Friday Find

Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue is a BBQ joint paying for a chocolate-making habit

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Monk: Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue initially started in 2015 as a craft “bean to bar” chocolate business by founder Scott Moore (alongside his wife Michelle Holland) who eventually added his chef brother Greg and craft barbecue “to pay for their chocolate making habit.” After coming in at #6 on the Texas Monthly Top 10 list in 2017, I’d say its doing a lot more than that.

In this video Scott, a fifth generation Texan, tells the story of how the combined business came to be after leaving a long career in the railroad industry, the philosophy behind his style of barbecue, and why he chose to open his shop in Tomball, a town of a little over 12,000 located about 33 miles northwest of Houston. And for the movie fans out there, Moore reveals a fun easter egg in that he has named his three Moberg smokers Donny, Walter, and The Dude after the main characters in The Big Lebowski.

Initially open from Tuesday to Saturday, about a month ago Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue announced they will now be open Mondays and Sundays from 11-5pm as well. If you do make it one of the seven days they are open, be sure to check out their inventive sides and desserts in addition to their barbecue.

Description: From the rail industry to chocolate maker, Scott Moore is now the founder and pitmaster of Tejas Chocolate and BBQ. Their craft barbecue earned a spot on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 list. In this chat, Scott talks about how their business changed when they ranked #6 on Texas Monthly’s list, their Moberg offset smokers, and using elevated ingredients.

Jon G’s Barbecue on The Low and Slow Barbecue Show

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Link to web version

Monk: Garren and Kelly Kirkman of Jon G’s Barbecue Show join Chigger in a recent episode of The Low and Slow Barbecue Show to discuss their business and their upcoming 2nd Annual Jon G’s Jubilee. As of this writing, a few tickets are still available, and the proceeds benefit the Anson County Partnership for Children.

Oh and thanks to friend of the blog Chigger for the nice link in the podcast description and the shout out during the interview!

Description: Jon G’s Barbecue serves Texas barbecue tradition in the small North Carolina town of Peachland, where he’s attracting plenty of big-city attention. Whether it’s Texas Monthly’s BBQ Snob, Southern Living, or the Barbecue Bros, everyone who makes the trek to Jon G’s sings the praises.

Show up on a Saturday, and you’ll find a line of barbecue fans waiting to taste the good stuff Pitmaster Green Kirkman and his wife Kelly are preparing. Miss him during his one-day weekend lunch service and tailgate party? You’ll find him near Charlotte-area breweries with the food truck that started his barbecue journey over a decade ago. Better yet, find him at Jon G’s Jubilee fund-raiser. That’s where he’s bringing together the best stuff from his barbecue buddies, as well as his own brisket that melts in your mouth and inspires you to plan a journey to his BBQ joint.

Find out the story behind Jon G’s, what makes the Barbecue Saturday experience so unique, and why so many Carolina barbecue people say his name when they’re talking about the state’s best-smoked meats. In this episode, Pitmaster Garren Kirkman makes his second visit to the Low & Slow Barbecue Show, and he brings along his wife, Kelly Kirkman. to talk about their business and charitable endeavors.

United States Barbecue as explained by geography

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Note: this article originally appeared earlier this year in The Smoke Sheet, a fantastic national barbecue newsletter that I regularly contribute to. For more information on how to subscribe, visit bbqnewsletter.com.

Monk: Phil Edwards is a Brooklyn-based journalist, producer, and digital creator who previously created videos on history, culture, design, and more for Vox. In this video, he sets his sights on barbecue and how and why different styles evolved across the US due to geography. Using a variety of historical maps obtained from Department of Agriculture Yearbooks from the 1920’s, Edwards explores barbecue through the lenses of meats, plants, and people.

Maps from a hundred years ago explain why certain meats caught on in certain parts of the country. Pork’s density in the eastern part of the US and in particular eastern North Carolina means that when you talked about barbecue on the east coast you meant pork. In Texas, beef and cattle has always been king and in the 1920’s it was even cheaper than pork (side note: can you imagine?). Meanwhile, the central United States had both and thus adopted both in their barbecue (think Missouri and Illinois).

Edwards then moves on to “plants” which refers primarily to the trees native to the area. While North Carolina has plenty of hickory trees, in Texas there is of course post oak and mesquite. Those woods contributed to the barbecue profiles those regions became known for. Agricultural resources also dictated the use of types of sauce in North Carolina or Kansas City (or the lack thereof in Texas).

“People” is the third element Edwards explores, and that influence is seen in sauce. The Great Migration of African Americans out of the American South, where molasses was prevalent, into places like Memphis, Chicago, and Kansas City eventually resulted in a thick, sweeter Kansas City-style sauce. Migration habits also explain the use of vinegar in both North Carolina sauces, mustard-based sauce in South Carolina, and the lack of sauce in Texas.

In the end, Edwards concludes that much like the United States itself, barbecue in the US is a melting pot of many things but he argues primarily of meats, plants, and people.

Ron Simmons Breaks Down the Carolina BBQ Festival

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Monk: Ron Simmons of Master Blend Family Farms recaps his time at the Caroline BBQ Festival earlier this month, with some sound bites from satisfied patrons of the festival.

Description: The Master Blend Gang would like to thank the city of Charlotte again for the opportunity to enjoy making new friends, sharing great laughs, and celebrating the culinary experience of barbecue. You guys made this year a treat, and it did not go unnoticed. Be sure to take care of yourselves and each other. All Gas No Brakes 365!!