Tales from the pits, a Texas BBQ podcast featuring trendsetters, leaders, and icons from the barbecue industry – Details, episodes & analysis

We’ve been asked what excites us to keep exploring barbecue after all these years. It’s not a simple question to answer because it’s evolved during our over decade long obsessions with barbecue. In this episode we go a bit down the rabbit hole of trying to explain what originally excited us, what interests us today, and how that has changed throughout our journey.

 

There may be no more majestic setting to cook barbecue than along the Columbia River Gorge in Hood River, Oregon. It is here that Brendon, Drew and Sam put down roots for their business, Grasslands Barbecue. Serving up superb smoked meats and seasonal scratch made sides, this trio is producing some of the best Texas influenced barbecue you’re likely to find not just outside of the Lone Star State, but the quality they’re providing would stand up against some of the best in Texas as well. Check the calendar on Grasslands website for their schedule which includes some exciting events and collaborations in addition to their regular service. Instagram: grasslands_barbecue Website: grasslandsbarbecue.com

 

This episode was brought to you by Zavala’s Barbecue Distribution. Rubs and sauces from some of the best BBQ joints in Texas and beyond now just a click away from being at your doorstep! Sign up for their new BBQ subscription box service! The first box featuring Blood Bros BBQ ships in July!

Check out http://bbqdistro.com/tales for all of your BBQ needs and be sure to follow zavalasbarbecuedistribution on Instagram.   Marvin Ross is a fifth generation farmer owning and operating Peculiar Pig Farm on some of the same land his family has been farming on for over a century. When Hector Garate started Palmira Barbecue, he quickly learned there was only one source for pigs that he would want to use.     

Dayne's Craft Barbecue is another quality edition to the growing barbecue scene in Fort Worth, Texas. Early memories of his dad cooking ribs eventually lead to Dayne’s fiancée Ashley buying him his first smoker and learning the craft.

Inspired by the underground barbecue scene of California, Dayne began hosting his own underground pop ups. As he continued honing his skills and building an audience, brewery pop ups would follow.

Dayne's Craft Barbecue recently made the leap to building out a brick and mortar with an anticipated opening date of late summer 2019. For the time being keep an eye out for regular pop ups as the restaurant is built. With a menu of high quality meats, housemade sausages and scratch sides, Dayne is well on the way to making his mark in the Fort Worth scene.

For more information catch Dayne's Craft Barbecue on the web at: https://daynescraftbarbecue.com/ Twitter: @daynetxbbq Instagram: daynetxbbq

 

It had been too long since our last roadtrip up to DFW so we gassed up the BBQ wagon and set off to the metroplex. While we have a long list of locations we need to scout out we were able to squeeze in five on this trip. Starting with Cattleack we checked into the Pitmasters and Punch morning chat that Todd David hosts, followed by whole hog and as much of the menu as we could eat at Cattleack before checking out Zavala's, Panther City, Dayne's, and Finally Flores before getting back on I45 and making our way back south.

We were very impressed with the barbecue scene and barbecue community that is really flourishing up that way.

Round two will come later this summer with Goldees, Smiley's, Riscky's, Hurtado, Brix, Slow Bone, and Ferris Wheeler's on our check list of places we need to go visit.

Who else should we put on our list? Let us know on Instagram: TalesFromthePits or Twitter: @BBQPodcast

We apologize for the audio quality on this one, as even more than normal its not optimal. We continue to experiment with microphones and recording options to improve as it is difficult to record in a moving car or at a busy restaurant, but this time we went a little backwards with the audio quality. 

The barbecue world has long been seen as a largely male dominated industry, with womens’ contributions to the profession often being overlooked. But the truth about many BBQ operations is that they would not be what they are without the hard work and passion of a growing number of women in BBQ. There are female pitmasters, BBQ restaurant owner/ operators, managers, sausage makers, cooks, meat cutters, and a myriad of other jobs in the barbecue world.  In this episode we’re joined by three of the great women in barbecue: Misty Roegels, Owner/Operator at Roegels Barbecue Co., Mallory Robbins, Owner/Operator at Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque, and Aubrie Hood, General Manager at Evie Mae’s. Please tune in as they discuss a wide range of topics from the difficulties of being a woman in what is perceived as a male dominated industry, raising a family while operating a restaurant, and more.

 

We were privileged to sit down with some great people in the BBQ world during the Red Dirt BBQ and Music Festival. The Red Dirt Festival takes place every May in Tyler, Texas and is widely considered the can't-miss BBQ event in Texas. Some of the state's best BBQ joints serve up tasty bites and in the evening Tyler's downtown square turns into an even bigger party as prominent Red Dirt music acts take the stage for thousands of fans.

  Tickets for Red Dirt sell out within hours, be ready for 2020 and make sure to keep up with info at: https://reddirtbbqfest.com/ https://twitter.com/reddirtbbqfest https://www.instagram.com/reddirtbbqfest/     This year we were joined by Jordan Jackson and Bryan Bingham of Bodacious Bar-B-Q, Dylan Taylor of Goldee's BBQ, and Cody Sperry of HooDoo Brown Barbeque in Ridgefield, Connecticut for a raucous and wide ranging roundtable. Topics for this episode include everyone's BBQ "a ha" moment, everyone's "Death Row last meal," and so much more.      

We've been traveling across Texas for years seeking out the best and most unique barbecue stops around the state. Through lots of research and plenty of trial and error we've had a lot of successful BBQ runs where we've been able to try a wide array of places in a single day or weekend. As Texas BBQ has become increasingly popular, we've had so many folks reach out to us asking for tips about which places to go and which routes to take. To help out our fellow smoked meat travelers, we're putting together some episodes to help plan out the best route options suitable for everyone's interests.

  Part one of this series focuses on a few different groups: The Casual BBQ Fan, The Prospective Restaurateur, and The BBQ History Buff. Each type of BBQ traveler will want to plan their trip differently to suit their interests, so we've put together some thoughts and tips suited for each of these categories. Whether you're only looking to hit up a few spots over the course of a weekend, if you're looking to see different business models in hopes of starting your own barbecue operation, or if you want to focus your trip on the classic old school joints in Texas, we've laid out all of those options for you here.     Stay tuned for future episodes in this series in which we'll tackle more aggressive marathon trips for the BBQ superfan, including how to eat at the entire Texas Monthly Top Ten List in only a few days.   

When Ronnie Webber was ready to retire from the Houston Police Department, he and his wife Nancy had their sites set on opening a barbecue restaurant. With no restaurant operation experience but a passion for cooking, the Webbers invested their savings into opening Tin Roof BBQ in June 2001. The then small restaurant was a success in its original location, but as they were ready to grow the business they knew a change was needed for an expansion of their operation.

The Webber family moved their location and expanded it in Atascocita, a suburb north of Houston. Tin Roof BBQ immediately immersed themselves in the community, and the neighborhood embraced them as well. Tin Roof remains dedicated to giving back to their community and those in need, generously contributing their time towards raising awareness and funding for different worthy causes.   Ronnie and Nancy's son Brek grew up in the restaurant, went to school, and returned to help operate and continue to grow the family business. As the restaurant is about to turn eighteen years old, Ronnie, Brek, and crew continue to evolve and improve their expansive menu. Brek recently lead the charge in switching to making all of their sausages in house and now showcases a roster of different sausage specials. Making hundreds of pounds of sausage each week is no easy task, but it's a commitment to constant improvement that keeps Tin Roof BBQ one of the go-to restaurants for their community.   Catch Tin Roof online  Web: https://www.tinroofbbqtexas.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinRoofBBQ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinRoofBBQ/   Location: 18918 Town Center Blvd. Humble, TX 77346

Hours: Tue – Thu: 11am – 9pm Fri & Sat: 11am – 10pm Sun: 11am – 3pm

There’s quite a bit going on in the BBQ world these days with openings and closings and special events happening seemingly every week. We take some time in this episode to talk about what we’ve been up to in BBQ lately, what’s coming up this spring, and answer some listener questions. We have a lot planned for the spring and summer, but if there’s anything you think we need to add to our calendar, let us know! We’re also always taking listener questions, so DM us on social media or email us anytime.   Twitter: @bbqpodcast Instagram: @talesfromthepits Email: talesfromthepits@gmail.com