Best BBQ Show

You may not read it in the headlines, but Shane Stiles has created what could be the most talented and hard working team in Austin BBQ. The Switch, a new Dripping Springs location for the Stiles Switch brand, recently opened and with it came some shifts in the Barbecue world. Between the two locations there are pit masters that used to call many pits their homes including Kreuz, Freedmen's, Louie Mueller, La BBQ, Smokey Denmark and Franklin. This company and army of #meatmen are cooking the best BBQ around and have spread the barbecue gospel by adding an amazing barbecue restaurant just 14 miles west of Austin.

When you walk in to The Switch you don't see the normal BBQ joint look. No old signs or smoke marks on the walls. This is new BBQ, this is table service, clean walls, and a bar that is so inviting you may never leave. I know I spent 2 hours at it as soon as I finished this interview. Jess Pryles was recently quoted in Forbes saying, "Open for lunch and dinner, Stiles is another workhorse of a barbecue joint... and their corn casserole may just be my all-time-favorite BBQ side dish." You'll hear more about that casserole in the interview.

Follow Stiles Switch, and The Switch on social media as well as all their amazing pitmasters:

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Catherine Stiles

Marco

Bill

Christopher

Braun

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Thanks,

Yoni

Ray Ramirez started by cooking a form of BBQ that he was seeing in the middle of America but when he went to Austin for the first time, that all changed. He tasted the slow cooked, wood fired, buttery perfection that is Texas barbecue and he never looked back. Now he sells more Texas BBQ than anyone else in LA.

I first met Ray at the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest where he was chewing on a bone from a tomahawk steak. He's a true #meatman and even competed with us for that hashtag all over social media. He now owns the idea of the meatman burrito, which is just a bigger version of the regular burrito that used to be on his menu. He's a hustler, a family man, and an all around great part of the worldwide BBQ family.

In this episode we talk about how he decided to add the word "Texas" to his name and what it was like serving the BBQ Snob. One of the reasons Daniel Vaughn was there, was because Ray's #meatman burrito has been taking social media by storm. If you follow any food accounts, you've probably seen the cross section of brisket, sausage, macaroni and cheese and more that makes up this 2 pound burrito.

In Los Angeles there are a few choices to get Texas BBQ. A lot of them are pop-ups and underground, but Ray's is located conveniently in Huntington Park. You can just walk in and order as much meat as you can eat. Plus maybe a little extra to take home. He slow cooks his meat just like many of the restaurants here in Texas. He's even getting an offset pit straight from a builder in Austin, which he'll be pulling with his Tesla...

Follow Ray's BBQ and tag any of the pictures you love with #meatman!

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As always, follow us on social media and tag @bestbarbecue in your #meatman photos!!!!

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Tag #meatman and don't be stranger!!

Thanks,

Yoni

While Adam, Brian, and Matt were away from their restaurant in Toronto, Ontario, they left an interesting sign on the door. It said, "ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. Key management staff are away on holiday.

You may encounter:

-Extra Long Lineups

-Carefree Attitudes

-Horrible Music Choices

-Stressed out Asst. Manager

Now if that's not leaving the place in style, I don't know what is. As far as style, these guys have thousands who have come for their BBQ and thousands more, including me, who have this as a key stop on their list. Why is Adamson BBQ such an important part of the BBQ world? Because, as Wayne Mueller spreads the gospel in his way, Adam and the rest of the crew cook in possibly the coldest place to get Texas BBQ, Canada.

What started as a food truck in 2013 is now a destination for people all over the world. Just a quick scroll of Adamson's social media can tell you that. They've got thousands of posts and tens of thousands of delighted followers. Their platters look like they were made in Texas and their desserts look that way too.

They don't care about fine dining or table service. What the Adamson guys are spreading is the true Texas style. Many of their first customers had to learn to share a large platter on peach paper. The butcher paper spread doesn't come naturally to those outside of Texas, let alone Canadians. None of these obstacles hindered Adam and his team. They continue to serve moist brisket, turkey, ribs, amazing sides and even beef ribs. Their BBQ looks world class and I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

For now, I have to be satisfied just having a conversation with them. These guys were too nice. They were so thankful to be in Texas and spent 6 days packing in all the BBQ they could eat. As true #meatmen I first ran into them at Snow's and we made friends over huge platters of BBQ. I am grateful for them taking the time to talk to the show RIGHT before they had to leave for the airport.

Thank you to the entire Adamson team and we can't wait to take the show to Canada and have some of the Best BBQ in Canada, Texas style.

You can find Adamson BBQ on:

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As always, follow us on social media and tag @bestbarbecue in your #meatman photos!!!!

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Facebook

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Tag #meatman and don't be stranger!!

Thanks,

Yoni

In Austin, BBQ can come in many ways. It can be classic, modern, tex mex but it's rarely available past dinner time. At Rollin Smoke BBQ in East Austin, Kyle Stallings takes his time to create great meat all day and all night. Most pit masters are used to being up early. Some cook from sundown to sun up. At Rollin Smoke their service ends right before sunrise.

I had a great time talking to Kyle about current affairs, sauces and dealing with the drunk crowd at 2am. His passion for BBQ started years ago when he had his trailer on the west side of Austin. He and other vendors were forced to move from that spot where a 32 story building now resides. The move didn't stop him from cooking though. Since setting up across from Austin music venue Hotel Vegas, he's had a great time playing with his menu. Cooking fun ingredients like beef cheek and doing huge juicy beef ribs on the weekend, Kyle always keeps it interesting.

His smoker is also unique. Made mostly out of necessity for the trailer, his pit is one long step from the register. His trailer is covered in graffiti art of pigs having a good time and delicious food. We had brisket, sausage, some smoked mac and cheese and even some perfect cubes of pork belly. He uses mostly post oak with a little pecan thrown in once in a while. Kyle is a true barbecue artist and I look forward to my next visit.

You can find Rollin Smoke BBQ at 1501 E 6th St Austin, Texas 78702. You can also follow Kyle and his delicious food pics on facebook and instagram!

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Brett Boren started out cooking at home and it quickly turned into a passion for competition. He cooks just like a Texas #meatman should! Brisket, ribs, even a chicken or two. What we don't know is where his next move will be. We know that he's going to have a permanent spot somewhere outside of Austin. What does this mean for the BBQ scene? Could we have a new dot connecting one of the many barbecue trails around Texas? I ask Brett as many questions as he's willing to answer as well as trying to get Mike to team up on him with me.

You heard Mike Wyont last week and he happened to be at Snow's this week visiting for his first time. He loves good BBQ and he got his fill this last Saturday! He spent most of the morning exploring the pits and talking to pit master Clay Cowgill. He also spent a good amount of time waiting to get his picture with Tootsie and the rest of the crew. No matter how long you wait for your food, there's always a line to talk to Tootsie!

Clay Cowgill jumps on the mic a few times to tell us what it's like cooking out in Lexington, TX. He even shares a little unmarked jar of "country punch" with us. I have to say, it tastes good and can probably help me strip some paint off my house. Clay cooks every Saturday at Snow's and has recently started donning an "I <3 Pizza" hat which has become all the rage.

The Best BBQ show travels, calls, even writes letters to pit masters all over the country to learn about what is going on in the BBQ world. We are always on instagram so tag us in your posts and we'll see what you're cooking! We're on all your favorite social media and we love to hear from our fans! The best part of creating this show is all you amazing #meatmen and #meatwomen out there. Help us spread the #meatman army and remind all your friends #dontsqueezeyourmeat!

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You may remember Mike Wyont from a few weeks ago when we went to Louie's in Austin and got an update on his trailer and what's next for them. Michael has supported Luis Vasquez of Louie's BBQ through some tough times, but that doesn't mean it's rainbows and unicorns for Mr. Wyont. He's spent years going from a trailer in San Marcos to a trailer in Whitney and now happily in a remodeled bar on route 22 just down the street from downtown Whitney and the lake.

Mike has a long history in BBQ working in Lockhart at Black's and starting his own business from scratch. He saw an overnight change in business when he landed in the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Joints. People came from all over Texas, and the world, to get a stamp and try some of his BBQ. I never got into the passport thing, I think mine is somewhere. Truly I just want to try all this great BBQ and meet the people making it.

Mike Wyont has a great spot in Whitney. There's tons of seating and parking in this remote locale. His staff works quickly and clearly enjoy the BBQ industry. They generously portion out his meat and sides like pros. Speaking of sides, Mike's training in classic French culinary techniques clearly shows through in the quality and consistency of his sides. From the perfectly chopped slaw and nicely seasoned corn to his tart and spicy homemade pickles. I wouldn't be surprised if they're selling these pickles by the jar (or the case) in the near future.

Here at Best BBQ we are constantly searching for great people cooking amazing food at the highest level. Flores BBQ does not disappoint. Mike Wyont is a perfectionist and it shows from the grace and care he takes with his BBQ. I'll be stopping by the next chance I get and I'll make sure it's one of the days he's making that beef rib. If there's one thing that I could eat as much as brisket, it's a beef rib.

You can follow Flores BBQ on instagram @flores_barbecue or follow the man himself @pitman_mike.

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Enjoy this episode where I get to sit down with my friend Brad Orrison who gave me about 4 hours notice he'd be in Ft. Worth, TX for a fantasy football event. He spent the night feeding hundreds of pork sliders to famous football players and their fans alike. He even delivered a special platter to the VIP room as a special request from Michael Irving!

We had a chance to sit down with him and Brendan Lamb before he had to take off back to Memphis. We set up in a secluded corner of the hotel lobby and ended up getting shut down! You'll catch that at the end, but enjoy the episode! I had a great time recording it!

Brad Orrison began his BBQ and Blues journey in 2001. This wild ride has taken him on quite a successful trip. It all began with dumpster diving, using G-Maw’s Lowes credit card, learning to slow smoke meat and put a menu together. When they opened the doors folks simply loved it.

Once there was a guy that spent most of his out-of-class time at Ole Miss scouting out, jumping in, and rummaging through dumpsters and street side garbage piles.  The highlight of his week was the “night before trash day.”  After graduation, he wanted to move back to the Coast.  One sobering morning he surveyed all he had collected over the years.  It was everywhere, it was insane: warped used two by fours, old tin roofing, bent nails, ugly windows, mountains of pure, unadulterated junk!

Not knowing what to do with it and not willing to part with a single plastic bucket or warped record, he built a trailer out of the larger parts and loaded the rest on top of this homemade junk hauler and moved back to Ocean Springs.

One evening while dumpster diving on the Coast, the guy, Brad Orrison, knee deep in hardwood flooring had an epiphany: “I’m gonna’ build myself a take out barbeque joint with all this junk!” Brad (24) and his sister Brooke (19) hammered and nailed.  They practiced cooking, smoking, and timing meat to perfection.  A few weeks after opening, Brother Brett (22) just graduating from Full Sail University in Recording Arts and being the sound engineer for the House of Blues in New Orleans, breezed in with all his knowledge and contacts to set up one of the finest Blues venues in the South.  Now, The Shed had all the elements it needed to become a true BBQ & Blues Joint.

I met Brad last year at the NBBQA conference in Fort Worth, TX and we were immediately friends. Over those three days we cooked, drank Texas beer, and even did karaoke together. Since then we took a trip up to Memphis for the World Barbecue Cooking Championships at Memphis in May where they won World Grand Champions after winning in 4 of the 8 categories. After winning it all Brooke told us that we are officially part of the shed family. This means that we'll be covering them as often as we can to get the story of this great restaurant and world champion cooking team.

Brendan Lamb has cooked Texas style barbecue at a few places and now he's creating his own restaurant in Ft. Worth, TX. Smiley's BBQ is still looking for locations but that hasn't stopped Brendan from cooking at pop ups and special events. Brendan is a true Texan in so many ways it's hard to count. One of the most obvious ones was that when we met up with him at the hotel his pick up had a nice stack of post oak right next to the stains from hog hunting!

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Flores Barbecue in Whitney is one of the top barbecue destinations in the state, according to Texas Monthly, which named it to its “Top 50 Best Barbecue Joints in Texas” list. "I cook my food the way I like it and it seems like a lot of people like it that way," owner Michael Wyont said. "We do put a lot of work into it,” Wyont said. “We make all of our salads from scratch, we make our brisket it smokes from 12 to 14 hours.” The owner knows the secret isn’t in the sauce. Instead, he says, it’s the pickles. “They will come back and they'll say ‘your brisket was really good, but man those pickles were amazing.’”

If you're a real #meatman you know that sides are just as important as the food that these masters cook! Michael, who has been cooking barbecue since he was 11, said one of his major barbecue influences has been Roy Perez at Kreuz Market. His dad and uncle would mess around with a smoker on the weekends, but, Michael said, “I knew there was more to it than what they were doing.” A stint at the Texas Culinary Academy put him on track toward opening his own place where he smokes with the same wood Perez uses: post oak.

It provides a sweet kiss of smoke on the prime-grade briskets. The tender slices were peppery with just enough salt. And, despite the forty-degree temperatures and a slight breeze when I visited recently, the meat stayed juicy. The same can be said for the mound of pulled pork I ordered. Moist and pleasantly fatty, each strand had some smoky bark clinging to it. A dip in the sauce, a dead-ringer for the orange nectar from City Market in Luling, was unnecessary, but I couldn’t stop. Nor could I with the excellent housemade dill pickles.

Louie's BBQ is located on south Congress Ave in Austin, TX. You can find it just south of the 290 Highway in a sea of food trucks. This isn't his first location but Luis Vasquez has been getting a ton of acclaim since he opened. One of my favorite reviews is on his facebook page from a guy named Chris Higgins, "The brisket! Oh my, the brisket! It’s like eating cake. So good. And the Sleeper. The Sleeper will hurt you. You have got to get to Louie’s. By far the best brisket I’ve ever had. Highly recommended. Get there early because they sell out daily."

Like most BBQ in Austin you gotta get it early if you want to get any. Luis is humble about his skills and truly takes on the duty of a Texas pit master. He also has great shady seating where you can smell that delicious que cooking while you have yours. His sides are not to be missed as well. The mac and cheese is smooooth and his cole slaw has a little lime and cilantro that truly cuts all the heaviness of the meat on your plate. Good sides give your stomach a break from the grease so that you can eat even more.

His street corn is classic with a few of his own twists and not to be missed. Most importantly he has Topo Chico. Not just the regular kind but the twist of lime as well. I know I can't get too far into a plate of BBQ without a little Topo.

Both of these #meatmen were great guests on the show and I am grateful for all their hard work. They truly put in the time it takes to keep the BBQ scene alive. Sometimes when you're sitting in line or waiting for your lunch break to start you forget that these pit masters are slaving away, every day, to cook you great food. Thank them an extra time today. Write them a 5 star review and leave a comment reminding them that all the hard work is worth it. I'm thankful for BBQ. I'm not sure what I would do without it.

Enjoy this wide ranging conversation we had with Rec Tec Grills Marketing Director Jody Flanagan. Jody was part of the team that cooked with The Shed and the 1st place wings at Memphis in May were cooked on a Rec Tec grill. They also made a ton of food all weekend including a huge tomahawk steak roast!

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You’ve tried it all: gas with no flavor, charcoal that doesn’t stay lit, a combination of the two that contributed to your cooking issues, and the solution you were looking for simply wasn’t available. No one likes to “settle” and thanks to REC TEC, you don’t have to. You no longer have to endure a labor-intensive cook, flavorless meals, or caveman technology. The REC TEC grill takes the worry out of cooking, allowing you the flexibility to walk away and never babysit your grill again, while still achieving the enhanced flavor of cooking with real wood. Whether you’re a newbie or an experienced pit-master, they have you covered.

As soon as you turn on your REC TEC Wood Pellet Grill, the Smart Grill processor goes to work by energizing the igniter rod located in the grill’s fire pot and adding just enough fuel to your fire pot to start the fire without smothering the flames. After a few minutes you see and smell the smoke coming from your grill.

Then the thick smoke from the lighting sequence clears and the thin clean smoke starts to roll. At this time your Smart Grill processor starts adding more pellet fuel and your temperature starts to climb toward your selected temperature. As the grill temperature closes in on your set point temperature, the Smart Grill processor analyzes the grill’s temperature data and calculates the proper pellet feed rate needed to reach temperature and hold steady while you cook.

When you open your grill lid to add food or check your progress heat will escape. When this happens the Smart Grill processor will start adding pellets and recalculating the necessary fuel to bring your temperature back to your set point. Additionally, as your food increases in temperature or the outdoor weather changes your Smart Grill processor will compensate for these changes to maintain the exact temperature you selected.

Lance Kirkpatrick didn’t grow up cooking barbecue. He didn’t come from a long line of barbecue cooks, but at the age of thirty-one he answered the most important newspaper ad of his life. Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas was looking for someone to help at the restaurant. Lance got the job which set him on the path to learn barbecue from the best – Bobby Mueller.

Stiles Switch has already made the Texas Monthly Top 50, and recently has been named the fourth and sixth best barbecue joint in Austin in two recent Top 10 lists. But Kirkpatrick doesn’t like words like better or best when talking about barbecue. He prefers the word favorite, and he’d like Stiles Switch to be your favorite.

The Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew team is lead by Taylor, Texas native and owner Shane Stiles along with lead pitmaster Lance Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick brings over fifteen years of industry experience and an impressive resume to the establishment. Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew, named after the historic 1800s I. & G. N. railroad stop Stiles Switch, Texas, is also namesake of the owner Shane Stiles. Shane’s inspiration for Stiles Switch BBQ is derived from his admiration of the Texas BBQ Legends he was raised on growing up in Central Texas.