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BBQ Fandom is the weekly Texas BBQ newsletter from ExploringBBQ.com.
Quick rundown: What Texas BBQ joint have you been meaning to visit, and what keeps it from becoming a real trip? This week, we follow the detour from Snow’s to Truth BBQ and ask when an unplanned stop is worth adding to the day. Around the Fire looks at halal barbecue, Ernest Servantes’ latest honor, and Lockhart’s changing BBQ scene. Pitmaster Picks brings stories from Sam Jones, B4 BBQ, and Original Black’s. The Events Radar highlights late-summer cook-offs, while ExploringBBQ offers road-trip routes from San Antonio and Dallas plus a free day planner.
“Didn’t you mention that you wanted to try them?”
He was right. Truth in Brenham was not part of our original itinerary, but we were already closer than I usually found myself. We took the side drive, tried the brisket, and it was worth it.
Snow’s remained the anchor joint for the day. Truth became the unexpected detour that turned a longtime bucket-list entry into another Texas BBQ experience I could finally say I had made.
That trip reminded me that the BBQ stop we keep postponing may not require the perfect weekend. Sometimes the opportunity is already nearby, waiting for us to recognize it.
The full ExploringBBQ article offers a practical way to choose the joint that matters most, use the “regret test,” plan around one anchor stop, and keep the route from becoming overloaded.
The Texas BBQ Trip You Keep Putting Off: How to Choose Your Next Stop
Now it’s your turn
Most BBQ fans have at least one restaurant they keep saying they will visit someday.
What Texas BBQ joint have you been meaning to visit, and what keeps you from making the trip?
Maybe it is the drive, limited service days, the expected line, or simply finding the right weekend. Tell us which joint is still waiting on your list and why it matters to you.
Have a take on this? Share Issue #23 on Facebook and see which BBQ joint your crowd keeps putting off.
Until next week, keep chasing the smoke,
Mike
BBQ Fandom | ExploringBBQ.com
What Texas BBQ joint have you been meaning to visit? Issue #23 explores the bucket-list stop you keep postponing, the unexpected detour that can change a BBQ day, and the question of what makes an unplanned stop worth adding to the route.
Texas Barbecue Is Getting a Halal Makeover
Texas barbecue is expanding into new cultural and culinary spaces as more restaurants serve halal smoked meats. The growth includes Yearby’s Barbecue & Waterice, founded by CJ and Sabrina Henley, and Levant Mediterranean BBQ, with locations in Houston and Frisco.
The story looks at how Muslim pitmasters and restaurant owners are adapting Texas barbecue while creating food that reflects their own traditions and communities.
Religion News Service | August 14, 2026 | Free
Ernest Servantes Joins the BBQ Hall of Fame
Ernest Servantes, co-owner and pitmaster of Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin, has earned another major recognition for his contribution to barbecue. The Uvalde-born chef joins the BBQ Hall of Fame after Burnt Bean’s rise to the top of Texas barbecue.
Servantes’ career reflects the continuing influence of South Texas barbecue, Mexican culinary traditions, and the personal stories that shape the state’s most memorable joints.
Uvalde Leader-News | August 17, 2026 | Free
Inside the Booming Texas Town With Some of the State’s Best Barbecue
Lockhart remains one of Texas’s essential barbecue destinations, but the town’s current barbecue story includes more than its historic institutions. A recent guide looks at the restaurants that define the town, from Kreuz Market, Smitty’s Market, and Black’s Barbecue to newer stops such as Barbs B Q and Riley’s Pit BBQ.
For anyone planning a Texas BBQ road trip, Lockhart offers a concentrated way to experience the history, traditions, and changing identity of Central Texas barbecue.
MySA | August 2026 | Free
If this issue made you think about the Texas BBQ joint you keep meaning to visit, forward it to the friend who would take the detour with you. Every shared issue helps us grow this community around the trips, traditions, and stories that make Texas BBQ worth exploring.
This week’s selections show three different ways Texas BBQ knowledge and culture move forward: through unexpected life stories, destination-worthy restaurants, and practical seasoning techniques shared by a historic Texas BBQ institution.
How Sam Jones Ended Up Cooking for Willie Nelson
Podcast episode | 2026 | Apple Podcasts, Smoke(less) Podcast
Sam Jones joins Nick Pencis of Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q, Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue, and Justin Fourton of Pecan Lodge for a conversation about the unexpected places barbecue can lead. The episode includes stories about cooking in Maui, spending time at Shep Gordon’s house, feeding Willie Nelson, and building a name beyond the legacy of the Skylight Inn.
Why it fits this week: This episode shows how Texas BBQ can become a passport to unexpected opportunities, friendships, travel, and personal growth. It adds the kind of behind-the-scenes storytelling that helps readers see the people behind the pit.
Texas’ Hottest BBQ Spot Is at a Feed Store
Video feature | August 13, 2026 | YouTube, Ant’s BBQ Story
Ant’s BBQ Story spends 48 hours inside B4 BBQ, a destination restaurant built around the story of its pitmaster, family, and commitment to consistency. The documentary follows the work behind the scenes, from morning fires and kitchen preparation to the finished tray.
Why it fits this week: B4 BBQ shows how a restaurant can become a destination even when it is located away from the state’s most familiar BBQ routes. The video gives viewers a closer look at the people, preparation, and daily discipline behind a standout Texas BBQ joint.
Expand Your Flavor Profiles With These Seasoning Mixes!
How-to video | August 17, 2026 | YouTube, Original Black’s Barbecue
Original Black’s Barbecue shares several seasoning combinations designed to help cooks build different flavor profiles for smoked meats. The video offers a practical look at how small changes in seasoning can create different results while staying connected to Central Texas BBQ traditions.
Why it fits this week: This is a useful how-to for backyard cooks who want to experiment beyond a single salt-and-pepper approach. It also gives readers advice directly from one of Texas’ oldest continuously family-operated barbecue institutions.
Three upcoming cook-offs offer different ways to build a Texas BBQ road trip, from late-August competitions to a Labor Day weekend event in New Braunfels.
Denny's Memorial Cookoff [Competition]
August 21–22, 2026 | Needville, Texas
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.
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?
BBQ on the Banks of the Guadalupe [BBQ cook-off] [community event]
September 4–5, 2026, Labor Day weekend | New Braunfels, Texas
BBQ on the Banks of the Guadalupe brings a competition weekend to New Braunfels, giving visitors the opportunity to combine barbecue, the Guadalupe River area, and an I-35 or Hill Country route.
This Week on ExploringBBQ
This week’s ExploringBBQ resources help readers turn a free day or weekend into a realistic Texas BBQ road trip, with starting points in San Antonio and Austin plus a practical planner for organizing the stops.
Texas BBQ Road Trips From San Antonio
This guide offers five practical BBQ road-trip ideas starting in San Antonio, including routes through New Braunfels, Seguin, the Hill Country, and nearby attractions.
Why it fits this week: It gives San Antonio readers a clear starting point for turning a free day into a BBQ road trip without overbuilding the itinerary.
Texas BBQ Road Trips From Dallas
Dallas offers access to a wide range of North Texas BBQ destinations, making it a practical starting point for a focused day trip or a larger regional route.
Why it fits this week: It gives Dallas-area readers a city-based starting point for building a realistic BBQ route without trying to cover the entire region at once.
Texas BBQ Day Planner
The free Texas BBQ Day Planner helps readers organize an anchor joint, arrival time, signature item, sellout risk, backup stop, drive time, portions, cooler needs, and BBQ Passport reminders.
Why it fits this week: Once readers decide which BBQ trip they want to take, the planner gives them a simple way to turn the idea into an actual day on the road.
Book Choice of the Week
ArnieTex: Over 100 Recipes for Mexican-American Cooking and Texas-Style BBQ
Hardcover | July 15, 2025 | Arnie Segovia
This is the strongest remaining choice from the available books shown in your Bookshop list. ArnieTex combines Texas-style BBQ with Mexican-American cooking, South Texas traditions, open-fire techniques, fajitas, brisket, chili, salsas, and family recipes.
Some links may be affiliate links, which help support BBQ Fandom and ExploringBBQ.com at no extra cost to you.
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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