The seductive aroma of smoking meat wafting over Downtown last Sunday came from Texas Monthly‘s first Texas BBQ Festival. The magazine published its most recent list of Texas’ Top 50 barbecue eateries in June 2008 and invited all 50 of those businesses to participate in an Austin-style Sunday afternoon of barbecue and live music. Nineteen pit masters answered the call and rolled into Austin ready to strut their stuff. The smoking started Saturday night in the Run-Tex parking lot, where those who had traveled the longest distances were allowed to set up in order to be ready to serve by noon on Sunday. When the party started, barbecue tents circled the scenic City Terrace of the Long Center, with pits smoking away on the lawn and driveway. It was a Texas barbecue lover’s dream come true: At the incredibly reasonable price of $15 per person, the festival attracted a sold-out crowd of nearly 1,000 people over the course of the afternoon. Even occasional rain showers did not dampen their ardor. Barbecue lovers visited the booths, sampling signature preparations and texting their votes in the People’s Choice Awards. The crowd enjoyed cold Shiners, cocktails, and live music at long communal tables under the seating tents; shopped for T-shirts in the marketplace; and learned to make classic barbecue sides from cookbook author Paula Disbrowe and desserts from Pastry Queen Rebecca Rather at the cooking demo stage. It was no surprise that Snow’s BBQ had the longest lines of the afternoon, considering Texas Monthly anointed the Saturday-only joint in tiny Lexington as the best in the state two years ago. Owner Kerry Bexley and pit mistress Tootsie Tomanetz served up their mouthwatering brisket as fast as they could slice it all afternoon. The crowd ranged in age from toddlers gnawing on rib bones to the venerable dean of Central Texas pit masters, 86-year-old Vencil Mares of Taylor Cafe. Second and third generations of legendary barbecue families from Lockhart (the Schmidts of Kreuz Market, Nina Sells and John Fullilove of Smitty’s Market), Taylor (Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue), and Llano (the Wootens of Cooper’s) were on hand upholding their treasured family traditions. Austin was ably represented by the brisket, sausage, and pulled pork from Lamberts. When the smoke cleared, the People’s Choice Awards were announced. Brisket: a tie between Snow’s and Buzzie’s Bar-B-Q of Kerrville. Pork ribs: Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q in Tyler. Beef ribs and sausage: Cousin’s Barbecue of Fort Worth. Congratulations to all the winners and a big shout-out to all the talented folks who shared their art and craft with us this weekend. This festival was a winner from start to finish. TM has yet to announce whether the festival will become an annual event, but with the quality and diversity of Texas barbecue available, the possibilities are endless. Kudos for a job well done! Fore a slideshow of the event, see www.texasmonthly.com/multimedia/slideshow/15209.
This article appears in September 24 • 2010.