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BBQ Fandom is the weekly Texas BBQ newsletter from ExploringBBQ.com.
Quick rundown: Have you ever built the same bite at a BBQ joint so many times that it became your own tradition? This week, we unpack the Texas Foldie and the unofficial ways BBQ fans personalize a tray. Around the Fire, Roy Perez prepares to retire after 39 years at Kreuz Market, the L&L Burger earns national recognition, Terry Black’s opens its pit room through a premium behind-the-scenes experience, and Franklin Barbecue takes its annual summer break. Pitmaster Picks explores how Smokey John’s preserved a family institution and how Goldee’s is helping develop the next generation. We also celebrate 2,000 directory listings and share a better way to plan a multi-stop BBQ crawl.
The Unwritten Ways We Build a Bite from the Texas BBQ Tray
I have apparently been eating a Texas Foldie for most of my life. I just never knew it needed a name.
There was no recipe or explanation. I would put brisket on a slice of white bread, add raw onion, fold the bread over, and eat it. Sometimes cheddar joined the stack when the joint offered it.
It was not a menu item. It was simply something we did at a BBQ joint.
Only recently did I hear someone describe a nearly identical bite as a “Texas Foldie.” The commonly shared version combines fatty brisket, sliced pickles, and raw onion inside one folded slice of soft white bread.
The name may be newer than the habit. White bread, crackers, pickles, onions, jalapeños, tortillas, and hot sauce have shared space with Texas barbecue for generations. Put those ingredients on a tray and people naturally begin building their own combinations.
Maybe you place sausage on a saltine with a dab of hot sauce. Maybe you wrap a link in a warm flour tortilla with mustard. You might add cheddar when it is available or use the final piece of bread to collect the brisket drippings and loose pieces of bark left on the butcher paper.
These unofficial bites reveal something about the Texas BBQ experience. The joint smokes the meat and builds the tray, but the customer often finishes the bite.
The Texas Foldie and Other Unwritten Ways Texans Eat BBQ
Explore the Texas Foldie, sausage cracker bites, tortilla wraps, cheddar variations, and the other combinations Texans quietly build at the table.
Now it’s your turn
Some of the best BBQ combinations are never written on a menu. They come from family habits, local traditions, or simply experimenting with what is already on the tray.
What unofficial bite do you build at a BBQ joint, and where did you learn to eat it that way?
Have a take on this? Share Issue #22 on Facebook and see what your BBQ crowd builds at the table.
Until next week, keep chasing the smoke,
Mike
BBQ Fandom | ExploringBBQ.com
It’s a busy stretch in Texas BBQ: a legendary pitmaster is preparing to retire, a nationally recognized burger is making headlines, a behind-the-scenes pit experience is opening to guests, and an iconic joint is taking its annual summer break.
Roy Perez Prepares to Retire After 39 Years at Kreuz Market
Roy Perez will retire September 5 after 39 years at Kreuz Market. He began as a sausage cook in 1987, became head pitmaster in 2011, and helped preserve the direct, uncomplicated Central Texas barbecue tradition that made Kreuz a Lockhart institution.
Recently inducted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame, Perez is more than a longtime pitmaster. He is one of the defining figures of modern Texas BBQ and a living connection between generations of Kreuz Market history.
MySA | August 11, 2026 | Free
LeRoy and Lewis Burger Ranked No. 6 in America
The L&L Burger at LeRoy and Lewis was ranked the No. 6 burger in America by Time Out, making it the only Texas selection in the publication’s top 20.
The half-pound patty is made from smoked and seared brisket trimmings, then topped with American cheese, grilled onions, dill pickles, and a barbecue-style sauce on a toasted potato bun. It normally costs $16 but is available for $10 on Mondays, when LeRoy and Lewis can sell as many as 600 burgers.
MySA | August 6, 2026 | Free
Terry Black’s Offers a $150 Behind-the-Scenes BBQ Experience
Terry Black’s is offering a one-hour, $150-per-person experience that includes time with the pitmasters, a guided smoker tour, and a reserved barbecue feast without waiting in the regular line.
The meal includes brisket, sausage, turkey, pork ribs, beef rib, sides, dessert, and a beverage. The package turns the work behind the tray into a premium attraction and raises an interesting question about how much BBQ fans are willing to pay for deeper access to the craft.
Local Profile | August 7, 2026 | Free
Franklin Barbecue Closes for Its Annual Summer Break
Franklin Barbecue is closed August 10 through August 20 so its crew can take its annual summer vacation. The Austin restaurant plans to reopen Friday, August 21.
The temporary closure is especially important for anyone planning an Austin BBQ trip during the next week. Franklin has confirmed the dates through its official website, so visitors should adjust their itinerary rather than arriving to an unexpectedly closed restaurant.
KXAN | August 6, 2026 | Free
If this issue made you think about the unnamed bites you build from a BBQ tray, forward it to the BBQ friend who has a combination of their own. Every shared issue helps us grow this community around the traditions, habits, and stories that make Texas BBQ worth exploring.
Pitmaster Picks
This week’s selections examine two ways Texas BBQ moves forward: one family preserving the business their father built, and one group of friends helping the next generation build something of its own.
The Brutal Business of Keeping a 50-Year-Old Texas BBQ Joint Alive
Video feature | August 7, 2026 | YouTube, Insider Food and Business Insider
Brothers Brent and Juan Reaves reveal how they transformed Smokey John’s from a Dallas restaurant losing nearly $10,000 a month into a business generating almost $4 million in annual revenue. The story follows their takeover of the family business, the 2017 fire that destroyed the restaurant, a difficult 16-month rebuild, rising meat costs, and their effort to carry their father’s legacy forward.
Why it fits this week: Texas BBQ traditions do not survive on history alone. Smokey John’s shows how the next generation can protect what matters while making the financial, operational, and personal changes required to keep a community institution alive.
Why BBQ Fans Travel Across the Country for Goldee’s
Video documentary | August 6, 2026 | YouTube, KERA Arts
This KERA Arts documentary explores how a close group of friends built Goldee’s Barbecue into one of Texas’ most celebrated BBQ destinations. Beyond the long lines and award-winning food, the film shows the demanding preparation behind its limited weekend service, the collaborative approach that encourages experimentation, and the classes and workplace culture helping future pitmasters develop their own ideas.
Why it fits this week: Goldee’s demonstrates that influence is not measured only by rankings or the number of trays served. Its larger contribution may be the knowledge, confidence, and opportunities it gives cooks who will carry Texas BBQ in new directions.
Three late-August cook-offs offer different ways to build a Texas BBQ road trip, from an immediate Gulf Coast weekend to a Central Texas finale.
Texas Chrome Hero’s Foundation Cookoff [Competition] [Gulf Coast Route]
August 14 to 15, 2026 | El Campo, TX
The Texas Chrome Heroes Foundation brings a CBA-sanctioned competition to Lost Lagoon RV Resort. The cookoff is capped at 85 teams, offers more than $20,000 in payouts, and includes chicken, ribs, pork, brisket, and Kids Que competition. Pair the event with an El Campo BBQ stop for a fuller Gulf Coast run.
Bell County Area Go Texan BBQ Cookoff [Competition]
August 29, 2026 | Belton, TX
The Bell County Area Go Texan cookoff closes the August calendar with a CBA-sanctioned competition at the Huntington Bank Expo. Along with the main meat categories, the event includes beans, Bloody Mary, Dutch oven, and Future of BBQ contests, making it a fitting anchor for a Central Texas or I-35 BBQ weekend.
Want the full August calendar?
Denny's Memorial Cookoff [Competition]
August 21 to 22, 2026 | Needville, TX
This CBA-sanctioned cookoff brings four-meat competition to Harvest Park, along with Cook’s Choice, Mystery Meat, and Future of BBQ categories. It is a strong option for Houston-area readers looking to turn a competition weekend into a less familiar southwest Houston BBQ run.
The Texas BBQ Directory Reaches 2,000 Listings
We have completed a major update to the ExploringBBQ directory, adding 678 BBQ joints and bringing the full list to 2,000 locations across Texas. We also identified and marked 131 restaurants as closed, helping travelers build routes around more current information.
Use the directory to find BBQ joints, compare nearby stops, build Bucket Lists, and start planning your next Texas BBQ run.
Know a Texas BBQ joint we should add? Logged-in ExploringBBQ members can send us a recommendation.
How to Plan a Multi-Stop Texas BBQ Crawl Without Overeating
A good BBQ crawl is not about squeezing the most restaurants into one day. It is about giving every stop enough room to matter.
Our new field guide explains how to protect the most important stop, pace your ordering, prepare backup options, and decide when that optional third joint is no longer improving the trip.
Five quick tips for a better BBQ crawl:
Choose one anchor joint that you do not want to miss.
Build the route around time, lines, and sellout risk, not mileage alone.
Save part of the group’s appetite for every planned stop.
Share tasting portions instead of ordering a full meal for each person.
Bring a prepared cooler and treat the third stop as optional.
Book Choice of the Week
Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook
Paperback | April 19, 2016 | Robb Walsh
Texas BBQ is built from more than smoking techniques. It also carries generations of stories, regional customs, strong opinions, and personal ways of building a plate. Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook combines recipes with Texas BBQ history and pitmaster recollections. After this week’s look at the Texas Foldie and other unofficial BBQ-joint bites, this book offers a wider view of the traditions that shape how Texans cook, serve, and eat barbecue.
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For the next BBQ run
Supporting BBQ culture does not always mean ordering the biggest tray on the menu. Sometimes it is showing up, bringing a friend, logging the stop, and wearing something that says you are part of the smoke trail.
Know about a BBQ event, new opening, road-trip stop, or story worth following? Send a note to [email protected].
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