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BBQ Fandom is the weekly Texas BBQ newsletter from ExploringBBQ.com.
Quick rundown: What are we overlooking when we walk into a Texas BBQ joint already thinking about brisket, ribs, and sausage? This week, a stop at Reese Bros Barbecue has us looking beyond the obvious choices on the menu. Around the Fire catches up on the latest Texas BBQ news, while Pitmaster Picks brings beef ribs with Chuds BBQ, Evan LeRoy’s journey from food truck to Michelin recognition, and competition BBQ with Rusty Monson. Events Radar points toward upcoming Texas BBQ stops, while ExploringBBQ helps you find more barbecue near wherever the road takes you.
“I could have easily missed it”
Walk into a Texas BBQ joint and most of us know where our eyes go first.
Brisket. Ribs. Sausage.
I’m guilty of it too. But at Reese Bros Barbecue in San Antonio last weekend, something hanging beside the main menu board changed my order.
It was a handwritten butcher-paper sign for a Costra, a flour tortilla with melted cheese, confit brisket, salsa cruda, onions, and cilantro.
I ordered one.
The brisket was rich and tender, and the browned cheese added another savory layer, while the onion, cilantro, and salsa brought freshness and contrast to the bite.
But what stuck with me afterward wasn’t just how good it was.
I could have easily missed it.
The Costra wasn’t competing for attention with the familiar meats on the main menu board. It was a special hanging off to the side.
And that got me wondering how often we walk into a BBQ joint already knowing what we’re going to order and overlook something that might tell us even more about the place.
Reese Bros isn’t alone. Across Texas, pitmasters are taking smoked meats beyond the familiar sliced brisket, ribs, and sausage, turning them into dishes you may not expect to find at a barbecue joint.
The full ExploringBBQ article looks at the Costra plus two more examples worth looking beyond the main menu board for.
What to Order at a Texas BBQ Restaurant Beyond Brisket
Now it’s your turn
Most of us have a BBQ order we can practically make without looking at the menu.
What have you ordered at a BBQ joint beyond brisket, ribs, and sausage that you’d tell someone else not to miss?
Maybe it was a taco, sandwich, tamale, loaded potato, burger, side, dessert, or something written on a specials board that caught your attention.
Tell us what it was and, most importantly, where you found it.
Have a take on this? Share Issue #24 on Facebook and see what unexpected BBQ-joint dish your crowd thinks belongs on the list.
Until next week, keep chasing the smoke,
Mike
BBQ Fandom | ExploringBBQ.com
Texas barbecue keeps moving, even when the stories behind the smoke are complicated. This week brings a difficult farewell in Central Texas, two acclaimed pitmasters taking Texas-style barbecue to Brooklyn, and a behind-the-scenes look at how one of barbecue’s most influential rankings actually comes together.
Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue Enters Its Final Days
After nearly a decade in Pflugerville, Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue is preparing to close at the end of August. The restaurant continued operating after pitmaster John Brotherton’s death in 2024, but rising costs, beef prices, and parking challenges eventually became too much to overcome.
The response from customers has been striking, with supporters lining up and the restaurant repeatedly selling out as its final service approaches. It is both a farewell to an influential Central Texas joint and another reminder of how difficult the economics of running a barbecue restaurant can be.
MySA | August 19, 2026 | Free
Two Texas Pitmasters Are Taking Their Barbecue to Brooklyn
Goldee’s pitmaster Jonny White and Barbs B Q pitmaster Chuck Charnichart are joining forces for Kirbee’s, a new Texas-style barbecue restaurant opening in Brooklyn on August 30.
Rather than simply exporting brisket and ribs, the restaurant will bring together White’s Central Texas barbecue background and Charnichart’s South Texas and Mexican influences. That means traditional smoked meats alongside dishes such as lime-zested pork ribs and green spaghetti, giving New York diners a taste of just how broad modern Texas barbecue has become.
Eater NY | August 24, 2026 | Free
What It Takes to Build the Texas Monthly Top 50
A new episode of Texas Monthly Presents: The Story goes behind the scenes of the magazine’s influential Top 50 BBQ Joints list.
The 24-minute PBS episode looks at the work behind building the ranking, along with stories from some of the joints that made it. For BBQ fans who usually encounter the finished list without seeing what happens before publication, this offers a different look at the people, travel, judging, and expectations surrounding one of the biggest milestones in Texas barbecue.
PBS | August 16, 2026 | Free
If this issue made you look at a BBQ menu a little differently, forward it to the friend who always knows what they’re ordering before they reach the counter. Maybe there’s still something both of you have been overlooking.
This week’s picks cover three different sides of the BBQ world: lessons earned through years of competition and restaurant cooking, a look at how a Texas BBQ food truck grew into an acclaimed restaurant, and a hands-on beef rib cook that pushes beyond the usual flavor profile. Listen, watch, learn, and maybe steal an idea for your next cook.
Podcast Hall of Famer Rusty Monson Talks Smoke, Competition & Salt City BBQ
Podcast episode | August 20, 2026 | The Pitmaster's Podcast
Championship pitmaster Rusty Monson joins The Pitmaster’s Podcast for a conversation spanning competition barbecue, restaurant life, and the lessons that come from years around the pit. Monson shares experiences from the competition circuit and Salt City BBQ while discussing the craft, challenges, and evolution that come with building a life around barbecue.
From Food Truck to Michelin Star | Evan LeRoy
Podcast interview | August 19, 2026 | YouTube, DSE Media Podcast
Evan LeRoy, co-owner, pitmaster, and executive chef of LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, looks back at the journey from a food truck that opened in 2017 to one of Texas BBQ’s most recognized restaurants. The conversation covers building the business step by step, whole-animal butchery, controlling food costs, developing a team, storytelling, and balancing creativity with the familiar traditions people expect from Texas BBQ.
BBQ Beef Ribs Packed With Flavor! | Chuds BBQ
How-to video | August 25, 2026 | YouTube, Chuds BBQ
Bradley Robinson of Chuds BBQ takes on beef ribs with a flavor-forward approach that goes beyond a standard salt-and-pepper treatment. The cook incorporates salsa macha, built from dried chiles, garlic, sesame seeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and avocado oil, adding another layer of texture and flavor to an already rich cut of beef.
Labor Day weekend is almost here, but Texas BBQ competition gets started before then. Here are cook-offs worth having on your radar over the next two weekends.
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.
Fayette County Fair BBQ Cook-Off [Competition]
August 28–29 | La Grange, TX
The Fayette County Fairgrounds fires up this weekend for its 2026 BBQ Cook-Off. The competition is limited to the first 50 paid teams, giving BBQ fans headed toward La Grange another reason to make a Central Texas run before August wraps up. The organizer confirms the August 28–29 dates at the Fayette County Fairgrounds.
12th Annual Kow Kick BBQ Cook-Off [Competition]
September 4–5 | Junction, TX
Labor Day weekend brings the Kow Kick back to Junction with a sanctioned State Championship BBQ Cook-Off. Teams compete in brisket, pork spareribs, chicken, and beans, with additional contests and a kids cook-off joining the weekend festivities. The broader Kow Kick also includes live music and family activities.
Want the full August calendar?
Browse the August 2026 Texas BBQ Events Guide
Planning ahead for September? See the full Texas BBQ Events in September 2026 guide.
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.
There’s always another way to explore Texas BBQ. This week, start with the big picture, learn how to build a multi-stop crawl that actually works, then use the ExploringBBQ directory to find the joints along the way.
Plan the Ultimate Texas BBQ Road Trip
A great Texas BBQ road trip takes more than dropping a few famous joints onto a map. The Ultimate Texas BBQ Road Trip Guide helps you think through routes, timing, priorities, and the realities of covering Texas one smokehouse at a time.
Build a Better Texas BBQ Crawl
Trying to squeeze too many BBQ joints into one day can turn a great trip into a race between lines, drive times, sellouts, and an increasingly full stomach. The Multi-Stop Texas BBQ Crawl Guide helps you think through anchor joints, timing, portions, backups, and how many stops actually make sense.
Find Your Next Texas BBQ Stop
Already know where you're headed? Use the ExploringBBQ restaurant search to discover BBQ joints near your destination, whether you're building a dedicated BBQ trip or just looking for somewhere worth stopping along the way.
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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