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

Ep. 112 - Panther City BBQ

Ep. 111 - Cattleack Barbeque part two

Listen to part one of our episode with Todd David of Cattleack Barbeque to hear about his early days of cooking barbecue and starting the business.

Location:
13628 Gamma Rd
Dallas, TX 75244

Hours:
Thursdays 10:30am – 2pm
Fridays 10:30am – 2pm
1st Saturdays 10:30 am – 2pm

Catch Cattleack Barbeque on the internet at:

https://www.cattleackbbq.com/

https://www.instagram.com/cattleackbbq/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cattleackbbq @cattleackbbq

Ep. 110 - Todd David of Cattleack Barbeque

Todd David was a barbecue fan long before he owned a barbecue restaurant. He was grilling and smoking meats as a young man growing up in St. Louis, and that passion only grew once he moved to Dallas. It would be a long time, however, before BBQ would become a business for the David family.

Toddn ahis wife Misty owned and operated a commercial cleaning and restoration company in Dallas for many years and would host monthly barbecue lunches for their customers. Over time the lunches grew in volume, and after a long and successful career they decided to sell their restoration company but continue catering for large events.

The original plan for Cattleack Barbeque was to be mainly a catering operation, but that would quickly change as they'd serve lunches from their small storefront and word spread on the high level of quality being produced. The accolades would soon follow as local media and BBQ enthusiasts discovered what the Davids were producing. In May of 2017 they were named the third best BBQ joint in Texas by Texas Monthly.

Tune in for part two of our talk with Todd as we discuss the effects of such acclaim as well as the Cattleack menu.

Ep. 109 - Zavala’s Barbecue

A tradition of family cookouts in his youth was the inspiration for Joe Zavala to buy his first smoker when he and his wife Christan became homeowners. As Joe tinkered with his cooks and his brisket game grew stronger, he launched an ambitious (but not exactly profitable) plan to cook and deliver his barbecue to customers all over the Dallas and Fort Worth area. 

With encouragement from Christan and longtime friends C.J. and Drew, Zavala’s Barbecue began serving in pop up form at a few events in the Grand Prairie area. Word was quickly spreading about the quality of food they were producing, and soon Zavala’s was serving their food every Saturday at The Brass Bean in Grand Prairie.

As the buzz continued, Zavala’s would cook as much as their smokers could hold, but the sellout sign would still be posted within a few hours of opening as the locals couldn’t get enough of Joe and crew’s smoked meats. They began looking for a more permanent spot to be able to cook and serve, and eventually found an old building in downtown Grand Prairie. 

With the Zavala’s crew all having full time jobs and family obligations, they are currently only open Saturdays for lunch, but that may change in the future. In the meantime, Joe's wife Christan will be utilizing the restaurant space during the week as she opens Mas Coffee Co., which will be serving Zavala’s Barbecue breakfast tacos. 

The word is definitely out about the high quality menu being served by this talented team. There’s a line every Saturday, and for good reason. With peppery, well cooked brisket, housemade sausages and Mexican influenced menu items, Zavala’s Barbecue is a place BBQ fans need to get to.

Zavala's Barbecue is currently open Saturday's only from 11am - Sell out

421 W Main St, Grand Prairie, TX 75050

Catch Zavala's Barbecue on the web at:

http://www.zavalasbarbecue.com/

Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/zavalasbarbecue/

Facebook: @zavalasbarbecue  https://twitter.com/zavalasbarbecue

Ep. 108 - Dayne’s Craft Barbecue

Dayne's Craft Barbecue is another quality edition to the growing barbecue scene in Fort Worth, Texas. Early memories of his dad cooking ribs eventually lead to Dayne’s fiancée Ashley buying him his first smoker and learning the craft.

Inspired by the underground barbecue scene of California, Dayne began hosting his own underground pop ups. As he continued honing his skills and building an audience, brewery pop ups would follow.

Dayne's Craft Barbecue recently made the leap to building out a brick and mortar with an anticipated opening date of late summer 2019. For the time being keep an eye out for regular pop ups as the restaurant is built. With a menu of high quality meats, housemade sausages and scratch sides, Dayne is well on the way to making his mark in the Fort Worth scene.

For more information catch Dayne's Craft Barbecue on the web at:
https://daynescraftbarbecue.com/
Twitter: @daynetxbbq
Instagram: daynetxbbq

Ep. 107 - The Growing DFW BBQ Scene

It had been too long since our last roadtrip up to DFW so we gassed up the BBQ wagon and set off to the metroplex. While we have a long list of locations we need to scout out we were able to squeeze in five on this trip. Starting with Cattleack we checked into the Pitmasters and Punch morning chat that Todd David hosts, followed by whole hog and as much of the menu as we could eat at Cattleack before checking out Zavala's, Panther City, Dayne's, and Finally Flores before getting back on I45 and making our way back south.

We were very impressed with the barbecue scene and barbecue community that is really flourishing up that way.

Round two will come later this summer with Goldees, Smiley's, Riscky's, Hurtado, Brix, Slow Bone, and Ferris Wheeler's on our check list of places we need to go visit.

Who else should we put on our list? Let us know on Instagram: TalesFromthePits or Twitter: @BBQPodcast

We apologize for the audio quality on this one, as even more than normal its not optimal. We continue to experiment with microphones and recording options to improve as it is difficult to record in a moving car or at a busy restaurant, but this time we went a little backwards with the audio quality. 

TFP Ep. 106 - Women in BBQ

The barbecue world has long been seen as a largely male dominated industry, with womens’ contributions to the profession often being overlooked. But the truth about many BBQ operations is that they would not be what they are without the hard work and passion of a growing number of women in BBQ.

There are female pitmasters, BBQ restaurant owner/ operators, managers, sausage makers, cooks, meat cutters, and a myriad of other jobs in the barbecue world. 

In this episode we’re joined by three of the great women in barbecue: Misty Roegels, Owner/Operator at Roegels Barbecue Co., Mallory Robbins, Owner/Operator at Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque, and Aubrie Hood, General Manager at Evie Mae’s. Please tune in as they discuss a wide range of topics from the difficulties of being a woman in what is perceived as a male dominated industry, raising a family while operating a restaurant, and more.

TFP BBQ Ep. 105 - Red Dirt pitmaster chat

We were privileged to sit down with some great people in the BBQ world during the Red Dirt BBQ and Music Festival. The Red Dirt Festival takes place every May in Tyler, Texas and is widely considered the can't-miss BBQ event in Texas. Some of the state's best BBQ joints serve up tasty bites and in the evening Tyler's downtown square turns into an even bigger party as prominent Red Dirt music acts take the stage for thousands of fans.