Game Day!!!

Hook Em!!!  Texas! Fight!  The eyes of Texas!

No BBQ review here today.  Just a brief word about today.  Today is the Red River Rivalry or Shootout or whatever is politically correct this year.  Big day in my household.  I will be hunkered down watching the game, tending the smoker while my brisket and ribs are going.  Waiting for the perfect meal to hopefully end a perfect day with a Texas win!!  BBQ and football just go together.  Today is just a great day. 

Today also makes me think of something else.  Today is not only Texas-ou but it is my dad's birthday.  My dad, my grammy and myself really had fun with today.  On the rare occasion when Texas would lose my grandmother would be the first to call my dad and tell him that ou won because they had better Texas boys than the Horns had.  Yes, I will admit here and in public.  I am 100% Texan but I do have okie blood as my dad was an okie.  I know, I know.  So Dad, I know you will be up there rooting for your sooners and I will be rooting for my Horns and I will miss you and Grammy and I just hope she doesn't elbow you and say, "You're Texans were better than our Texans."

I love you and miss you both and I will keep on smokin today thinking of you two.

The Pit Ain't the pits!

I have spoke many times about the beauty that is Texas BBQ and it will always be my favorite.  I do however appreciate almost all BBQ.  Each region has their own style and flair.  Well, I have always heard about how great Carolina BBQ is and I finally found out this week.  

I went to a place a local Raleigh resident told me I should go.  Stand back, he's going to The Pit.  The Pit is a great place in downtown Raleigh.  As soon as I walked in I could smell the smoke.  Oh what a smell!!  When in Rome right?  So I ordered the pulled pork and ribs.  The pork was great without any sauce and when I added that classic Carolina mustard vinegar sauce, it was off the charts.  The pulled pork is done old school.  It is truly a pig pikkin! I moved on to the ribs and they were amazing (The Pit beat Bobby Flay in a throw down).  Carolina style ribs are a little bigger and meatier.  Trust me, you will love them.  I got sides of mac-n-cheese and fried okra.  Don't know why because I only ate the meat!!  Yes, the meat was that good.

BBQ is a cultural thing and each culture has their own tastes and likes.  I love Texas BBQ but that doesn't mean I don't love Carolina BBQ too.  If you want to taste some great authentic Carolina BBQ to see what I mean, stop by The Pit in Raleigh, North Carolina.  You can't go wrong there.  Even the fried pimento cheese was great!!  (you are in the South remember!)

Enjoy some pulled pig and keep on smokin!!!

Rudy's BBQ and a Pink Ribbon

I have to tell you that pink is now one of my favorite colors.  If you know me, you know why.  I will also say that you don't think of pink and BBQ unless it is a smoke ring on a well smoked brisket.  Shannon and I found a great combination of pink and bbq this morning with nothing to do about a smoke ring.

We had ourselves a good little workout this morning and went to Rudy's BBQ in Allen for a rewarding brunch of breakfast tacos.  Rudy's has some of the best breakfast tacos out there.  The eggs are cooked great and the BBQ with the eggs is just awesome.  But the key to a good breakfast taco is a good tortilla and their tortillas are great.  I don't know where they get them or if they make them but they are good.  Overall, I say that Rudy's is a good choice for a good lunch and a great choice for an excellent brunch.  My big surprise this morning at Rudy's was the iced tea (great sweet tea by the way) and not really the iced tea but the cups for the iced tea.  Rudy's has changed their cups for the month of October to pink cups in honor of breast cancer awareness.  I love to see that.  I am a huge supporter of breast cancer awareness as it has impacted our family in many ways.  Seeing a local business supporting the cause is just great.  

So go by your local Rudy's , buy an amazing iced sweet tea and donate a buck to a worthy cause.  You will get a free tea next time and an awesomely cool pink cup to make all your friends jealous.  Thank you Rudy's for supporting this!

Holy Mouse, Batman!! Where's the BBQ?!

So spent the last couple of days in Orlando Florida.  Great place if you are a kid or love freakishly large mice, not so much if you want truly unique food.  I think I have found the birthplace of the chain/theme restaurant.  Now don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with chain restaurants.  I love a good Chili's burger as much as the next guy but when you travel for a living, well let's just say I don't want my Chili's baby back ribs.  I went searching for a BBQ place last night and just couldn't find one.  I know there are good unique places there and it is a fun town but House of Blues is not what I personally call a BBQ joint and neither is BB King's  (BB King's on Beale St. is a different story by the way).  

So if you follow me on twitter (@trinitybbq67) or Facebook and were looking for a BBQ review and recommendation, sorry.  No such luck.  I'm sure I will be back soon so please send me your suggestions.  In fact, just tell me your favorite places to eat BBQ around this great country.  Would love to hear it.  BTW, if you are looking for a good app for your phone, download Texas Monthly's BBQ App.  It is on the app store.  Great app!

Keep on Smokin!!!!

Houston BBQ!!!

I was in H-town last week.  I went by a classic Texas BBQ place for dinner.  I tried several meats they had there.  The turkey was pretty good.  Had a good spicy rub on it.  The brisket was good, not great but good.  The sausage was very good.  It was very cool seeing sausage advertised as Czech sausage.  You don't see that a lot and it is totally a shout out to the Czech heritage in Texas.  If you don't know much about that, you should Google Czech and Texas.  You will be surprised.  So, next time you are in Houston, stop by Goode Co.. on Kirby.  Great sausage and served in the classic Texas style.  You won't be disappointed in their style and flavor of a classic Texas past time.  Tell them Trinity BBQ sent you!

Keep on Smokin!!

Oldie but a Goodie!

I'm back.  Been awhile I know.  The road is quite a fun thing.  I've decided to make a change to the blog.  I tend to get long winded here. Going to focus on BBQ joints, recipes and Texas!  I will still go on a rant from time to time so just smile and say "Bless his heart."  

Oldie but goodie is right.  I went to visit an old customer today and stopped by a local BBQ joint in Bartlesville,OK.  Place has been there a while and overall the BBQ was ok but I didn't go there because they have some earth shattering rub or sauce.  I went there for the best side known to man.  Onion Strings!!!  Thinly, and I mean thinly, cut onions.  Lightly battered and deep fried.  A half order is as big as my head.  Take those things and put ketchup and their BBQ sauce (not a bad sauce either) and man, that is all you need.  I did try their brisket and sausage and they were ok but again, nothing to really cheer about.  But if you are ever in Bartlesville, OK, stop by Dink's Pit BBQ (Dink's BBQ).  Grab an iced tea and onion strings.  You will not be sorry!!!

Thanks for listening and keep on smokin!!!!!