HOUBBQ News & Info

Pitts & Spitts hybrid smoker

Texas barbecue feud: stick-burners versus pellets

Feuds — family or otherwise — are a tradition in Texas barbecue. Sauce or no sauce? Is it better to cook a brisket fat-side up or down? Do beans belong in chili?  That last one may only be tangential to barbecue, but you get the idea.  One of the most fierce and long-lasting feuds in Texas barbecue happens in our own backyards. Specifically, what’s the best type of smoker to use when cooking barbecue for family and friends on weekends?  There are two camps in this debate: the stick burners and the pellet grill aficionados. This argument pits the torch-bearers of the old-school traditions with the adopters of high-tech appliances that address

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Ribs on the smoker

What’s the difference between competition and commercial barbecue?

There are essentially three places to start cooking barbecue in Texas: in your backyard, in a competition, or in a restaurant. Traditionally, backyard and competition venues act as farm teams. Aspiring pitmasters cook for friends, family or judges who act as de facto talent scouts. As these amateurs accumulate praise or trophies at competitions, they may choose to make the leap to commercial barbecue, i.e., open a barbecue joint.  Most of the top barbecue joints in the state originated in backyards. For example, Will and Nichole Buckman of CorkScrew BBQ in Spring spent several years cooking for friends and family before opening their barbecue trailer and later a brick-and-mortar that’s now considered one of

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