A very tasty Texas BBQ day: Breakfast at Snow's, lunch at Louie Mueller and dinner at Miller's Smokehouse

Legendary Snow's BBQ pitmaster  Tootsie Tomanetz. (Photo ©Daniel Goncalves/fotobia.com)

The Posse took it's long overdue 5th anniversary barbecue tour Saturday.

Dubbed the Central Texas Legends Tour by Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins, it came 5 years and 5 months after our very first trip in November 2009.

It was a one-day roundtrip dash from Dallas, covering 390 miles in about 13 hours. We ate at 3 joints and stopped at a fourth to pay homage to one of the state's cooking legends.

A lot has changed since the Posse first started touring. And some things haven't. One of those is the experience -- both food and atmosphere --  at Snow's BBQ in Lexington, our first stop.

Seated outside near the pits, watching owner Kerry Bexley and pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz work, we ate what has become our standard brisket breakfast there, a slice of moist beef with just a couple drops of sauce, surrounded by a slice of folded white bread.

Nothing against Franklin Barbecue in Austin or Pecan Lodge in Dallas, but several of the 8 Posse members on the trip agreed that if they were forced to pick only one joint in the state to recommend for the complete Texas barbecue experience, it would be Snow's.

The cows mooing at the nearby auction yard, the small-town feel, including the old, rusted storage tank across the street, help make Snow's unique.

To photograph some people, Posse member Daniel Goncalves set up his portable lights in front of the tank.

What attracted him to that backdrop?

"The rust. The texture. The rivets. Everything," he said. "It just goes with barbecue."

Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas. (Photo ©Daniel Goncalves/fotobia.com)

From Lexington, we drove about 40 miles to Taylor and Louie Mueller Barbecue.

Louie's grandson, Wayne, runs the place now. He talked about the changing dynamic of Texas barbecue. As joints in urban areas get better, that puts more pressure on out-of-the-way places like his to continually improve.

"People aren't going to come out here for just O.K. barbecue," he said.

Among the items we ordered was the giant beef rib. For some of us, it was the single best bite of barbecue we had all day.

Making his first trip with the Posse, Robert Sullivan thought so.  He didn't hesitate when Wilkins asked him to pose with the bone in his mouth.

Later, Posse member Mark Vamos took the same bone home for his dog, Henry, who also posed with the bone.

Man and dog. Dog and man. Sometimes, as you can see from the accompanying photos, it's hard to tell the difference.

Robert Sullivan & Henry the Dog show their appreciation for a delicious Louie Mueller beef rib bone.
(Photos @Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse, left, and Mark Vamos)

After Mueller's, we drove a couple blocks to the Taylor Cafe, run by Vencil Mares. In his 91st year of life, most of them spent cooking barbecue, Mares was seated in his usual spot near the end of one counter. Goncalves interviewed him while the rest of us had a drink.

Our last stop was Miller's Smokehouse in Belton. Wilkins and Marshall Cooper discovered this joint for the Posse in 2012. Every time we've stopped since, there seem to be more and more smokers operating. And we learned on this trip that the joint's largest smoker yet is under construction.

Miller's only serves ribs on Fridays and Saturdays so we made sure we ordered some. Several of us thought these were the best pork ribs -- nice and savory, not too sweet -- we ate all day. And there was tough competition.

A sad note: On this trip, we learned that Snow's pitmaster Hershel Tomanetz, Tootsie's son, recently underwent surgery for a brain tumor. More treatment is ahead.

Get well, Hershel.

Central Texas Legends BBQ Tour 2015

Snow’s BBQ, 516 Main St, Lexington, 979-773-4640. Open Sat. 8am–12pm or until the meat runs out. Website: www.snowsbbq.com

Louie Mueller Barbecue, 206 W Second St, Taylor, (512) 352-6206. Open Mon-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm. Website: http://www.louiemuellerbarbecue.com

Drop in & say hi to BBQ legend Vencil Mares, 90, at Taylor Cafe, 101 N Main St., Taylor, 512-352-8475. Open daily 9am-10pm.

Miller’s Smokehouse, 208 N Penelope, Belton, 254-939-5500. Open Tues-Thurs 10:30am-6:30pm, Fri and Sat 10:30am-9pm or until the meat runs out. Website: www.wildmillers.com

Owner Vencil Mares holds court at the Taylor Cafe.. (Photo ©Daniel Goncalves/fotobia.com)

Photo opportunity with pitmasters Kerry Bexley & Tootsie Tomanetz at Snow's BBQ. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Brisket, pork spare ribs & BBQ pork steak at Snow's BBQ. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Snows BBQ owner & pitmaster Kerry Bexley with son and future pitmaster Colby, 15. (Photo ©Daniel Goncalves/fotobia.com)

Louie Mueller Barbecue owner & pitmaster Wayne Mueller. (Photo ©Daniel Goncalves/fotobia.com)

Beef rib, smoked turkey and jalapeño beef sausage at Louie Mueller Barbecue. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Miller's Smokehouse, Belton, Texas. (Photo ©Daniel Goncalves/fotobia.com)

Posse members (L-R) at Snow's BBQ: Bruce Tomaso, James Taylor, Gary Jacobson, Robert Sullivan, Jim Rossman, Mark Vamos & Chris Wilkins. (Photo ©Daniel Goncalves/fotobia.com)

The Posse tells you how Texas barbecue is different from the rest

A father & son wait on their order at Gonzales Food Market. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

(Note: This item was written as a guest post for the blog at FoodyDirect, a Posse advertiser, and is being republished here.)

As the popularity of Texas-style smoked meat spreads across the country, one of the great philosophical questions of our time is emerging. What makes Texas barbecue different from other barbecue?

The answers are many and can lead to intense debates: Beef vs. pork. Dry rubs vs. sauce. Wood vs. charcoal. Indirect heat vs. direct. Austin vs. Memphis or Kansas City or Carolina.

At the Posse, obviously, we’re partial to Texas-style, though we occasionally stray. A pulled pork sandwich sprinkled lightly with vinegar sauce and topped with coleslaw. Yum. Chicken coated with an Alabama white sauce. Tasty and memorable.

Because this is such an important question, I asked some Posse members for help in answering.

In a Hyden brothers barbecue showdown, Kirby wins with his brisket

Randy Hyden (top) of Hyden Family Barbeque in Teague and brother Kirby Hyden of Kirby's
Barbeque in Mexia.(Photos ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

You could call them The BBQ Brothers.

In fact, we will.

Kirby and Randy Hyden, once business partners with a long family tradition of barbecue, now operate separate joints about 15 miles apart.

Kirby runs Kirby's Barbeque in Mexia and Randy has Hyden Family Barbeque in Teague.

The Posse first ate at Kirby's in the summer of 2013 during a tour of Central Texas places that didn't include Randy's.

Ever since, we've wanted to return and rectify that oversight. It took a while, but this past weekend we finally made the Hyden Family BBQ Challenge Tour to determine which brother cooks the best smoked meat.

Verdict among the 3 Posse members who made the tour: Kirby.

"To me, it's all about the brisket," said Daniel Goncalves. "Kirby's was better."

Saturday lunch line at Kirby's Barbeque. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Altogether, we drove about 200 miles over 7 hours and ate at three places. The third joint, Alma Smokehouse in Ennis, had only chicken and sausage available when we arrived mid-afternoon. We tried a few bites but should have passed.

Along with eating, we visited Old Fort Parker, which is not far from Kirby's. In 1836, a young girl, Cynthia Ann Parker, was captured by Indians during a massacre. She eventually became the mother of Quanah Parker, the famous Comanche chief.

At opposite corners of the re-created fort, covered parapets extend beyond the main walls. Slots in the floor allow defenders to shoot down at attackers directly underneath them.

We also got a lesson in wild hog hunting, with dogs.

"We're the only ones in here not wearing camou," Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins observed as we waited for our food at Kirby's. It was just before noon and about 20 people were in line.

Sure enough, one of the guys dressed in camouflage said his group had four feral hogs outside. So we went to take a look, thinking we'd see dead animals.

No. The hogs were alive. They were in cages adjacent to other cages that held the dogs that tracked and subdued them.

We learned that two kinds of dogs are used in a hunt. Bay dogs track the hogs. Catch dogs -- in this case a pit bull -- grab the hogs by an ear and hold them down until the hunters arrive.

You never know what you're going to learn on a barbecue tour.

Our early lunch of brisket, ribs, sausage & turkey at Hyden Family Barbeque. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Back to the Hyden brothers.

Their grandparents and parents operated barbecue joints in the area. The brothers bought out the family business and partnered for a short while in the 1980s before Randy went his separate way.

"The '80s in Texas sucked," Randy said. "The economy was so bad people were eating baloney sandwiches."

Randy said he "seriously" got back into the barbecue business when he opened Hyden Family Barbeque in Teague in 1997. A few years later, he moved across the street, into the current location.

When we arrived at about 10:30 a.m., the "Open" sign was on. A flyer on the door advertised the "2nd Annual Teague FFA Varmint Hunt."

A bobcat was worth 45 points, a coyote 25 and a wild hog 5. No trapping allowed.

We didn't know it at the time, but it set a theme for the day.

At Hyden Family, we ordered a sampler plate of brisket, pork ribs, turkey and sausage.

 For a while, we were the only people in the place. Randy came over to our table to talk.

He said a guy recently wanted to buy out his operation and have him teach him how to cook.

"You can buy me out," Randy said he replied. "But I don't have have five years to teach you."

Lunch at Kirby's Barbeque consisted of ribs, brisket, turkey, hame & buttermilk pie. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

On the way to Kirby's, which was a Texas Monthly Top 50 pick in 2013, we did a quick tour of downtown Mexia. There's a neat old movie theater that is now a church.

When we arrived at Kirby's just before noon, one of the first things we saw was a sign that read:
"Ribs everyday starting Feb. 5th!!"

The joint used to serve pork ribs only on Fridays and Saturdays. Later, as Kirby cut orders and answered a few questions from the Posse, he explained that going to ribs everyday was an answer to ever-escalating beef prices.

We ordered a sampling of brisket, ribs, turkey and ham and then judged brother against brother.

Beyond brisket, we rated the turkey a tie and gave Kirby a slight edge on ribs. Kirby's ham, though, had almost no smoke flavor. Randy's sausage was good, but not special.

Wilkins judged the sauces at both joints almost identical.

"They don't overpower their meat with rubs and spices," he added.

Randy Hyden would agree.

"The key is not the seasoning, it's the guy," he said.


Hyden Family BBQ Challenge Tour

9am: Leave Dallas

10:30am: Hyden Family Barbeque, 950 Hwy 84, Teague, 254-739-3102. Open Wed-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-2pm.

11:45pm: Kirby's Barbeque, 216 N Highway 14, Mexia, 254-562-5076. Open Wed-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-3pm.

2pm: Alma Smokehouse, 106 West Interstate 45 Service Road, Ennis, 972-875-2669. Open Mon-Sat 8am-8pm.

3pm: Head back to Dallas

Randy Hyden works the pits at Hyden Family Barbeque. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Kirby's Barbeque, Mexia, Texas. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Hyden Family Barbeque, Teague, Texas. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

More evidence that Lockhart has lost its barbecue magic

Smitty's Market oak wood pile & the Caldwell County courthouse. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

On our way back to Dallas from our recent Houston-area barbecue tour, all 6 Posse members on the trip listed their top 5 joints in the state, in no particular order.

Specific criteria probably varied from person to person, but these would be places we'd drive across the state to eat at or recommend to good friends that they do the same.

Since then, we've been asked to run each person's top 5. Those lists are below.

Three joints mentioned by each of us: Killen's Barbecue in Houston, Pecan Lodge in Dallas and la Barbecue in Austin. Only 3 of us listed Franklin Barbecue in Austin, generally considered the best joint in the state.

Others receiving at least one mention: Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Miller's Smokehouse in Belton and Snow's BBQ in Lexington.

Reviewing the lists now, a bigger revelation than the lack of unanimity for Franklin, is the total absence of any joint in Lockhart. Five years ago, that wouldn't have been the case. Then, Smitty's, Black's and Kreuz Market demanded a pilgrimage.

That's more evidence that Lockhart is no longer the barbecue capital of Texas.

Greater Houston, we have barbecue redemption

The four meat plate with a link of boudin brought a smile to Posse faces at Ray's Real Pit BBQ Shack in Houston.
(Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

In a previous post, careful readers might wonder about the heading over the itinerary of our weekend trip:

"Houston Redemption BBQ Tour"

What's that all about?

Flash back to the Posse's first Gulf Coast tour two years ago. It was disappointing. The only good barbecue we found was in Galveston, 50 miles away.

"Houston, we have a barbecue problem" was the headline on that chapter of our BBQ Chronicles. Some of our smoked meat brethren in The Bayou City are still upset at us.

So, one of the main goals of our most recent tour was to see if Houston had redeemed itself, in a barbecue way.

Or, would that billboard along I-45 near downtown about a dinosaur exhibit prove true?

"Best ribs in town
Houston Museum of Natural Science"

While finding good smoked meat in the city proper is still a challenge, we can report that, yes, the greater Houston area certainly has found barbecue redemption.

Beef ribs at Killen's BBQ in Cypress. (Photo ©Daniel Goncalves/fotobia.com)

Five of the six joints we hit served solid barbecue. One, Killen's Barbecue in Pearland, might just be the best place in the state.

(Note: Because of an internal communications snafu, Posse members actually ate at 7 places last weekend. While the main body went to The Brisket House location in Deer Park, one member went to the location in Houston. The food at both received good reviews.)

The only real disappointment, food wise, was Virgie's Bar-B-Que, located in the city. We didn't like it two years ago. Ditto last weekend.

"I thought we might have been wrong the last time, but we weren't," said Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins.

Texas Monthly rates Virgie's among its Top 50 in the state. The Posse can't figure out why.

Houston Redemption BBQ Tour

Friday 6/27
7:45am: Leave Dallas

10:30am: CorkScrew BBQ, 24930 Budde Rd., Spring, 832-592-1184. Open Tues-Sat 11am-til the meat runs out. Website: http://www.corkscrewbbq.com (Texas Monthly Top 50)

1pm: Virgie's Bar-B-Que, 5535 Gessner Dr., Houston, 713-466-6525. Open Tues 11am-2pm, Wed-Fri 11am-6:30pm, Sat 11am-5:30pm. Website: http://www.virgiesbbq.com (Texas Monthly Top 50)

3pm: Brooks' Place, 18020 FM 529, Cypress, 832-893-1682. Open Wed-Sun 11am-til the meat runs out. Website: Website: http://www.brooksplacebbq.com (Texas Monthly Top 50)

7:10pm: Detroit Tigers @ Houston Astros, Minute Maid Park.

Overnight in Houston, Club Quarters Houston hotel

Saturday 6/28
10:30am: Killen's BBQ, 3613 E. Broadway, Pearland, 281-485-2272. Open Tues-Sun 11am-until they run out of meat. Website: http://www.killensbarbecue.com

1pm: Ray's Real Pit BBQ Shack, 4529 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, 713-748-4227. Open Mon-Sat 11am-8pm. Website: http://www.raysbbqshack.com

3pm: Brisket House, 5775 Woodway, Houston, 281-888-0331. Open Mon-Sat 11am-9pm, Sat 11am-6pm. Website: http://thebriskethouse.com

4:00pm: Head back to Dallas

Brooks Place pitmaster and owner Trent Brooks talks BBQ 101 with the Posse in Cypress. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Behold the Fried Rib from Pecan Lodge -- You need to try one

The fried rib from Pecan Lodge in Dallas. (Photo by Jim Rossman/Texas BBQ Posse)

It’s not often that I’m surprised by the menu at a BBQ joint.

I’ve been to more than a few dozen places and didn’t think there was much else you could do to a pork rib, but I was wrong.

One day last month I was eating at Pecan Lodge in Dallas when I spied a new entry on their menu board. It was a fried pork rib and I had to have one.

The rib was a very large and meaty. It was lightly battered and then deep fried. The crust was crunchy, but not very thick. The fried rib was then dipped in BBQ sauce, plated and then topped with bleu cheese and some green onion.

It was a glorious mess.

I wanted to run back and order a second one, but the thought of my upcoming annual physical kept me in my seat. I’d really forgotten about the rib until the Posse’s recent Denton County tour, when I remembered and told the others.

I’ll have to get back and try the rib again. I asked Pecan Lodge if the rib was a regular on the menu and was told, “we have them on a pretty regular basis.”

Certainly worth a try if you see it on the menu.

Pecan Lodge, 2702 Main St. Dallas, 214-748-8900. Open: Tues-Thur 11am-3pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-3pm. Website: www.pecanlodge.com