Texas BBQ

Ruben Santana is the BBQ King Of Brooklyn

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Monk: In the world of fusion barbecue, Dominican-style Texas barbecue is fairly unique combination. Since 2020, Ruben Santana has been running Bark Barbecue which combines those two cuisines to seemingly delicious results. From Munchie’s Street Food Icons series.

Description: Ruben Santana is the owner and pitmaster of Bark Barbecue, a Texas-style BBQ pop up in NYC with a Dominican twist. As a Queens native of Dominican descent, Ruben smokes brisket, ribs, and other meats in the classic Texas style, while adding his own Dominican flair to the spice rubs and sides, which include arroz con gris, maduros, and more. Ruben, who previously worked in the HVAC and automotive industry, started Bark Barbecue out of his backyard in 2020. Now he’s selling out at some of the biggest food festivals in America and is becoming a leader in the NYC BBQ community and beyond. Follow his Instagram, @bark_barbecue, to see where he’ll be popping up next.

Tales from the Pit Reflect Back on 6 Years

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Monk: Tales from the Pits reflects back on 6 years and nearly 200 episodes of podcasts. Taking a break from their usual interview format, this pod is more of a behind-the-scenes look at the sausage making of the show, from its inception in 2017 where the guys felt like they had to crank out episodes on a weekly basis and its evolution towards its current season format where episodes are more thoughtful. Along the way, they discuss the barbecue road trips, joints, and experiences that shaped them and the show.

Congrats to Andrew and Bryan!

Description: As we approach our 200th episode we take a look back at the memorable guests, episodes and experiences from the first six years of the podcast. Take a stroll down memory lane as we reflect on our time documenting the barbecue world. Thank you for all of the support for so many years and let’s all keep supporting barbecue!

Friday Find: Barbecue Photographer Wyatt McSpadden on the Tales from the Pit Podcast

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Wyatt McSpadden, whose excellent book “Texas BBQ, Small Town to Downtown” (our review here) came out last fall, recently joined the Tales from the Pits podcast to discuss how he came into his job of photographing so many barbecue joints for Texas Monthly and why he came out with another Texas BBQ photograph book less than 10 years after his first one was published in 2009.

Wyatt McSpadden’s love of Texas barbecue stretches back even further in time than his celebrated photography career which spans five decades. Growing up in a meat market family in Amarillo some of Wyatt’s earliest memories involve barbecue. As a young man his hobby of photography began growing into a passion that evolved into a profession.

In our interview with Wyatt we cover his early days photographing the construction of the famous Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, the beginnings of his BBQ photography, up to present day with the release of his latest book, Texas BBQ, Small Town to Downtown, and all points in between. Wyatt has witnessed historic moments in Texas barbecue firsthand including the splitting of the Kreuz/Smitty’s businesses in Lockhart, and his career has seen the advancements in both the meat quality of the barbecue produced and the many advancements in technology that have changed the photography world. Like the transition of film to digital, the Texas Barbecue scene has evolved.

Both of Wyatt’s books are must-own items for barbecue lovers and are available at all major retailers. Wyatt’s portraits of both the food and the people that cook it are beautifully laid out in these books designed by Nancy McMillan