More historic BBQ photos from the files of the Farm Security Administration

Here's another set of barbecue photos from the collection of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) photo archive. These were shot in 1940 by photojournalist Russell Lee at a free community barbecue picnic on Labor Day in Ridgway, Colorado.

After my blog post last week on FSA images of Texas BBQ, I spent some more time going through their photo archive searching "barbecue." I found an amazing set of color photos from a community BBQ in New Mexico, also shot in 1940 by Russell Lee, a rarity as almost all FSA images were shot on black & white film. I'll put up several more posts of these historic photos in the coming months.

You can click here to see a slideshow of some of the more famous FSA depression era photos on flicker.

Getting barbecue and coffee at the free barbecue at Ridgway, Colorado, on Labor Day.

Slicing barbecue at the free barbecue on Labor Day at Ridgway, Colorado.

Ringing the gong for dinner at the free barbecue, Labor Day, Ridgway, Colorado.

Serving the barbecue at the free barbecue on Labor Day, Ridgway, Colorado.

Barbecue pits and people standing in line to be served at the free barbecue at Labor Day, Ridgway, Colorado.

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Barbecue pit on Labor Day, Ridgway, Colorado.

Boys' sack race, Labor Day celebration, Ridgway, Colorado.

Spectators at childrens' races, Labor Day celebration, Ridgway, Colorado.

Woman and her baby waiting in line for barbecue on Labor Day at Ridgway, Colorado.

Posse favorites: The Tipsy Texan sandwich at Franklin BBQ

The Posse is always keeping an eye out for the greatest sandwiches offered on the Texas BBQ trail. Such was the case the first time we saw the massive $2.75 chopped beef sandwich at Meshack's BBQ in Garland, the BBQ Po Boy at Loco Coyote Grill in Glen Rose or my favorite, the Brother-in-Law sandwich at Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q in Tyler.

Well, it looks like there's another contender for the BBQ sandwich elite, the Tipsy Texan at Franklin Barbecue in Austin. Seriouseats.com blogger Carrie Vasios sums up the Tipsy Texan this way, "This sandwich tastes like everything that is good." And we can't disagree with her assessment.

Aaron Franklin piles chopped brisket, sliced sausage, coleslaw and pickles between two buns to create to monstrous sandwich. It looks like you could feed two people with this beast. The Tipsy Texan was originally priced at $6.50 but now goes for $8.00, still a good deal considering the amount of that six-star brisket and sausage you get to enjoy. Just another excuse to head down to Austin this weekend!

Franklin Barbecue, 900 E. 11th, Austin, (512) 653-1187. Open Tues-Sun, 11 a.m.-until the meat runs out.

Photo by Chris Wilkins

Photos: Depression era Texas BBQ through the eyes of legendary FSA photographers

I was recently researching some historic photos in my job as a photo editor at the Dallas Morning News when I ran across the Library of Congress website for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) photo archive. Initially created in 1935 as part of the New Deal, the FSA was an effort during the Depression to document and combat American rural poverty.

The FSA photo collection houses some of the most famous photographs in history, including Dorthea Lange's migrant mother photo and Arthur Rothstein's Oklahoma dust bowl photo. Other legendary FSA photojournalists included Gordon Parks, Russell Lee, Carl Mydans and Walker Evans.

I was immediately curious if there were any Texas BBQ photos. When I put in the search term "barbecue" I got 98 hits, much to my delight. Four of the photos were from Texas, including the photo above, taken in 1939 by Russell Lee. The caption reads: Man slicing barbecue at lunch stand at the Gonzales County Fair. Gonzales, Texas.

Here are the other three FSA barbecue images shot in Texas. I'm looking forward to digging deeper into the photographic history of Texas BBQ. You can click here to see a slideshow of some of the more famous FSA depression era photos on flicker.

Caption: Negro sitting on bench at side of barbecue stand made of galvanized metal, Corpus Christi, Texas. Photo by Russell Lee, 1939.

Caption: Harlingen, Texas. Barbecue stand. Photo by John Vachon, 1943.

Caption: Barbecue drive-in restaurant. Fort Worth-Dallas highway, Texas. Photo by Russell Lee, 1942.

First visit to JMueller BBQ in Austin

Last week, I joined Posse members Marshall Cooper and Jim Rossman for a quick roadtrip to Austin. Marshall was returning a portable smoker to Franklin Barbecue pitmaster John Lewis, who he has been helping on the national BBQ cookoff competition circuit. It was a great excuse to grab a bite at both Franklin and the new JMueller BBQ while we were down there.

JMueller BBQ was opened in October by John Mueller, grandson of legendary BBQ master Louie Mueller of Taylor. Much has already been written about the joint, including a New York Times story published before he even opened and a coveted five-star rating by Daniel Vaughn on his Full Custom Gospel BBQ blog in early November. To say John Mueller knows how to cook BBQ is like saying the sun rises in the east. It's in his blood.

The temperature was in the low-to-mid 40s when we pulled into the lot at Mueller's east Austin location, so the line was only a few deep. The joint is made up of two trailers, one for the huge smoker and one from which they prep and sell the food. There are numerous large picnic tables for you to sit and eat. We all commented how we couldn't wait to come back on a warmer day.

Here's what Jim Rossman thought about the experience:

"I really liked John Mueller's place, but strictly for the food. I think he's proving his food first and the atmosphere will come later. The day we ate the weather was sunny, but the temp was in the mid 40s and it was windy. This made for less-than-ideal outdoor eating conditions. The food cooled off in a hurry.

As for the meat, I had the brisket, beef rib and a link and it was all 5-star in my opinion. The beef rib was the star, but the sausage was a standout as well. I'll certainly be back when the weather warms up."

Here's Marshall's impression of his first visit to JMueller:

"The day I ate at John Mueller's the weather sucked but the BBQ rocked! The best beef rib I've had anywhere, perfectly cooked, fat was rendered down flawlessly leaving a moist and tender rib with excellent flavor from the perfect rub. But it could of used a bit more smoke. The fatty brisket had an excellent flavor due to the great rub and was cooked perfectly as well, even the fat was rendered down just right - but lacked a bit of smoke. The lean brisket was undercooked by a couple of hours but had the super flavor from the perfect amount of rub, which must of been sliced from a different brisket than the fatty brisket.

The sausage was hands-down the best sausage I have had, which must have been straight off the pit. Great texture, good flavors, very juicy and cooked perfectly and had the perfect snap. The pork rib had an excellent flavor, great texture but was a bit dry probably due to coming off the pit earlier in the morning. All in all everything needed just a bit more smoke. Overall some of the best BBQ in Texas, clearly a 5+ star with a 6 star waiting in the wings. Look out Franklin BBQ....."

JMueller BBQ, 1502 S 1st St, Austin, TX, 512-229-7366. Open Wed-Sat 11 am-til the meat runs out.

Checking out Casstevens Cash & Carry in Lillian

Texas BBQ Posse member Guy Reynolds writes and shares photos from a recent trip to Casstevens Cash & Carry in Lillian. The joint has received four stars from Daniel Vaughn on his Full Custom Gospel BBQ blog and received a 4.5 rating from Texas Monthly. Here's Guy's dispatch from Lillian:

My mother and I have been waiting for Off The Bone to open its new location, walking distance from where she lives in Mansfield, but it's been months since the announcement and little progress has happened. So the last time I was over that way we decided to make the drive out into the country about 15 miles to visit Casstevens Cash & Carry in Lillian, not much more than a fork in a FM road in Johnson County. It's a place I only knew of because of my friend Bud Kennedy's writings about it for the Fort Worth paper. Mom knew of it too and wanted to give it a try so we picked a Friday since that's the day they have ribs.

We arrived around noon and had no trouble ordering or finding a seat in the little place. Business was steady the hour we there, mostly from what appeared to be regulars, the type who knew the help by name and vice versa.

I ordered up a slab of ribs that cost $18 and weighed in at 1.6 lbs. That's a bit of a bargain compared to the the $13 per pound standard rate. And we had a couple of slices of brisket too. I'm no cue connoisseur but I'd rate both selects as very good. The brisket had a great smoky flavor but was a tad on the dry side. I wasn't paying attention when it was sliced or I would've requested it from the fatty end since I prefer it good and moist. The sauce, served on the side, was very good but I didn't use much of it. The ribs were meaty and flavorful and required no sauce. I wouldn't say the meat just fell off the bone but it was tender and a little tug did the trick.

Of course I had to make a few pictures while I was there and it's so easy to do them with my phone and the Hipstamatic app that that's what I did. Next time I need to go in the morning to get that smoker working since all the meats were already finished.

Click here to see a slideshow of Guy's photos on Flicker.

Casstevens Cash & Carry, 11025 E. FM 917, Lillian, TX, 817-790-2545. Open Mon–Sat 5:30 am–8 pm, Sun 7 am–8 pm.

Photos by Guy Reynolds

Photos from the Blues, Bandits and BBQ cook off in the OC

Here's a list on winner's from the Blues, Bandits and BBQ cook off at Lake Cliff Park in Oak Cliff. Congrats to all.....

Brisket: 1st – Matador Meat wine; 2nd – Texas BBQ Posse; 3rd – The Smoke Cliff Boys
Pulled pork: 1st – Smokin Ronnie’s BBQ; 2nd - Texas BBQ Posse; 3rd 3-Bar BBQ
Ribs: 1st – Oak Cliff Oh’s; 2nd - Smokin Ronnie’s BBQ; 3rd - Matador Meat wine
Chicken: 1st - Oak Cliff Oh’s; 2nd - Texas BBQ Posse; 3rd – The Smoke Cliff Boys
Sausage: 1st – BBQ Bandits; 2nd – Matador Meat wine; 3rd – Los Juevos

Festival goers hang out in the sun and green grass at Lake Cliff Park.

Gary Jacobson and Marshall Cooper check our rib entry before turn in.

Bryan Gooding's pork butts get up to temp in the early morning. The entry placed second in pulled pork.

Bryan and Martha Gooding prepare the chicken entry, which also placed second in the cook off.

Posse pitmaster Marshall Cooper slices our second-place brisket entry.

The perfect setting and weather for a BBQ cook off, 80 degrees in Lake Cliff Park.

Posse pitmaster Marshall Cooper takes a well-deserved break in the mid-morning.

Martha Gooding and one on Dallas' finest.

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and her Posse.

Festival goers hang out in front of the posse campsite at Lake Cliff Park.

1:30 am in Lake Cliff Park at the Blues, Bandits and BBQ cook off.

Photos by Chris Wilkins & Daniel Vaughn

The Sheriff and her Posse

The Texas BBQ Posse cook team poses with Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez during the Blues, Bandits and BBQ cook off held in Oak Cliff's Lake Cliff Park.

We did well (more details to come), placing second place in brisket, pulled pork and chicken. I'll be posting more photos shortly, but here's one of our favorites.

Thanks to the amazing Rob Schear and his awesome crew, it was a BBQ fellowship to remember. Also thanks to the judges, who each had to eat samples of all 54 meat entries today! See you all next year......

Photo by Daniel Vaughn

To shig, or not to shig, that is the barbecue question

Excuse me if I'm late to the party, but I just learned a new word: shigging.

It means stealing, or attempting to steal, someone's barbecue secrets. The term seems to have come out of the BBQ competition circuit, but also works for joints and backyard pitmasters.

For example, my good friend Bryan Gooding, who won the chicken category at the Blues, Bandits & BBQ cook-off in Oak Cliff last year, won't share his recipe.

But I watched him. And there's vinegar -- and ice cubes -- in his brine.

And on tours, the Posse is almost always shigging. We're constantly observing, and asking questions about smoking technique.

Some observers think shigging should be a felony, especially in Texas.

I put the practice in the same category as stealing signs in baseball. If you can do it from the dugout or the coaching boxes or the bases, it's just part of the game. Go for it. But don't get caught hiding out with binoculars somewhere beyond center field.

"What a great word," said another friend, best-selling author Sam Gwynne, when I shared my new knowledge. "Also, a great art form since, as 10,000 sub-par bbq joints around the country attest, it ain't easy to steal smoking secrets."

Sam knows barbecue. He was part of the Texas Monthly team that discovered Snow's, which the magazine declared to be the best joint in the state in 2008.

Aaron Franklin, the reigning king of Texas barbecue, seems to be well aware of the threat of shigging. It seems that every interview he gives -- from Bon Appetit to the blogs -- contains a slightly different description of his technique and cooking times.

Aaron, are you doing that on purpose?

Franklin just smiles.

Of course.

Photo of Bryan Gooding by R.J. Hinkle

Looking for some real Texas BBQ on the west coast?

OK, I know this is the Texas BBQ Posse. But every now and then we discover the real deal outside of the Lone Star state and feel the need to tell you all about it. Such was the case when I visited Lonnie Ray's BBQ in Harrisburg, Missouri, earlier this year.

Introducing Podnah's Pit Barbecue in Portland, Oregon. Posse member Michael Ainsworth was vacationing in Portland recently and ended up at Podnah's. Michael was the first Posse member to try Franklin BBQ, before the super long lines and signs announcing they were sold out of BBQ by noon. He knows great BBQ when he tastes it.

Michael sent a text from the dining room, proclaiming he had found brisket on the left coast that might be close to the same level as Franklin's. I was skeptical, but then he sent the photos and explained the back story of Padnah's.

Owner and pitmaster Rodney Muirhead is from Waxahachie, Texas. He opened Podnah's in late 2006, but he'd already been smoking Texas style barbecue in Portland for almost four years on a pit-on-trailer, with hopes of opening his own place one day.

The story of naming the joint is explained on Podnah's website: "To honor his Texas roots, he named it "Podnah's Pit" after his grandfather's nickname--"podnah" being Texan for partner. There's a really simple explanation for Rodney's success: he don't mess with Texas. While many things have changed since Rodney started barbecuing back in 2003, there's one thing that will always stay the same--relying on the barbecue methods of the Lone Star state."

This is a serious Texas BBQ operation. Like Franklin BBQ, they have been recognized by Bon Appetit magazine as a great BBQ joint, no small fete. Podnah's makes these promises to their customers:

"For Rodney and the rest of the pit crew this means:

---Getting up at 5:00 every morning to fire up the pit.
---Using honest oak hardwood in the firebox.
---Using high quality, natural meats.
---Preparing the food fresh daily.
---Never precooking the meat. It's all slow smoked right there in the pit.
---Only cooking as much meat as the smoker will comfortably hold, and that's about 200 pounds a day.
---When the meat's gone, it's gone. Until tomorrow at lunch time that is.
---They love making honest, slow-smoked, Texas style barbecue for their patrons.
---And they love their patrons too. So much so that they even make Carolina style pulled-pork for them."

Podnah's Pit Barbecue, 1625 NE Killingsworth, Portland, OR, 503-281-3700. Hours: Breakfast: Sat-Sun 9am-1pm, Lunch: Mon-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat-Sun Noon-5pm, Dinner: Mon-Sun 5pm-10pm.

Photos by Michael Ainsworth

Road trip to Llano - Laird's vs. Cooper's BBQ challenge

During a recent trip to Fredericksburg with my wife Michele, I made sure the backroads route from Dallas included driving through Llano. During the two years the Posse has been visiting and blogging about BBQ, few joints have stirred up as much debate as Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que in Llano. We've gotten emails proclaiming it as the best in Texas, while others labeled Cooper's as an overrated stop for BBQ tourists.

Posse member Michael Hamtil & his wife Lara Solt did extensive comparisons between Cooper's and Laird's Bar-B-Q, also in Llano, for their wedding catering a couple of years ago. They were married atop the famous Enchanted Rock north of Fredericksburg and wanted to be sure the BBQ was as amazing as the view from their wedding ceremony setting. They preferred Laird's hands down and fall in the overrated camp when it comes to Cooper's. I wanted to check it out for myself.

Atmosphere

Laird's resides in an old house on Hwy. 16 while Cooper's is housed in a red steel building on the other main drag in town, Hwy. 29. Both have deer trophies on the wall, paying homage to Llano's reputation as a deer hunter's paradise, but otherwise they don't have much in common. The Laird's operate out of the kitchen on their old house. The dining room is cobbled out of the dining and living room areas and bathed in window light. We felt like we were eating at our grandmother's house.

Cooper's has numerous picnic tables lined end-to-end, enough to seat several hundred diners in the fluorescent lit dining room with red brick painted walls. You line up outside and choose your meats off the warming smoker, then you take the meat on a plastic tray inside where they weigh your meal before paying in another line. It's very much like Hard Eight BBQ, where the meat is cooked in one smoker and moved to the warming smoker for display purposes.

Advantage: Laird's

Cooking styles

Both Cooper's and Laird's cook with mesquite wood, which is plentiful in this rain-starved part of Texas. Cooper's cooks over direct heat in numerous brick smokers, fast and hot, before moving the meats to the warming smoker, where you choose your meal. Pitmaster and owner Ken Laird, who once worked at Cooper's, cooks on a single pit fueled by mesquite coals, which he burns down in a separate firebox. There's a big difference in the scale of their operations, but their techniques are similar.

Advantage: Cooper's

The meats

Unfortunately, my wife isn't as big a fan of BBQ as I am, so we settled on comparing brisket and pork ribs at both places. Cooper's famous pork chop will have to wait until our next trip, though Posse pitmaster Marshall Cooper calls it "amazing."

We ordered a two-meat platter from Laird's, which came with two sides. We also ordered two drinks which made our lunch bill less than $11. Both the pork ribs and brisket were very good, though not what I would call amazing. I thought the ribs were the better of the two, cooked perfectly with nice rub and smoke. The brisket was cooked very well, but a little more bland than the ribs, with a thin bark.

I chatted up two diners, who as it turns out eat at Laird's at least once a week. When I asked them which joint they preferred, they said Laird's all the way. One added that the only time he goes to Cooper's is when out-of-towners make him take them there. "I used to eat there all the time, but once they went all corporate they went downhill," he said. (Cooper's has multiple locations including Llano, New Braunfels and a new location in Ft. Worth. The original Cooper's is west of Llano in Mason, but has different ownership than the other three locations.) Overall, I was impressed with Laird's and we headed back up Hwy. 16 to Cooper's.

We stepped up to the pits at Cooper's and ordered two ribs and 1/2 pound of brisket. We we stepped up to the register, the sticker shock set in as we paid almost $30 for our meat and two drinks. This was nearly three times more than we had paid at Laird's, though the ribs were slightly bigger. The brisket was tremendous, among the best I've tasted on the Texas BBQ trail. It was tender with a great bark and rub, definitely a step up from Laird's. However, the ribs were a major disappointment. They were slightly undercooked and just looked ugly, not a lot of taste when compared to Laird's ribs or even their own brisket. All in all, I had to give the slight edge in our unscientific Llano BBQ challenge to Laird's, especially when you factor in the cost of our meals.

I look forward to making a full-scale assault on Llano in the future with my fellow Posse members. You can't really judge a BBQ joint by visiting once. Most food critics allow for three visits before assigning a rating to a joint. Not to mention, I want to try that famous pork chop at Cooper's on my next trip to the deer hunting capital of Texas.

Slight advantage: Laird's

Photos ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse. On each combo, top photo is Laird's and bottom photo is Cooper's