Author: Matt Gross

Chili vs Brisket: Why Brisket Should Be The Texas State Dish

It all started with Paul Burka and his chiliphobia. Time to change the Texas State Dish to brisket from chili, he said. Chili is “tasteless mush” and an “obliteration” of flavor, he said.

Yes, yes. Texas chili is basically grease and spices.

On the other side we have Bud Kennedy putting in his two cents and proclaiming chili as a Ft Worth “icon” (lol, c’mon it’s “from” San Antonio) and tacitly suggesting that the chili vs brisket debate is really about Texas vs Austin. He also claims that changing the state dish to brisket would be an attack on “our way of life”.

Chili has a rich history in Texas, there is no doubt. But, brisket should be the state dish and here are some reasons why.

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19 Practical Gifts Under $20 For Barbecue Cooks

So you’re buying gifts for a barbecue fanatic and you’re not sure what to get. Or maybe you’re picking up a few things for yourself and you need a list to remind you of all the little things.

I’ve come up with a list of 19 practical gifts for the home barbecue cook, many of which I consider essential. The focus of these gifts, as I just stated is practicality. Nearly each one of these items is, in my opinion, critical to successfully executing perfect barbecue.

Without further ado, here’s my list:

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Goldis Sausage Co.

You won’t find brisket or pork ribs at Goldis Sausage Co, but you will find some of the finest sausages you have ever put in your mouth.

Keenan Goldis, owner and chief sausage scientist, operates this trailer behind Crow Bar on South Congress. Somehow it managed to slip by my radar even though I live right down the road. Well, I’m about to make up for all that missed time.

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Curly’s Carolina, TX

The barbecue revolution of Austin has finally spread into Round Rock. Curly’s Carolina, TX is the official representative for new school barbecue up there and I had the pleasure of trying it out at a recent soft opening.

It should be clear by the name that Curly’s Carolina, TX seeks to blend two styles of barbecue. However, it wasn’t until I arrived that I learned it was South Carolina and not North Carolina being represented here. I’m actually very unfamiliar with South Carolina barbecue so naturally I was excited.

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Austin Barbecue Society — September Dinner

Don’t miss the upcoming dinner with Tom Micklethwait!

If you aren’t familiar with the Austin Barbecue Society, it’s a group that was formed by Evan LeRoy and me this past summer. The last dinner we had was in September with John Lewis of la Barbecue.

John did a fantastic job and proved that he is even more talented than any of us expected. Rather than blabber on about the event, I thought I’d explain this one in pictures.

Tuna tartare on a house made wonton.
Tuna tartare on a house made wonton.
Peach and tomato summer salad with barbecued shallot vinaigrette, tarragon and preserved lemon.
Peach and tomato summer salad with barbecued shallot vinaigrette, tarragon and preserved lemon.
Pan seared scallop, hickory smoked sweet corn puree, red pepper, corn and basil pico.
Pan seared scallop, hickory smoked sweet corn puree, red pepper, corn and basil pico.
Bay leaf and champagne sorbet.
Bay leaf and champagne sorbet.
Oak smoked pork belly confit, roasted figs and string beans, mustard seed gastrique.
Oak smoked pork belly confit, roasted figs and string beans, mustard seed gastrique.

Two Bros. BBQ Market

Let me tell you about the last time I was in San Antonio.

It was 2002 and I was on my way from Kentucky to a camp way out in BFE Texas to meet some folks who, like myself, would be attending Texas Tech. I stopped in San Antonio with my mom and brother, saw the Alamo and ate a Whataburger. That’s it. That’s all the San Antonio experience I have in my whole life.

Luckily, I recently had to take my wife to the airport in San Antonio and had the opportunity to eat at a few different restaurants.

What I found shocked me.

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Freedmen’s Bar

Just off the corner of 24th and San Gabriel sits an historic building. The rustic, stone facade gives way to a small, but comfortable interior that looks as if it was plucked right out of the early 1900’s.

A pre-prohibition style bar, adorned with bold wood and surrounded by comfortable leather chairs, spans the length of the main room. A dramatic wooden door conceals one of the nicest patio areas in Austin. The unmistakable scent of burning post oak fills the air.

Freedmen’s Bar is not like the other BBQ joints in Texas.

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Duke’s Brew & Que, London

Just a few hours after arriving in London I had developed an insatiable desire for barbecue. Unfortunately, my British friends told me barbecue is somewhat elusive in Britain. Challenge accepted, fellas.

After a bit of research I found Duke’s Brew & Que just 1 mile from my flat. We headed out with low expectations and a fistful of pound sterlings to find some British barbecue.

From the outside Duke’s looked like…a British pub. The staff was incredibly friendly with Nick, a young, fashionable and incredibly attentive server taking care of us. We grabbed our seat outside and studied the menu. Continue reading “Duke’s Brew & Que, London”