UPDATE: Joseph's Riverport BBQ expected to reopen in 6-8 weeks

UPDATE TO AN UPDATE: Just heard some great news from owner/pitmaster Stephen Joseph about the reopening of Joseph's Riverport BBQ in Jefferson. The restaurant was totally destroyed by a fire in January.

Here's Stephen's note: "It's probably about 6 to 8 weeks away from being ready. The exterior is about complete but the interior is unbelievably tedious and complicated. The new pit from Bewley should be ready in about 2 weeks and I'll be doing a lot of test cooking."

We can't wait to head east to Jefferson and check out Stephen's new joint. I'm sure they will reclaim their spot as one of the best BBQ joints in east Texas.



Here's the original blog post from Fall 2010:

Born on the Bayou - Joseph's Riverport BBQ in Jefferson

A couple of blocks off the Big Cypress Bayou in Jefferson, Texas, you'll find one of the best barbeque joints east of Tyler.

I visited Joseph's on a recent Friday afternoon after a full morning of antique shopping with my wife Michele in historic Jefferson. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! In return for a loyal day of antiquing on my part, Michele agreed to share a three-meat platter with two sides for lunch.

We ordered and I started taking photos, as usual when visiting a new joint. Before I knew it, I was meeting pitmaster and owner Stephen Joseph, who suspected I might be with the Texas BBQ Posse when he saw the camera, he had been following our BBQ adventures online.

Stephen invited me to visit the smokers after lunch and Michele and I dug in. We ordered sliced brisket, ribs and turkey along with potato salad and cold slaw. Despite eating after the lunch rush hour, everything was perfectly cooked, moist and smokey. They provided a phenomenal and award-winning homemade sauce, warmed up and ready for action. The sides were great as well.

After lunch, Michele headed back out into antique land and I headed back to the smokers with Stephen. We talked meat smoking techniques, he cooks fully unwrapped around 220 degrees using oak wood. I had to sample some sausage, my fourth meat there. It was made locally and very good as well.

He explained how he opened the joint in 1993 and it took four or five years to really figure out the business. "The cooking part was a lot easier than the business part," Stephen shared. He thanks his parents, both successful business people, for helping him put all the pieces together.

So, if you find yourself on a romantic bed & breakfast getaway in Jefferson with your significant other, I have a plan of action to pass on. Drag yourself from antique store to antique store with a smile on your face. Then, when the subject of lunch comes up, say "I know just the place!" Then head to Joseph's Riverport BBQ and tell 'em the posse sent you!

Joseph's Riverport Barbecue, 201 N Polk St, Jefferson, TX, 903-665-2341. Open Tues-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 11am-2pm.







(Photos ©Chris Wilkins)

UPDATE: Fatboy's BBQ in Ladonia - Live to ride, ride to eat

UPDATE: Fatboy's BBQ has moved to a new location in nearby Cooper and opened last April. The new location at 850 W. Dallas Ave. in Cooper gets much higher traffic, but Shannon and Heather will be serving up the same great BBQ. They are open Mon-Fri 10:30am-6 pm. Their new phone number is 903-300-3287.

Original post

About 80 miles northeast of Dallas, you'll find some of the best barbecue in North Texas. Fatboy's BBQ is located on a narrow side street in Ladonia, population 691. It's well worth the drive or ride from DFW.

Shannon Bankston and girlfriend Heather Hoff started Fatboy's two and a half years ago. They are both from the area and know the majority of their customers by name. A steady stream of lunch customers came and went as Marshall Cooper and I visited on a recent weekday.

The joint is named after the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, a softail-style cruiser motorcycle. Fatboy's BBQ is described as "Biker owned, biker friendly" on their Facebook page. Both Shannon and Heather ride, though not as much as they'd like since they started the restaurant.

As a result, they started "Biker Night," so they could at least be around bikes even if they don't have the time to ride much. Biker Night will resume again on Saturday March 24 from 7pm-10pm, with music form the Delta Crossroads Band. It's BYOB and they will of course be selling BBQ. You can keep an eye on the Fatboy's BBQ Facebook page for more news and announcements through the spring and summer.

A pile of pecan wood sits beside the smoker at Fatboy's BBQ in Ladonia.

Our lunch at Fatboy's: The sampler platter including seven meats and two sides.

Marshall and I looked over the menu and gravitated toward the sampler platter. We got an amazing spread of meats (around a pound) and two sides for $11.50, including sliced brisket, chopped beef, pork sparerib, pulled pork, pork sausage, jalapeno sausage and smoked ham. Sides were Texas toast, potato salad and cole slaw, both recipes from Shannon's mom. We ordered an extra rib so we could each sample one.

The meats were bathed in pecan wood smoke, something you don't find a lot these days as joints cook hot and fast to meet demand, resulting in smokeless meats. There are no shortcuts for Shannon, it's old school Texas BBQ. No rubs or mops either. The meats are tender and full of flavor. Though you don't really need it, their BBQ sauce is very good as well, a family recipe from Shannon's dad that adds a little bite and flavor.

Fatboy's also offers a Psycho BBQ sauce, made with Naga Jolokia or Ghost peppers, among the hottest in the world. Of course Marshall had to sample it, I passed. He was blown away how it started sweet but morphed into pure heat. As we visited, a regular customer came by and ordered her "usual," a chopped beef sandwich with psycho sauce and jalapenos. That was impressive.

Left: Smoke pours out of the smoker at Fatboy's. Right: Pitmaster Shannon Bankston talks BBQ with the Posse.

Pecan wood stacked up near the smoker.

What impressed us the most was Shannon and Heather's devotion to being a great BBQ joint. As we arrived around noon, he was putting on the briskets for the next day. They'll cook until 8 a.m. the next day, a total of 20 hours. With the "hot and fast" revolution hitting some Central Texas joints, this isn't something you're seeing or tasting much these days.

Shannon says they set the alarm for every 3 hours during the night, alternating between him and Heather as to who gets the wakeup call to tend the smoker and check the meat during the wee hours. Fortunately they live next door to Fatboy's.

"People just don't realize how much work goes into it," Shannon says. "But we love doing it."

Marshall Cooper and Heather Hoff talk BBQ. 

Customers enjoy their meals at Fatboy's picnic dining area.

Fatboy's will be moving in early summer to Cooper, a town located 15 miles from Ladonia, between Paris and Sulphur Springs. They'll be moving their current building and smoker to the new site and have high hopes for the future. The new Fatboy's will be located on Hwy. 24, in an area with much higher traffic than they have now. Stay tuned to their Facebook page for news on the move, we'll keep you updated as well.

Fatboy's BBQ, 850 W. Dallas Ave, Cooper, 903-300-3287. Open Mon-Fri 10:30am-6 pm.

Co-owner and operator Heather Hoff takes a break during a BBQ Thursday at Fatboy's.

Photos ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse

Miller's Smokehouse in Belton might be the best BBQ north of Austin

Brisket sits on the pit at Miller's Smokehouse

Every now and then you hit the motherlode on the Texas BBQ trail. For every 20 mediocre BBQ joints, there's one good one. For every 50 good ones, there's one great one. You can add Miller's Smokehouse in Belton to the list of great ones.

We first caught wind of Miller's last week during BBQ Snob Daniel Vaughn's trip to south Texas. Miller's has been overshadowed in Belton by the better known Schoepf's BBQ, which I have always heard is average fare.

Daniel, who is knee deep in his book project on the journey of BBQ, always tweets from the BBQ trail about the good and bad he finds out there. He has almost 3,300 Twitter followers who look to him to find the next great joint.

That day Daniel tweeted, "I found a reason to drive right on past Scheopf's in Belton. Take a right on Penelope and go to Miller's Smokehouse. Nothing bad here." In another tweet he described their fatty brisket as "luscious."

We started planning a quick trip to Belton shortly thereafter.

Posse pitmaster Marshall Cooper checks out the pits on the way into Miller's.

Pitmaster Robert Reid, left, and owner Dirk Miller prepare an order of brisket.

The drive from Dallas took a little under two hours. The little joint nestled in downtown Belton was easy to find and parking was ample. As soon as we opened the door of the truck we were engulfed by the sweet smell of post oak and smoked meats. We knew this was going to be good.

We met owner Dirk Miller shortly after arriving at the counter. Since I have the habit of starting to take photos as soon as we hit the ground at a joint, we often attract the attention of the boss pretty quickly. He realized we were serious about BBQ and pulled a fresh brisket off the pit after we ordered.

Our standard order is always brisket and ribs when we first visit a place. However, Miller's only has ribs on Fridays so we subbed puled pork for the ribs. Dirk also insisted we sample three kinds of sausage, which he grinds at his meat processing facility around the corner.

We got to know Dirk during the visit, quizzing him on all things barbecue as usual. He opened Miller's Smokehouse five years ago after several other career incarnations. Besides being a pitmaster, he's a taxidermist, butcher and meat processor. During last season alone, they processed almost 900 deer. He plans to have all his businesses in one place sometime in the future.

The counter and menu at Miller's.

Customers wait for their orders in the front dining room at Miller's.

The meats were nothing short of sensational. The brisket not only looked great, but it was cooked perfectly. We sampled both fatty and lean brisket, both were moist and full of flavor. I would describe the smoke level as flawless and the pepper/garlic salt rub was not overpowering, but well proportioned. The pulled pork wasn't quite as flavorful, but was cooked perfectly as well.

We tried three types of Miller's homemade sausage: regular, hot link and jalapeno cheese. All three had exemplary texture, snap, consistency and taste. I was drawn to the jalapeno cheese though. I've had numerous versions of the sausage around the state, but this is as good as any I've ever had.

Miller's also sells fresh sausage you can take home and cook, as well as other custom meats. We tried the jalapeno cheese summer sausage and the snack sticks, kind of like a homemade Slim Jim. Both products were excellent.

A brisket burnt end sits amid pulled pork.

Sliced Jalapeno sausage and pulled pork. Miller's grinds three types of their own fresh sausage. 

Last but not least, we finished lunch with a couple of home baked deserts. The blueberry-cherry cobbler and coconut carmel cake were from the kitchen of Dirk's wife Lisa. They were a great finish to a perfect lunch. As Daniel had tweeted, everything is good here. We can't wait to try the ribs on a Friday coming up soon.

The other thing we noticed was the sense of community in Miller's. Dirk and his crew seemed to know everyone who came for lunch, greeting customers by name and with handshakes. Not what you usually see in the big city.

As we were out by the smokers, one of the customers and his wife stopped to chat. He was none other than Jerry Grote, former catcher for the New York Mets in the 1960s and 70s. Grote was regarded as one of the best defensive catchers of his era and a master of handling young pitchers, including a wild Texan with a 100 mph fastball named Nolan Ryan.

Jerry and his wife told us they come here to eat every week. "It just keeps getting better and better," they said.

Miller's Smokehouse, 208 N Penelope, Belton, 254-939-5500. Open Tues-Thurs 10:30am-6:30pm, Fri & Sat 10:30am-9pm or until the meat runs out.

Former major leaguer Jerry Grote and his wife visit with Dirk Miller. They eat here every week.

The thermometer on Miller's brisket pit.

Owner Dirk Miller, left, and Posse pitmaster Marshall Cooper swap pit stories after lunch.

Dirk pulls a pork butt out of the smoker for inspection.

Photos ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse

Is reality TV stardom in Aaron Franklin's future? BBQ Pitmasters season 3 update

BBQ Pitmasters season 3 will begin filming tomorrow at the Don’t Be Cruel BBQ Duel competition in Tupelo, Mississippi.

The big news for Texas BBQ followers is that Austin BBQ pitmaster/owner Aaron Franklin will be joining the upcoming season of BBQ Pitmasters as a judge. BBQ entrepreneur and author Myron Mixon, of Jack's Old South BBQ, has already anounced he will be back as a judge on the show.

Championship pitmaster Tuffy Stone will also be joining the judging team. He was a major player on season one of BBQ Pitmasters and has great respect in competition circles. He also owns Q Barbeque, which has three locations in southern Virginia.

BBQ Pitmasters executive producer John Markus teased fans of the show with a tweet last Sunday as follows, "I am so excited about these two new Pitmaster judges. HINT: the most successful two BBQ restauranteurs working today!"

Having stood in line for one or two hours at Franklin BBQ on several occasions, I can vouch for John's tweet. I can only imagine that Tuffy's east-coast joints totally rock as well.

Adding Aaron and Tuffy should really help the chemistry and barbecue IQ of the show. Outside of Mixon, last year's judging team including former football player Warren Sapp and chef Art Smith left a lot to be desired. But so did the challenges to cook appetizers, rattlesnakes, frogs and alligators.

Playing Myron's deep south, old school BBQ personality against Aaron's hipster, young gun persona could be golden for the series. Tuffy is somewhere in the middle. It could also make the lines even longer at Franklin BBQ.

We can't wait to see the format when this season debuts around Memorial Day. Season one was must-see TV for backyard pitmasters around the country.

The last question we need answered is what channel the show will be on. I've seen rumors of "Discovery Destination" channel, but have never heard of that channel and don't get any Google hits on it either.

We'll update as we hear more details on BBQ Pitmasters season three.

Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse

Cooking backyard BBQ with John Mueller & John Lewis

Last Sunday I hauled my Jambo pit to Austin. The first stop was John Lewis' house. Both Lewis and I had been invited to a backyard BBQ with John Mueller the next day.

John Lewis is a pitmaster (I call him The BBQ Genius, food critics call him the BBQ savant) who works at Franklin BBQ in Austin for Aaron Franklin. Franklin's has been named the best BBQ joint in America. That also means best in the world, says John Mueller, because no place else cooks real BBQ except Texas.

I help John Lewis on national KCBS BBQ competitions. John's cook team is named Porky's Revenge, and includes his fiancé Maureen Williams, Daniel Rugg Webb & Raymond Carreon. In its short time competing, Porky's Revenge has attracted the attention of top competitors like Tuffy Stone and Jamie Geer, the Jambo pit builder. Stone and Geer were featured in the first season of TV's BBQ Pitmasters along with Myron Mixon, Johhny Trigg and others. Later this month, John and I are competing at the upcoming 2012 Academy of Country Music and Mandalay Bay BBQ Throw-down competition in Las Vegas, NV.

John Mueller, who learned how to cook from his father, Bobby, of the legendary Taylor barbecue family, runs JMueller BBQ in Austin. He was intrigued by Lewis' competition BBQ skills and hinted at joining us at an event.

Early Monday morning with our pits in tow we headed over to Mueller's joint, which was closed for the day. Mueller had already fired his pit and loaded a couple of briskets and a bunch of beef ribs. When I saw that, I trimmed and rubbed a brisket and had it on my pit in no time. I ran my Jambo pit hotter than hell to try and keep up with Mueller's briskets since he obviously gotten a jump. He had told us the day before "no need to show early!" Lewis fired his pit a few hours later to cook a suckling pig after he completed final preparations.

So, while the meats cooked, everyone sat around the pits smelling the sweet burning post oak, throwing back a few beers and talking some serious BBQ. Mueller's wife Debi, daughter Erika, sister LeAnn, good friend Ali Form (cuts the meats at JMueller) and Wes were all there. Several other Mueller friends stopped by later as well.

The first round of meats came off Mueller's pit. We all devoured his handmade beef sausage - best sausage I've ever had. We all ate lots of it with cheddar cheese and Mueller's spicy hot sauce on fresh saltine crackers. It was damned good! Then Mueller pulled a few racks of his beef ribs off his pit. These were to die for. There is nothing better than eating properly prepped and cooked smoked meats straight off the pit. A while later, Mueller pulled a couple of briskets, which also rocked.

After a few more hours and a few more beers, Lewis pulled off the suckling pig. It stole the show. Lewis had stuffed it with herbs, seasonings, pounds of sausage and pork tenderloin and other secret stuff. Everyone at the cook off loved it. It was by far the best anyone there had ever had. And coming from the Muellers, that's very high praise.

Then I pulled the brisket off my pit and let it rest a while. Mueller pitched it on his block and cut it for us. They all told me it was excellent, which was sweet music to my ears coming from Lewis, the Muellers and their close friends.

Later, LeAnn Mueller, well known photographer and the sister of John, mentioned that John Lewis reminded her of her father, Bobby. John Mueller readily agreed. This is absolutely the highest complement any pitmaster could receive. Lewis just smiled, blushed a little and changed the subject.

John Lewis, left, and John Mueller pose for a portrait.

Photos ©Marshall Cooper/Texas BBQ Posse

John Mueller challenges Aaron Franklin to one-on-one cookoff

UPDATE: I phoned Aaron Franklin earlier today and he quickly agreed to do the showdown with the only hesitation being his busy upcoming agenda. We planned to talk again soon about the details and coordinate a date that works for everyone.

We talked how the showdown will be a very positive spirited thing, something that would be really be cool and fun to do, with proceeds donated to charity.

Afterwards John Mueller replied via text, "it sounds cool and think it would be best to wait til summer because thru June there is something every week".

We are planning on firming up the cook-off date which could be later this summer.....

Original post

Monday was a great day.

I spent it cooking, backyard-style, with two of the best pitmasters in the state: John Mueller of JMueller BBQ and John Lewis, who works for legendary Aaron Franklin at Franklin BBQ.

More about that in a later post.

But first, let's get to the real news. During the day Mueller, who was recently featured with Franklin on the cover of Texas Monthly magazine, said he would like to have a one-on-one brisket cook-off against Franklin.

It could be an event and the proceeds could go to charity, Mueller suggested.

I e-mailed Franklin for  a response and have not yet heard back from him. Will update when he does.

Within the Posse, we've had some heated debates about who produces the best brisket, Franklin or Mueller. Both are damn good. If there's a volunteer judges list, put us on it.

Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse