Tales from the pits, a Texas BBQ podcast featuring trendsetters, leaders, and icons from the barbecue industry

We joined up with some of our friends in barbecue for a BBQ road trip to some of our favorite old school barbecue joints. For some of us it was a revisit to these classic places and for others it was their first visit.  We ended the day in Lockhart where we recorded this episode reflecting on our favorite bites and memorable experiences. We all agreed that while we love modern barbecue, it is grea...

Hector Garate has combined the inspiration of his heritage, his upbringing, and modern techniques to create a menu at Palmira BBQ in Charleston that produces high quality items from top to bottom. Serving high quality meats and flavorful, carefully crafted sides, Palmira has burst onto the barbecue scene and quickly become one to watch. In addition to being open seven days a week, Hector and his p...

Michael Johnson of Centex Smokers had welding in his blood, growing up with a father who was a professional welder. Though Michael originally resisted the idea of making it into a career, he quickly fell back on his years of training to embark on a successful career in the pipeline welding industry.  Growing up in Luling, barbecue was always a part of Michael’s life but it wasn’t until later that...

The Charleston Wine + Food festival is an amazing showcase of so many talented chefs and spirits professionals from not just South Carolina but all around the country. We were thrilled to be invited back to cover the event and made the most of our five days in the Lowcountry.  Tune in to hear about the whole hog road trips we made in between going to festival events, including one of the best bite...

Cole Parkman developed a passion for barbecue at a young age and after trying the conventional college route, ended up chasing his smoked meat dreams.   After being hired at Truth BBQ’s Houston location when it opened at 2019, Cole did everything from bussing tables to cutting meat and working pit shifts all the while learning from Leonard Botello, Corey Taylor, Reid Carson and the Truth crew. Aft...

John Bates had a long and successful cooking career before turning his attention to barbecue. After a decade running a scratch sandwich shop which included in-house pickling, bread baking and meat curing, he was ready for a change.  Interstellar BBQ launched in 2019 and quickly began receiving acclaim for their meats, inventive specials and exemplary sides. But the attention for Bates’ team grew t...

Having owned a BBQ restaurant for over twenty years, Russell and Misty Roegels are no strangers to the barbecue industry. After being part of a chain for many years, the Roegels struck out on their own in 2015 to great acclaim. Check our archives for episodes 39 and 40 to hear the story of Russell’s early career. Their original restaurant on Voss Road in Houston has long been one of the top  BBQ j...

Welcome to season three of Tales from the Pits! Season two was a whirlwind of travel and fun, and we have exciting news on what we have planned for 2022. Tune in as we reflect a bit on last year, highlight some of our favorite episodes to date, and provide details on some of our big show plans for the new season including a big announcement on our return to one of our favorite food events. The bar...

The much anticipated 2021 Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ List has finally arrived! Hear our thoughts on the top ten, the list overall, and some fun facts and tidbits about the long awaited list that always has BBQ nerds talking. Congratulations to all of the great spots that made the list, and make sure you go out and support all of your favorite local BBQ regardless of whether they’re on a list or not....

One of the most exciting times for both BBQ restaurant owners and fans alike is the release of the latest Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ list. Always a great resource for BBQ travels as well as a hot topic for spirited debate, the list is one of the most coveted accolades a BBQ place can receive. We both decided to predict the entire top 50 this time around, as well as the order of the top ten. While we...

We finish our countdown of the top 20 BBQ Spots in Texas with our final five spots. All of these places represent the best of the best that Texas ‘cue has to offer, and each one should be on every BBQ fanatic’s bucket list. Follow us on social media for more updates as we launch our website which will have show updates as well as additional information on our big Texas BBQ Hunt, including a map of...

We continue to countdown the best BBQ places in Texas! With this episode we highlight our 10th through 6th rated spots, a diverse group that all offer different and delicious menus of meats, sides, desserts with varied experiences. Let us know your thoughts on the list so far, we enjoy hearing the feedback and are always up for a spirited debate. It was no easy task ranking the best of the best, b...

After months spent crisscrossing Texas in search of the best barbecue we could find, we’ve completed our research, debated dozens of restaurants, and are ready to start unveiling our top 20. Tune in to this episode to hear us begin our countdown from the 20th best BBQ spot in Texas all the way to the 11th best. The next two episodes will unveil the final ten. With so much great barbecue available...

When we began our quest to determine the 20 best BBQ spots in Texas, we knew it would be difficult. It proved even harder than we suspected, but we’re finally finished with our search and will soon be unveiling our rankings. Tune in to this one to hear which 100 places we considered and what our ranking criteria was. We spent much of 2021 on the road traveling all over Texas, eating a lot of great...

No region of Texas has seen a larger increase in both the quality and quantity of good barbecue options the last few years than the Fort Worth area. While other cities have gotten plenty of rightful acclaim for their roster of BBQ spots, not as much focus has been placed on what has developed in North Texas. We were fortunate to be able to get together with some of the finest cooks and business ow...

Aaron and Christina Rejino grew up in West Texas enjoying family barbecues, but it was their first encounter with craft barbecue on a trip to Houston that started them along a path that would lead them to leave their day jobs to open a barbecue trailer in Olton, Texas. It took some time to start building their audience, but accolades would come their way in the form of positive reviews and a spot...

Dayne Weaver started his BBQ journey selling food from his front yard and in a few short years has built his business into one of the most exciting places for craft barbecue in all of Texas. After meeting and striking up a friendship with Thomas Loven, the leadership core of Dayne’s Craft Barbecue began to take shape. Every Friday through Sunday Dayne, his wife Ashley, and Thomas serve up deliciou...

Isaac Arellano never dreamed he’d one day turn his family’s full service gas station into a BBQ spot, but life has a funny way of working out. After delving into the competition cooking world a bit, Isaac got bit by the barbecue bug and quickly started down the path that has lead so many to retail BBQ in recent years. Along with his wife Ashley, Isaac began to explore the idea of selling the barbe...

To those that have followed the cooking careers of the Goldee’s BBQ crew it comes as no surprise that this Fort Worth joint has quickly ascended to “must visit” status on the Texas barbecue bucket list. After learning from some of the best in the business, this group of childhood friends built out their own restaurant and opened in early 2020 firing on all cylinders. Goldee’s persevered through a...

Evie Mae’s Barbeque grew from humble beginnings in Arizona to a trailer outside of Lubbock, Texas and just recently celebrated five years in their brick and mortar location. Along the way came many accolades along with plenty of hurdles but Arnis, Mallory, and their dedicated team have kept working and continue to put out some of the best barbecue in the state.   An opportunity arose in 2020 for E...

We’ve been hitting the BBQ trail hard in 2021, but no road trip was bigger than the one we had planned for May. With proper planning and a little help from friends we were able to cram in 20 BBQ meals over the course of five days. Traveling from Houston to Austin to Lubbock to Marfa to Fort Worth to Waco and back home, we were able to try some of the absolute best barbecue in Texas at the followin...

Ernest Servantes had made a name for himself in the competition barbecue circuit and on food television for years, earning the reputation of a smart, talented chef. Ernest and David Kirkland met and became fast friends during their competition days, and as both were ready to move away from the wild world of “one bite BBQ,” they turned their attention to retail barbecue. Ernest and David started do...

How many factors, and how important are those factors when comparing BBQ joints? Andrew and Bryan discuss sides, full menu strength, desserts, and the many elements that go into an experience factor. Is house made sausage a must, and does a strong protein menu with average sides outrank a joint with a larger selection of quality items? Years ago commercial pickles and generic sides were standard f...

Two years and a pandemic after our first interview we revisit Jacqueline Herrera and Brett Jackson at Brett's Barbecue Shop, one of the nation's smallest barbecue joints. We discuss introducing new meats to their customer base, managing a successful social media presence, future plans, and much more.  

We recently were able to sit down with Joe and CJ from Zavala’s Barbecue and the Brisket and Main podcast for a fun and candid sit down about restaurant life and how they’ve navigated through the obstacles they face in the restaurant business. The most recent hurdle Zavala’s faced was extensive damage to their restaurant following the ice storm that hit Texas in February. Zavala’s is slated to reo...