How Ann Criswell helped launch rodeo cook-off
For many Houstonians, the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (aka cook-off) has been part of our early spring calendars for as long as we can remember.
The rodeo and livestock show debuted in 1932, but the first cook-off occurred in 1974. The beginnings were humble; only 17 teams participated. Fortunately, the judging team provided some much-needed star-power for the inaugural event. In addition to the obligatory local celebrities, a real-deal Hollywood star, Ben Johnson, was a judge. A veteran of many classic Western movies, Johnson had recently won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part in the film “The Last Picture Show.” Ann Criswell, the Houston Chronicle’s food editor from 1966 to 2000, also evaluated the smoked meat offerings.
Space City BBQ serves great craft ‘Q to Baytown
For barbecue entrepreneurs getting their start in a trailer, tending the coals and wrapping briskets in the 100-degree heat of a Texas summer is literally trial-by-fire. It’s the ultimate meritocracy – pitmasters who can make world-class barbecue in this extreme environment will often go on to open a successful brick-and-mortar restaurant where, if they’ve planned ahead, may include an air-conditioned pit room. Such is the trajectory of Logan Glenn, owner and pitmaster at the Space City BBQ trailer located on a dusty, sunbaked stretch of a farm-to-market road east of the Grand Parkway in Baytown. Glenn, 33, has been quietly building toward this moment for more than a decade.
Anthony Bourdain’s favorite sandwich is a barbecue classic
The late chef and food writer Anthony Bourdain is famously credited with the quote, “Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start – undoubtedly an accurate representation of his point of view on how food, and especially barbecue, can unite people and cultures. Another story attributed to Bourdain is his love for a particular sandwich made from a traditional deli meat and cheese. He first mentioned this sandwich in his 2016 cookbook, “Appetites.” Here, he provides a recipe inspired by a sandwich he encountered while travelling in Brazil, featuring a pile of fried mortadella (the Italian progenitor of American bologna) and melted Provolone cheese, with mayonnaise and mustard on a buttered and toasted roll. Undoubtedly a mouth-watering and crowd-pleasing dish.
Announcing the 2026 Houston Barbecue Festival
The Houston Barbecue Festival returns on Sunday, April 12, 2026, for its 13th year, celebrating everything that makes Houston barbecue unlike anywhere else in the world. The festival is presented by Goodstock by Nolan Ryan. With its sheer number of barbecue joints and an unmatched diversity of styles, the greater Houston area has quietly become one of America’s great barbecue cities. The Houston Barbecue Festival is the only event that brings together the full spectrum of that scene – legendary institutions, neighborhood favorites, and the city’s most exciting rising stars – all in one place, at one time, for one price.
Why aren’t there more 24/7 barbecue joints in Texas?
By many measures, barbecue joints should be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After all, most joints have staff on site all day, either cooking, prepping or serving. Why not just keep the doors open continuously and if someone wanders in in the middle of the night, have the pit team do double duty and serve them a basic menu of chopped beef sandwiches or a rib or sausage plate. Genius business idea, right? Surprisingly, though, there are very few barbecue operations serving smoked meats around the clock.
You might include Buc-ee’s in the list, as there are some locations open 24 hours. But I’ve never been to a Buc-ee’s at 3 a.m. to check if they still have pre-wrapped chopped beef sandwiches in the warming cabinet.
Announcing the 2025 BBQ Block Party: The New Houston ‘Q
The Houston Barbecue Festival, Goodstock by Nolan Ryan, and Saint Arnold Brewing Company announce the 2025 BBQ Block Party: The New Houston ‘Q celebrating a new generation of pitmasters that will continue greater Houston’s reign as the best and most creative city for barbecue in the state. Like the old saying goes, Houston is an hour away from Houston. It’s a big place to cover for barbecue fans searching for the latest and greatest smoked meats.
Fortunately, the team at HOUBBQ has put in the research and the miles to discover the next wave of Houston-area barbecue talent and will bring them together on July 20th for barbecue aficionados to taste their wares and meet these rising stars in person.
A brief history of brisket in Houston
A brief history of brisket in Houston. One of the few certainties of life in Texas is finding brisket on a barbecue menu. This was not always the case. Brisket only became a regular menu item in the 1960s, when Midwest meatpackers made them readily available by shipping them pre-butchered in boxes to restaurants across […]
Why Texas sheet cake is the unsung hero of barbecue desserts
Why Texas sheet cake is the unsung hero of barbecue desserts. Texas barbecue is, by and large, about tradition. One of its enduring and endearing characteristics is that it delivers comfort in both food and experience. Though many barbecue joints are branching out when it comes to new menu items, we’ll never get our Texas […]
Hot dogs are finding a home on Texas barbecue-joint menus
Hot dogs are finding a home on Texas barbecue-joint menus. Barbecue menus are expanding with new items, including tacos, burgers, fried chicken and enchiladas. More recently, another culinary staple is popping up: hot dogs. Of course, hot dogs are ubiquitous in any city’s restaurant landscape. Houstonians of all ages can recall their first visit to […]
Why the Caesar salad is a perfect match for Texas barbecue
Why the Caesar salad is a perfect match for Texas barbecue. Who goes to a barbecue joint to eat a salad? Apparently, quite a few people. Salads continue to make inroads on expanded barbecue joint menus, with one in particular taking a leading role: the Caesar salad. Why does a Caesar make the most sense? […]