences. From innovative new school barbecue to classic barbacoa to chef driven tacos and even an over 100 year old gordita place serving out of an alley, it’s a trip we’ll be thinking about for quite some time. We go over all our stops on this trip and highlight all the standouts.   We know the cost of everything in life has gone up considerably over the last few years. Barbecue has certainly not been immune...

One of the fastest growing barbecue scenes in Texas is taking place in the Rio Grande Valley where local pitmasters are showcasing both the popular modern craft style along with menu items and ingredients they grew up with. We had a chance to sit down with many of the great business owners in this area for a special roundtable episode. Check it out!   We're proud to partner with Pitts and Spitts for this episode. Please visit www.pittsandspitts.com/tales and use promo code tales for a...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. Instagram: talesfromthepits Twitter: bbqpodcast Email:...

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...

No region of Texas has seen a larger increase in both the quality and quantity of good barbecue options the last few years than the Fort Worth area. While other cities have gotten plenty of rightful acclaim for their roster of BBQ spots, not as much focus has been placed on what has developed in North Texas. We were fortunate to be able to get together with some of the finest cooks and business owners in the region to help shine more light on this burgeoning scene.   Note: there is some...