A bell-ringer of a meal at Pecan Lodge during Day 4 of the Posse's Dallas-Fort Worth barbecue tour

In return for being first in line at Pecan Lodge, Chris Wilkins rings the bell as lunch service begins. (Photo ©Jim Rossman)

Where to begin to tell the story of Day 4 of the Posse's week long-tour of the best joints in Dallas-Fort Worth?

How about with Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins getting to ring the dinner bell for the start of service at Pecan Lodge.

Wilkins earned the honor by arriving at Shed 2 at the Dallas Farmers Market at 9:15 a.m., a full hour and 45 minutes before Pecan Lodge opened, and 45 minutes before the shed itself opened.

"I sat in the car and read the paper," Wilkins said.

When the doors to Shed 2 were unlocked, he was first in line at Pecan Lodge, and as is the custom, got to ring the bell at 11 a.m. By then, the line had grown to more than 110 people.

It’s the Super Bowl of BBQ tours for the Posse

As we prepared for our biggest tour ever this weekend, members of the Texas BBQ Posse faced their biggest controversy yet:

Should sausage count as much as brisket in determining the best barbecue joint in the state?

On our organized tours and smaller excursions over the past 4 years, members of the Posse have visited hundreds of places in search of the best smoked meats in Texas.

Now, to determine the very best – at least for this one trip -- we plan to visit our 10 favorites over three days, covering nearly 700 miles. Then, we’ll rank the top 5, in order.