Ep. 122 - Backline Smokers

Ryan Newland's path to pit building started with fabrication. Building unique set designs for Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Pink his innovative work set the stage for custom one-off pits that he would build after moving to Texas.

Probably currently most well known for the hog cookers at Banger's in Austin, he collaborated with Sunny Moberg to build a wild motorized pit for Smoke Draw BBQ that you have to see and his pits are beginning to show up at many well known barbecue joints. From the Santa Maria style live fire grill for Treaty Oak to dual 500's and more, if you can dream it Backline Smokers can build it.

Contact:
http://www.backlinefab.com/

Phone:  (818) 481-4157

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backlinefab/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backlinefab/

Ep. 121 - Sausage 101

It's taken us three years of making sausage before we felt like we could truly speak on the art of craft sausage. A number of people have asked us to do an episode similar to our Ribs 101 and so here it is - Tales From the Pits Sausage 101. This is a crash course in the basics of making fresh cooked sausage; from what equipment to buy, to the best tips we've learned, and finally we provide a base recipe for you to enhance.

Mentioned in the episode and a great resource is the A&M Creative Sausage Making class.

Here is a link to the class in 2018 that Bryan attended: https://meat.tamu.edu/2018/01/22/2018-creative-sausage-making-course-tamu/

The class is usually held in the second week of January and while not available to register at the time of this episode, the link will be available from here:
https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/

A&M also hosts other valuable courses such as Beef 101 and Pork 101, plus the immensely popular Brisket Camp and Barbecue Camp events which are held in conjunction with Foodways Texas

If you found this episode helpful please take a moment and rate us on your podcast app and let us know on social media:
Twitter: @bbqpodcast

Instagram: TalesFromthePits

Ep. 120 - Robert J Lerma

After an enlightening visit to Lockhart and Taylor BBQ joints, Robert Lerma moved to Texas. While holding down a full time job his passion for capturing the essence of Texas barbecue in the people, restaurants, and food launched a photography business that has set him apart as one of the top in the segment. While still maintaining his weekly job his photography gig has taken him across the world. He has built a special bond with those he chooses to work with and has been able to capture moments that are unique and connect with his audience.

Not only have his photos been published in national magazines and elsewhere, you can also see his work hanging in many barbecue joints such as Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue in Pflugerville and Corkscrew Barbecue in Spring. 

You can purchase directly from his website at http://www.robertjacoblerma.com/online-store/images

Contact:

http://www.robertjacoblerma.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertjacoblerma/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertjacoblerma1

Ep, 119 Bradley Robinson and Chud Pits

Bradley “Chud” Robinson is one of the most talented people in barbecue. As one of the pitmasters at the great LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, he helps produce some of the best fire cooked meats in Texas. As if that full-time job wasn’t enough, Bradley also builds BBQ pits. LeRoy and Lewis cook a lot of their food on pits he’s built or modified.

Chud BBQ Pits are custom built to order and Bradley currently offers offset backyard smokers, 250 gallon propane tank based pits, and his Chud Box direct heat pits. One of the unique benefits of Chud BBQ Pits is that it gives the consumer the opportunity to purchase a pit from a builder who’s also a working pitmaster and designs his pits with years of cooking experience to draw from. Contact Bradley via Instagram if you’re looking to order a Chud BBQ Pit.

Instagram: @chudsbbq

Ep. 118 - Pork Steak Run, upcoming BBQ Events, and Listener Questions

In this episode:
- Recap of a 9 stop BBQ run with 3 top 10 BBQ joints
- Upcoming BBQ fests
- Listener Questions

In the heat of the summer it can be uncomfortable downing brisket at every stop of a barbecue run, especially if you like the moist side of the brisket like we do. The rich, fatty meat can drag you down if you don't pace yourself.

We came up with the idea to do another run focused on pork steak with some sausage thrown in. First time BBQ run buddies Tom Weldin and Derek Wedel joined us along with longtime friend and veteran of multiple runs Terry Osborn who drove in from San Antonio. Cory Gregg met us at Snow's, our first stop for some early morning shenanigans.

We did chow down on some brisket during the trip at each of the three Texas Monthly Top 10 joints we stopped at, we just couldn't avoid it altogether.

Itinerary:
Snow's BBQ: Pork Steak, Brisket, Ribs, Chicken
City Meat Market (Giddings): Pork Steak, Sausage
Prause Meat Market: Sausage
City Market (Schulenberg): Sausage
Kolacny Bar-B-Q and Catering: Pork Steak, Sausage, Chicken
Glenn's Meat Market: Pork Steak
Shiner Brewery: Beer
Micklethwait Market & Grocery (Smithville): Brisket, Ribs, Sausage, Braised Greens, Slaw, Beans, Jalapeno Cheese Grits, Banana Pudding, Peach Cobbler
Truth BBQ (Brenham): Brisket, corn pudding. Cake to go

Get some great pickles from our buddy Tom - http://www.texaspickleco.com/

Houston BBQ Throwdown: https://houbbq.com/

Smoked BBQ Fest: https://www.smokedbbqfest.com/

Butcher's Ball: https://www.butchersball.com/

TMBBQ Fest: https://www.texasmonthly.com/event/tmbbq-fest-2019/

Ep, 117 - Pustka Family Barbeque

Dustin Pustka, a classically trained chef who'd worked in professional kitchens for years, had grown tired of that aspect of the food world and began gravitating towards a less fussy, more comfort style of cuisine. Having grown up cooking barbecue with his family, it was a natural progression for him to return to those roots.

Ep. 116 - Austin Smoke Works

Austin Smoke Works have been building some of the barbecue world’s most sought after smokers for years. With a pit design that includes an insulated firebox and efficient draw of smoke through the cook chamber, some of the best Texas barbecue has come off of Austin Smoke Works pits over the last several years. 

Jimbo Glass, who has been building pits with Austin Smoke Works since its early days alongside founders John Lewis Sr. And John Lewis Jr. recently took over the company from the Lewis family. Glass along with his team of Jason Lind and Mike Dailey have begun producing pits at a faster pace and have a reconfigured pricing structure that is comparable to the other major pit builders in the industry.

At the time of this recording (July 2019) Austin Smoke Works has a much shorter wait time than has become commonplace in the BBQ pit retail world and can currently deliver pits within two months of purchase. If a new offset smoker is in your plans Austin Smoke Works is a great option.

Contact Austin Smoke Works online at www.austinsmokeworks.com

On Facebook at www.facebook.com/AustinSmokeWorks/

On Instagram at www.instagram.com/austinsmokeworksllc

Ep. 115 - Windy City Smokeout and Feges BBQ

WOW

One of the largest food events of the year is held every July in Chicago. Windy City Smokeout brings together some of the biggest names in BBQ and country music. We were fortunate to have had the opportunity to join the Feges BBQ team this year to help prepare and serve their menu to the festival goers.

The logistics of preparing, cooking, and serving this volume of food for a three day event is incredible, and we learned a lot about just how much work it takes to put together an operation of this magnitude. We cannot thank Patrick and Erin from Feges BBQ enough for letting us be part of their crew for the weekend. 

We learned a lot and our respect for those in the barbecue world just keeps growing as we continue to see the tireless work ethic displayed by so many during this epic festival. Tune in for a recap of the festivities and a truly unforgettable experience for us.

The 2020 Windy City Smokeout will be held July 10-12

For more information and to see just how big this event is, visit https://www.windycitysmokeout.com/

Ep. 114 - Helberg Barbecue one year later

First year growth

To say the first year in business for Helberg Barbecue was eventful would be a massive understatement. From the early beginnings in their small trailer to multiple accolades, personal and professional growth, and now a brick and mortar building in addition to their food trailer, Phillip and Yvette Helberg have gone on quite the ride.

Ep. 113 - BBQ Road Trips Part 2

Road Trips that maximize the stops within short timelines

In the second installment of our BBQ road trip tips we provide sample itineraries for the hardcore BBQ fan trying to sample as many restaurants as possible in a short amount of time. We give tips on what to order, timing of each stop, and various other pieces of advice to maximize your time in order to get in as many stops as possible in both Austin and Houston. We also discuss which Dallas/Fort Worth stops should be on your list.

The Top Ten Challenge