Happy New Year, A Tad Early.....

I know I am a few weeks early there but it is time to get back on this horse.  Stepped away from the blog for a bit but now I am back.

So what has been happening with Trinity BBQ?  Well quite a bit.  The Ol' Pitmaster had to have his shoulder pretty much rebuilt.  If you ever have to do it, reach out to me and I will recommend a great ortho and the best physical therapy team in the world.  Shoulder is back 100% and I have been firing up the ol' VooDoo Child.  

Thanksgiving gave me a chance to try some new recipes.  A buttermilk brine is the bomb on a fried turkey.  I then smoked a turkey with a new herb butter rub and 24 hour brine.  A-Mazing!  

So new things are coming from Trinity BBQ so keep an eye on the blog. It is going to be a great new year.   We will be doing some upcoming events and getting back in the swing at Farmersville Farmers and Fleas in February.  Come by and see us the first Saturday of every month.  Grab a bbq sandwich and just shoot the bull.  

So let me be the first to say, "Happy New Year!"  Going to be a great year folks.

Oh and never forget.....  KEEP ON SMOKIN!!!!!

More Austin BBQ!!!

Last week was another trip to my favorite city.  I just love Austin.  My readers know by now that when I go to Austin, I always look for BBQ!!  My trip this time was no different.  

I decided to try out a pretty popular BBQ place that I have heard a lot about.  I know this place is ran by a pretty famous and popular pitmaster, John Mueller.  He owns and runs a trailer on E. 6th st in Austin called John Mueller Meat Co.  I figured with all of the press this place has gotten, it would be packed but I was pleasantly surprised that the wait wasn't too bad.  The business was very steady but the wait was relatively short. One of the things I like about BBQ is the experience and this place does not disappoint. The smoker is right there and you can smell that wood just burnin'! I got to the window and knew I had to try some of everything.  Everything was very good.  The brisket, unsurprisingly, was smoked perfectly and seasoned with a very good rub.  You better love your rub here because it is generously applied.  The sausage and ribs were awesome.  It is beef sausage and is moist with a nice peppery flavor.  The sides were so very good.  Potato salad was a mustard potato salad and I practically inhaled it! 

John Mueller Meat Co.

Overall, you have to love BBQ from a pitmaster that has been doing it for a long time.  If you are in Austin and over on E. 6th, you have to stop by John Mueller's Meat Co.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed and will leave with a full stomach!!  

Got a good BBQ story?  Share it with me.  Would love to hear it.  And hey.....

KEEP ON SMOKIN'!!!!!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!!!

Man, it is cold outside.  Have you been smoking much?  I haven't.  Too darn cold!  Do I still live in Texas or somewhere North of here?  Come on spring!  

Well, since I haven't been smoking, how was I going to fill that BBQ void on my own without buying it anywhere?  Easy!  I broke out the frozen brisket today under the advice of my wife.  What a great idea.  I always vacuum pack my leftovers so they are easy to reheat.  We boiled a couple of those bags of brisket, chopped them up real good and made us some brisket tacos and tostadas.  What a great idea!  

Two things.... never throw away those BBQ leftovers.  They will go a long way when you need to fill that BBQ hole in your gut.  Second.  Invest in a vacuum sealer.  It is more than worth it.  You can save so many things and make your food and dollar go so much farther.  

Let me know what you do to make the BBQ budget last and enjoy BBQ on days that make it tough to do!

And hey...Keep on Smokin!!!!

Keep It Coming Kenny!

How is everyone?  Been a while since I have written a blog so time to knock out a couple.  As everyone that reads my blog knows, I travel all over the US and I am always trying to find great BBQ and I have found a lot.  Well, it is always great to find a good place in DFW.  Truly good to great BBQ is kind of difficult to find in DFW so it is always fun to try a new place.

I was told about Kenny's Smokehouse by someone in Tennessee believe it or not.  I will say that I was skeptical when I saw the menu.  I mean what respectable BBQ joint serves an ahi salad?  Boy, let me tell you.  I had no reason to be skeptical.  Kenny's Smokehouse is some of the best BBQ in DFW.  I really enjoyed everything I had.  Every pork meat I had was moist and tasty.  They my have the moistest and tastiest pulled pork I have ever had and remember, I have had world championship pork in the Carolina's.  I am not a big fan of wet ribs but their ribs are really good.  Not too sweet and just enough heat.  The jalapeño cheddar sausage you can tell is homemade and is so juicy. Can you tell I liked this place?  The only thing that could be slightly better is they could cook the brisket a bit longer as the brisket had a little too much fat that had not rendered down.  But that is being hyper critical because the flavor was great.  The next time I went in, the brisket was much better. The test of good BBQ is the lack of a need for sauce.  You don't need sauce here.


A little side note here.  I made a comment on a comment card about the brisket.  Within 12 hours I had an email asking me about the experience and wanting my feedback and asking me to give them another chance.  Folks, customer service like that just does not exist anymore.  

If you want some great BBQ and you want to have a ton of choices in sides or maybe just a good grilled ahi salad, please give Kenny's smokehouse a try.  Trust me.  You won't be sorry.  Keep on Smokin!

Great BBQ in DFW? Yes Please!

Father's day was last weekend and it was a great day.  The day was filled with messages from the kids, a great movie, wonderful time with my wife and some great BBQ.  

If you read my blog, you know I am a huge fan of Central Texas BBQ.  Just love the way it is smoked and the simple flavors combined with excellent make it good enough to eat without sauce.  I think that is the best way to judge great BBQ.  Do I need sauce to make it good, if so then it may be good but not great. (note to sauce lovers out there.  Nothing against sauce just like it better if I don't have to use it.  I do love a good sauce though).

So let's talk about great BBQ in DFW.  Dallas/Fort Worth has some good BBQ but I think there is definitely a gap between D/FW and Central Texas.  Well I made a little adventure for Father's Day.  Shannon and I headed down to Pecan Lodge in the Farmer's Market in Dallas.  We walked in to see quite a line.  A 2 hour wait in line later revealed the wait to be worth it.  Pecan Lodge is a little unique in that they have things besides BBQ like fried chicken.  So to use Shannon's words (she got the chicken.  She is a huge fan of fried chicken and maybe I will get her to write a blog about Gus' in Memphis someday), the chicken was ok which is code for,"I should of gotten BBQ".  Now on to the good stuff.  The BBQ.  I will start with the brisket. It has a generous amount of rub on it to form a very nice bark.  This brisket is by far the best I have had in DFW.  The rub was almost a little too thick but it had great flavor.  I will say that Franklin's is better in my opinion but it was very good.  Now let's go to the ribs.  The ribs were spare ribs and they were phenomenal.  I really liked the ribs because they didn't have sauce on them and the flavor was outstanding with a lot of meat on the bone.  The rib sauce that is served on the side (nice!) was really good.  Vinegar based sauce with just a right mix of sweet and heat.  Really enjoyed that!  Last meat was the pulled pork.  Again, the meat was great.  They make their pork meat a little more salty and that taste is just so good with the pork.  The pulled pork was super tender and juicy.  I won't say much about the sides because honestly they were nothing spectacular.  Just your ordinary BBQ sides.

Summing it up, the food was very good and by far the best BBQ in DFW in my opinion.  However, the experience left a little to be desired.  I'm not talking about the wait.  That is expected with good BBQ but the overall experience felt a little cold.  I love watching the slicer slice my order up and serve it up. At Pecan Lodge, the order is placed and then sent to a back kitchen and produced through a door. You can't tell them  lean or moist or anything like that so you lose the experience somewhat.  Would I recommend Pecan Lodge?  You better believe it!  Great food and great BBQ in Dallas.  Finally!

Thanks and let me hear what you think.  Keep on Smokin!!!

Texas in Atlanta?! I Love It!!!

Ok, generally, when I see people say things like "just like Texas" or "authentic Texas Style BBQ or Steaks", I make a rude face and think to myself,  "see ya.  You ain't no Texas joint".  Well, I have to say that today in Atlanta, I was more than pleasantly surprised!

Fox Bros. BBQ is truly authentic Texas BBQ but with a twist.  Texas BBQ with southern style cooking.  You can get collard greens, black-eyed peas and fried okra.  I got mac-n-cheese for my side (sorry doc!)  The menu is definitely unique.  You can get your traditional BBQ items.  Pulled pork, (real) Texas Brisket, and smoked chicken.  No sausage, which was a little weird.  They also have smoked wings and tons of appetizers plus unique sandwiches.

I went a little bit different this time.  I usually do sampler platters but I always ask what they are famous for.  Fox Bros. is famous for something called the Fox Bros. Burger.  I had to bypass my usual sampler and try that.  I kicked off the lunch with smoked wings.  I have to tell you, those may have been the best wings I have ever had.  Sorry Plucker's but wow.  Those were awesome and not heavily fried, so even better. I finished off the wings and out came the burger.  Now understand.  The "burger" was actually chopped brisket covered with melted pimento cheese and peppered bacon with pickles, onion and jalapeno mayo.  The brisket was smoked perfectly and totally reminded me of authentic Texas brisket.  I can never find that outside of Texas so it was so refreshing (little note here.  The owners of Fox Bros. are from Fort Worth Texas so that answers how they know how to do their brisket so well!)  The "burger" was just amazing and it was huge, just like the wings.  Guess I have my dinner already in my hotel room with my leftover "burger"!!

Gotta tell you, if I gave out stars or thumbs up or whatever rating score other people use, I would give Fox Bros. BBQ my highest rating.  When you are in Atlanta, you have to try that place. You will be so happy you did!!!

Enjoy a great "burger" and Keep on Smokin!!!!!

Southern Soul is Southern Taste!

I have to say that I love Savannah and St. Simon.  I had to go there for work this week.  The geography here is just beautiful.  Quick side note, Savannah is a very cool town from the architecture to the history.  Could spend a lot of time in Savannah just studying. Luckily, the food is just as beautiful.  

I went to a well known place called Southern Soul.  It is in St. Simon and has just a cool and funky feel to it.  It has been on several food shows on TV so I of course had to check it out.  I went there this afternoon and tried the sampler platter.  I asked the young lady what they are famous for and she of course said, wait for it, ........the pulled pork!  I got pulled pork, ribs, sausage, fried okra and potato salad.  The food was all very good.  I think the sausage was best.  The pork was excellent.  Tender and juicy.  I will say, as with a lot of pulled pork, you need the sauce to really give it the kick you want.  The sauce was excellent.  They had a spicy mustard based sauce that was really good with just the right amount of kick.

Overall, I would say you can’t go wrong with some Southern Soul!!  Now, they do have some other things besides BBQ, like some very unique sandwiches.  If you find yourself in St. Simon, stop by.  You will be glad you did!!!

Keep on Smokin, ya’ll!!!