HOUBBQ News - Houston Barbecue Events

In Texas cuisine, brisket has been around for ages

June 6, 2024 No Comments

One of the earliest references to brisket in Texas cooking comes from a rather ominous advertisement in the November 12, 1876 edition of The Galveston Daily News. “Proposals are invited … for furnishing supplies for the Asylums for the Blind, Deaf and Dumb, and Lunatic.” Among the many food staples solicited — flour, rice, beans, lard — is a request for “Fresh beef, 12 lbs. of good round steak and 18 lbs. good brisket each day, to be delivered by 6 o’clock A.M.” Round steak and brisket were cheaper cuts used to make stews and other dishes that combine meat with fillers like beans and rice to stretch the ingredients

Foldovers are a tasty throwback to barbecue history

June 5, 2024 No Comments

Depending on your point of view, the ample menu choices at a typical craft barbecue joint are either liberating or overwhelming. Beyond the trinity of brisket, pork ribs and sausage, options have spiraled into specialties such as beef ribs, brisket burnt ends, smoked chicken wings and tacos, just to name a few. More is better, right? Sure, most of the time. But sometimes, you just need a Texas barbecue fix. You may be short on time or money, and a $30 three-meat plate doesn’t fit the bill. In this case, a classic Texas barbecue foldover is the answer. It’s a do-it-yourself item that isn’t normally listed on the menu. The process is simple:

What’s the difference between cured and uncured meats?

June 4, 2024 No Comments

If you’ve spent much time in the hot dog aisle of your local supermarket, you may have noticed more choices labeled “uncured.” What does this mean, and should you buy “uncured” instead of “cured” meat products? The current debate over the safety of processed meats, such as hot dogs, sausages and bacon that are preserved with certain chemicals, is complex and contentious. Generally, many scientists and some governments have concluded that chemicals in the curing process, when ingested in high concentrations and prepared in specific ways, may cause cancer in humans. How could hot dogs or bacon possibly cause cancer? Ironically, it is due to a concern for food safety.

Banh mi is getting a makeover at Houston barbecue joints

June 3, 2024 No Comments

If you spent any time in Houston in the late ’90 or ’00s as a student or otherwise underemployed young person, you were well-acquainted with Les Givral’s on Milam. In the beginning, you could order a well-endowed sandwich on freshly baked bread for $1.50, which was even cheaper than the faux-filling sandwiches of chain shops opening at that time. Les Givral’s specialized in the banh mi sandwich, a Vietnamese classic that started popping up in Houston in the late ’70s and ’80s, along with classics like pho (noodle soup) and goi cuon (spring rolls). Like most delicious sandwiches, banh mi seem deceptively simple but are actually a complex combination of flavors and textures:

Texas barbecue feud: stick-burners versus pellets

June 2, 2024 No Comments

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

What’s the difference between competition and commercial barbecue?

June 1, 2024 No Comments

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

HOUBBQ News & Info

In Texas cuisine, brisket has been around for ages

Foldovers are a tasty throwback to barbecue history

What’s the difference between cured and uncured meats?

Banh mi is getting a makeover at Houston barbecue joints

Texas barbecue feud: stick-burners versus pellets

What’s the difference between competition and commercial barbecue?

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