Want the quick rundown before you dig in?
BBQ Fandom is the weekly Texas BBQ newsletter from ExploringBBQ.com.
Quick rundown: What’s one thing you’ve tried at a Texas BBQ joint that you hope catches on? This week, we explore old-school traditions, new-school ideas, and what future-school barbecue might mean, with room for all three at the same table. Around the Fire explores Kafi BBQ’s resourcefulness, expanded service at Goldee’s, and a possible return for Houston’s Barbecue Inn. Pitmaster Picks brings steak, wood-planked meatloaf, and Jess Pryles’ new book. Plus, upcoming events in Cuero, Odessa, and Austin, and ExploringBBQ guides for Lackland graduation families and a Lockhart BBQ day.
What Should Catch On in Texas BBQ?
A BBQ tray can hold a familiar favorite and something you never expected to order. That is part of what keeps exploring Texas barbecue interesting.
You might come for the brisket and leave thinking about a different cut, an unexpected side, or the way a joint welcomed you. Sometimes the discovery is a new idea. Sometimes it is a longstanding practice you are encountering for the first time.
That got me thinking about three terms we hear around barbecue: old school, new school, and future school.
In broad terms, old school carries established cooking practices and traditions forward. New school builds on those foundations through choices about cuts, ingredients, techniques, sides, and service. Future school is less settled. For this conversation, it asks what possibilities might grow from the work cooks are doing today.
These descriptions overlap.
Kreuz Market gives us an example of continuity in established practices. LeRoy and Lewis makes the connection explicit with “New School BBQ, Old School Service.” InterStellar and KG BBQ give us concrete dishes and culinary ideas to consider when we wonder what might catch on next.
None of those labels can tell us whether the meal tastes good or whether we want to return. And a flavor that feels new to one diner may come from generations of knowledge in the cook’s family or community.
The useful question is what these choices bring to the food and the visit.
On your next stop, notice what feels rooted, what feels distinctive, and what you would welcome elsewhere. The next thing worth catching on might already be sitting on your tray.
Old School, New School, Future School: What’s Next for Texas BBQ?
Now it’s your turn
Think about a Texas BBQ visit that gave you something worth remembering. It could be a dish, a cooking approach, or a small act of hospitality.
What’s one thing you’ve tried at a Texas BBQ joint that you hope catches on?
Name the joint and tell us what made it work.
Have a take on this? Share Issue #30 on Facebook and see what your BBQ crowd hopes catches on.
Until next week, keep chasing the smoke,
Mike
BBQ Fandom | ExploringBBQ.com
Around the Fire explores Kafi’s resourcefulness, expanded service at Goldee’s, and a possible return for Houston’s Barbecue Inn.
Kafi BBQ Makes Every Cut Count
At Kafi BBQ in Irving, Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi brings halal sourcing and a personal standard of hospitality to Texas barbecue. Brisket trimmings become sausage, excess fat becomes tallow for fries, and pomegranate beef belly burnt ends give diners another reason to explore the menu.
Rising costs are part of the story, but so are resourcefulness and dishes that express the cook’s own identity.
MySA | October 2, 2026 | Free
Goldee’s Adds More Ways to Plan a Visit
The Star-Telegram reports that Goldee’s Bar-B-Q near Fort Worth is expanding lunch service to Thursday through Sunday and offering advance online ordering.
For readers planning a group BBQ trip, the preorder option is worth knowing about. Goldee’s pickup site lists orders of 5–30 pounds total, so this is an option for a shared spread rather than a single lunch. Check the restaurant’s current schedule and pickup availability before making the drive.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram | October 6, 2026 | Access unverified
Could Houston’s Barbecue Inn Return?
Barbecue Inn served generations of Houstonians before closing over the summer. Now, Chron reports discussions about a potential buyer and a possible return under new management.
There is reason to watch, but a reopening is not confirmed. Family representative David Skrehot told Chron that multiple offers remain under consideration. For readers who remember the restaurant’s fried chicken and familiar hospitality, its future remains a story worth following.
Chron | October 2, 2026 | Free
If this week’s question brought a memorable BBQ dish to mind, forward Issue #30 to the friend you would take along to try it. Ask what they have ordered at a Texas BBQ joint that they hope catches on. You might discover something worth adding to your next visit.
This week, we’re keeping Jess Pryles’ new book on the radar and pairing it with two videos: a pepper-crusted steak and a wood-planked take on meatloaf.
Pepper-Crusted Steak au Poivre with Jess Pryles
Video | YouTube, Jess Pryles
Jess shares steak au poivre from her new book, Prime Cuts, with a peppercorn crust and creamy pan sauce. It is a change of pace from a long smoke and an inviting idea for your next steak dinner.
Wood Planked Meatloaf? Featuring Jess Pryles
Video | YouTube, Chuds BBQ
Chuds BBQ welcomes Jess Pryles for a wood-planked meatloaf cook. The familiar comfort-food dish gets a different treatment, giving backyard cooks something beyond the usual brisket, ribs, and sausage to consider.
Newly Released: Prime Cuts by Jess Pryles
Hardcover | October 6, 2026 | Murdoch Books, Jess Pryles
Prime Cuts: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Understanding, and Cooking Meat combines practical meat science with more than 100 recipes. Organized by cut, it helps readers understand what they are buying and choose an appropriate cooking method.
This Bookshop.org link is an affiliate link. ExploringBBQ may earn a commission if you purchase through it, at no extra cost to you.
The next two weekends offer three different reasons to get on the road: Cuero’s small-town festival, a West Texas cook-off supporting Special Olympics Texas, and a weekend of live-fire cooking and music in Austin.
Cuero Turkeyfest and BBQ Cook-Off
October 9 to 11 | Cuero, Texas
Cuero Turkeyfest combines a Friday and Saturday barbecue cook-off with a weekend of live music, carnival rides, vendors, and family fun. Saturday morning brings two hometown traditions: the Great Gobbler Gallop at 10:30 AM, followed by the Turkeyfest Parade at 11 AM. The broader festival continues through Sunday.
Hot Luck
October 16 to 17 | Austin, Texas
Hot Luck brings live-fire cooking and music together for an Austin weekend built around two main food events. Friday’s Giddy Up takes place at Franklin Barbecue from 5:30 to 9 PM and requires the Whole Enchilada weekend pass. Saturday’s House Party runs from 6 to 9 PM at Assembly Hall, where chefs from across the country serve creative bites in an indoor-outdoor festival setting.
High Steaks in the Basin
October 9 to 10 | Odessa, Texas
High Steaks in the Basin brings steak and barbecue competition to Ector County Coliseum to benefit Special Olympics Texas, with organizers advertising $100,000 in competition payouts. For visitors, Saturday is the day to go: gates open at 10 AM, public sampling runs from 11 AM to 2 PM, and general admission is $10 with two taste tickets included. Live music and a Special Olympics Texas athlete victory celebration round out the day.
Planning the Rest of October?
Two guides to help you turn a Texas BBQ outing into a day worth remembering, whether you’re celebrating a graduate or exploring Lockhart.
Best BBQ Near Lackland AFB: 3 Firsthand BMT Picks
Know a family coming to San Antonio for Air Force Basic Military Training graduation? Our new guide draws on firsthand visits to Reese Bros, 2M Smokehouse, and Pinkerton’s to help them choose a memorable BBQ meal that fits their day. Compare the stops, find nearby activities, and build a plan that protects time together and the graduate’s return schedule.
Texas BBQ Road Trips From Lockhart: Pick Your Perfect BBQ Day
Curious about experiencing established smokehouses and newer ideas on the same trip? This guide offers six ways to enjoy Lockhart, from a meat-market history day to a visit built around Barbs B Q and downtown. Choose one anchor joint, leave room for a shared tasting, and give yourself time to enjoy the town between trays.
From Our Bookshelf: Prime Cuts by Jess Pryles
Want to get better at choosing meat before you even light the grill? Jess Pryles’s newly released Prime Cuts is organized cut by cut, pairing practical meat science with cooking techniques and more than 100 recipes. It looks especially useful for cooks who want to understand what to ask for at the meat counter and what to do with that cut at home. The publisher lists its release for October 6.
This Bookshop.org link is an affiliate link. ExploringBBQ may earn a commission if you purchase through it, at no extra cost to you.
For the next BBQ run
Supporting Texas BBQ does not always mean ordering the biggest tray on the menu. Sometimes it means showing up, bringing someone with you, and keeping the places you care about in the rotation. Gear up for the next BBQ run.
Know about a BBQ event, new opening, road-trip stop, or story worth following? Send a note to [email protected].
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