Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
What goes around, comes around? I thought this was interesting. I’ve already decided that, after 3 trips to Texas, this time I’m not going to think so hard about the food but instead just have lunch with friends. With me having that attitude from my perspective, and pitmasters having this attitude from theirs, it kinda feels like a metaphorical handshake, to me.
I guess. One day they are celebrating all the variations of brisket available in Texas (insert latest flavor flair and the line, "we're doing things a little different") and the next day they are not. Does it really matter how long the brisket takes??
If it tastes good, then it is good. Everything else is posturing. The food dictates the method.
My take is, Vaughn sometimes gets overwhelmed by his own narrative and goes down a hole chasing new ideas. And then when he is faced with tradition, he crafts a new narrative.
But I think the reality is, the two have always coexisted independent of the Top 50 list that dominates the current scene. As one pitmaster told me last year, “It’s harder to find bad Q in Texas than it is to find good Q.”
I couldn't read the whole article, but I share Mosca 's opinion. The differences between brisket, ribs, chicken and such from one joint to another are pretty subtle. Heck, I can do a pretty dang good job of it at home, though maybe not from a volume standpoint.
That said, and with a nod to Panhead John, it's the little things that set the BBQ places apart for me. Side dishes and sausages are what get my attention, as well as an occasional dessert. A noteworthy and unique sausage, tater tot casserole, corn chowder, or banana pudding is what I'll remember the most about a place, as well as the ambiance.
The first thing I see is barbecue articles sell copies of Texas Monthly. Yes they can praise new ideas and fusion all they want but in the places we go once in a while it hasn’t changed in lots of years. I got what I perceived as a huge compliment from my wife. I ask her if she wanted to got to a bbq joint I found on line. She said no, she’d rather just eat bbq at home, “yours is all ways better than we get when we eat out”. I’m with CaptainMike I like what I’ve learned to do from y’all here. Day in and day out it’s better here.
Vaughn's article is good, but I think he is struggling to make a point....but never quite gets around to it. The closest he gets is the final sentence.
His premise is that after a time of craft BBQ and fusion BBQ....we are now coming "full circle" and we are yearning to get back to the basics; to get back to Traditional Central Texas BBQ (tm). No huge surprise there. Trends come and go....and there is a "baseline" we often come back to. Regression to the mean, as it were.
I think a point he was trying to make, given that he invoked Meat Moot and the 'tenderism' trend of the last year (don't go look that up, you will lose faith in society) at the of the article is that when you branch out, you can go too far.
When you branch out and while the result is something creative and anew, you lose authenticity. That is not a bad thing; after all, you've created something new. The problem comes in when you try to reconnect it from whence it came.
When you try to force authenticity back on something that is inauthentic, you end up parodying it and at worse, as in his example of the propane torches, unintentionally (or intentionally) fooling your audience. That is the point I think he was trying to make near the end.
(The last two paragraphs don't seem to fit in with the rest of the article, now that I look at it again. Maybe just weird editing.)
Brisket and ribs are pretty good wherever you go in Texas. With a couple of exceptions (KG BBQ for one - ribs are outstanding), the brisket and ribs from places trying to use fusion flavors still taste mostly like the old school stuff. As for the last part of the "Texas Trinity" of brisket, ribs, and sausage I really like creative sausages such as Tejas' Chile Relleno, Interstellar's Frito Pie, and Brett's Pico de Gallo sausage in Rockdale.
I'm really enjoying the creative side dishes and the fusion that is going on plus several places offer a Sunday Brunch - I highly recommend the Casanova at Burnt Bean. There are plenty of old school places still doing the simple "retro" stuff so there are lots of BBQ in Texas choices depending on one's mood. I like them all!
As far as brisket cooking times, most of the old places were/are cooking hotter than the new guys. I know at Smitty's in Lockhart the old brick smokers run around 300o or even higher and the brisket is good. I used to do low and slow at 225o but it takes a lot longer, I now shoot for 250o - 275o but don't get worked up if I go over for awhile.
West Texas brisket is historically cooked right over the coals (about 24" or more over them) like a whole hog or the ribs, pork steaks, and chicken at Snow's. Tender but a different texture than Central Texas style and a nice grilled flavor.
Last edited by 58limited; February 7, 2026, 12:54 PM.
Having just finished lunch at an iconic old school Central Texas BBQ place my preference is the old ways. I’ve been to a few newer style places and while generally it was good, it just wasn’t what I liked.
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