These were our thoughts immediately following different shooting
locations during production:
 DALLAS,
TEXAS
It's not too often one gets the opportunity to interview someone
who's interviewed presidents and kings, but that's exactly what
our crew did. We asked Dan Rather some questions about Texas, and
how Texans feel toward barbecue, and we got several wonderful stories
that show even though Mr. Rather has traveled all over the world,
he has kept Texas, and a love for barbecue, in his heart.
ELGIN, TEXAS
Our return visit to Elgin in October allowed us to behold it's annual
Hogeye Festival. Essentially, it's one big party for sausage. We caught
up with the Sowpremes as they rode in on Harleys and performed a couple
songs on stage, and we had the honor of meeting the new Sausage King.
We also came across one of the most interesting images of our journey,
an old washing machine converted into a barbecue pit. Very cool.
LAMPASAS, TEXAS
No Texas drive is complete without a stop at the Dairy Queen. In Lampasas
we got way more than we expected. Sarah began by greeting us with a
smile, and ended by being completely out of the drive-through window
and outside the building with us doing a chicken dance (and several
other hilarious bits). Yes, we got it all on tape, although some it
may be a bit shaky since Chris was laughing so hard. The other DQ employees
could only stand inside and watch with wonder and awe at the spectacle
until Sarah's manager stuck her head out of the drive-through window
and reminded her that she was "still on the clock". If we
were passing out trophies for the most colorful characters we've met
iwhile shooting of this film, Sarah would surely receive one.
ALBANY, TEXAS
The drive to Albany led us to chuck wagon cook Bill Cauble. He and his
partner Cliff Teinert wrote a book called Barbecue, Biscuits and
Beans with some amazing photos and recipes. Bill cooked for us
and many others at Watt Matthews Cowboy Days in downtown Albany where
they celebrate the cowboy spirit that is so much a part of barbecue.
Besides the incredible rib-eye barbecue that Bill provided, there was
live music, some loud (but non-lethal) shoot-outs, and yes even the
4th Annual Texas National Chicken Roping Competition... truly Texan
indeed.
DRIFTWOOD, TEXAS
Staying closer to home on this particular weekend netted us a great
interview with Art Alexakis, frontman for the band Everclear.
Even though Art lives in Portland, Oregon, he is very knowledgeable
and passionate about barbecue. He was kind enough to make the long drive
to Driftwood to talk with us at The Salt Lick, and of course nosh on
their tasty ribs and brisket. He couldn't stay too long after eating
because he needed to get back up to Austin to do his sound check for
that evening's show at Stubb's. We caught him there later, eating more
barbecue! Even though he lives outside of the state, Art embodies the
passion for good 'cue that we have discovered in so many Texans.
LA FERIA, TEXAS
We couldn't resist checking out a place called “Wild Bill’s
BBQ” so we stopped in to see what this place was all about. Located
in La Feria, 24 miles northwest of Brownsville, the restaurant truly
represents the frontier spirit with its great Texas decor, and Bill
plays his part to the hilt, complete with a very impressive handlebar
moustache, and well-used hunting knife hanging from his belt. Seeing
as how we showed up on Sunday around mid-day, Bill wasn't acting terribly
"wild", but was very gracious and gave us a tour and an interview.
As we were unloading our gear however, we met a truckload of goats and
kids (the human kind) that are involved in the local 4H program. It
was quite impressive seeing how dedicated and excited these youngsters
are about taking care of animals, and how much their experiences parallel
the agricultural roots of Texas.
SAN BENITO, TEXAS
We headed down to the Valley to get the scoop on border barbecue and
found ourselves enjoying a great time at Bill Turner's place in San
Benito. Bill is a very friendly guy who loves to talk about, cook, and
eat barbecue. The Longhorn Cattle Company isn't just a good name for
a barbecue joint either... Bill is more than happy to take you out back
and show you the beautiful mother-daughter pair of longhorns he's got
right behind the restaurant. We interviewed him in the same corral as
his two friendly old horses, along with Miss Bria, the younger of the
two longhorns. While one of his horses named Gal was very comfortable
being a part of the interview (like planting herself solidly between
Bill and the camera), Miss Bria would simply have no part of it and
stayed a respectable distance from us at all times. How could she know
we were working on a barbecue film?!
AUSTIN, TEXAS
After reading the article he wrote about the UT BBQ Club and its woes
with the university, we decided that John Kelso was just the guy to
talk to about Texas barbecue. Even though John is from Maine, he considers
himself not only a Texan, but one that possesses knowledge and love
for that sacred institution we call barbecue. John showed up for our
interview at John Mueller's BBQ on Manor Road (his favorite) wearing
a well-worn UT BBQ Club T-shirt emblazoned with the motto "For
barbecue I will" on it along with the somewhat controversial club
seal.
AUSTIN, TEXAS
We couldn't cover barbecue in Austin without mentioning the local music
scene, and we surely couldn't discuss those two venerable subjects without
talking to Clifford J. Antone. It's a documented fact that many musicians
either got their start at Antone's nightclub or, if already well-known,
simply loved playing there, which is still the case today. People like
B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt have
all graced Antone's stage. In the early "lean" years, many
musicians simply showed up at local barbecue joints knowing that they
could eat for free. Blues and barbecue go together so well that Christopher
B. Stubblefield (aka "Stubb") move to Austin from Lubbock
by making and selling his barbecue right in Antone's club. We not only
got to spend time with Clifford, but we were fortunate enough to try
some of Charlotte's tasty Iron Works BBQ.
LULING, TEXAS
When the official magazine of Texas devotes the cover and feature story
of an issue to barbecue, you begin to realize the significance to the
people of the Lone Star State. We met with Pat Sharpe, John Morthland,
and Joe Nick Patoski, three of the writers whose enviable job it was
to travel around the state, eating and writing about barbecue. As if
that weren't enough, they even got paid to do it! We sat down with them
at the Luling City Market and got some great stories about their experiences
as part of that choice assignment. These three brave souls, along with
seven others, drove over 21,000 total miles to discover great barbecue
all round the state and report back to over 2 million Texans (and 239,000
out-of-staters) that read the magazine.
 AUSTIN,
TEXAS - Our film crew was fortunate to sit down and chat
with the always shy and demure (yeah, right) Kinky Friedman at The
Pit Barbecue on Dry Creek Drive in Austin. Besides writing books
and giving lectures, Kinky is running for Governor of Texas and
taking care of critters at his Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch. We had
big fun talking with him and eating the exceptional barbecue at
The Pit. Kinky is always more than happy to share his unique views
on just about any subject matter people would like to bring up.
You can find out more on the "Kinkster" by logging onto
www.kinkyfriedman.com.
WEBERVILLE, TEXAS
We've seen time and time again how barbecue brings people together as
the key element of any gathering, especially family gatherings, but
we simply were not prepared for what we witnessed outside of Austin
one weekend in September. The Limon Family holds an annual reunion in
which they treat about 3,000 family members to incredible barbecue.
We're not kidding. There are so many people, they have their own mass
on Sunday! We also learned about the new and improved (well, improvised)
RVs for the reunion, converted U-Haul trucks with beds and couches in
the back. As one family member puts it, “If you want air conditioning,
just open the back door.” We were amazed by these people and how
they welcomed us to their immeasurable event. It's truly a representation
of BBQ and family.
TERLINGUA, TEXAS
The last stop on our West Texas tour did not disappoint. Behind a man-made
cave we found what promises to be one of the most productive pits in
West Texas. Glenn Felts, proprietor of La Kiva, left his microchip engineer
job in Dallas to run this unique bar and restaurant located in the Big
Bend RV Travel Park. Terlingua has become quite the destination for
barbecue competitions, and Glenn is proud to have placed at all of the
ones he has entered. If you make it to West Texas, La Kiva is a definite
destination anytime after 5 p.m. We promise that you’ll be surprised
by what you find in the middle of the desert. Good ‘cue is only
the beginning. 915-371-2250
LAJITAS, TEXAS
Everyone knows that barbecue isn’t really complete without a Lone
Star beer. We thought we would ask the mayor for his comments on the
subject. Clay Henry, Mayor of Lajitas, Texas, decided he would rather
guzzle his Lone Star than actually comment on camera. So after surrendering
several bottles of the national beer of Texas to his insatiable appetite,
we decided to pack it up and hit the road for Terlingua. Lucky for Clay
Henry, the cabrito festival had already wrapped up.
MARFA, TEXAS
Okay, so there’s not really any barbecue in Marfa, but how can
you go to West Texas and not make the pilgrimage to the Marfa Mystery
Lights? If you haven’t been lately, they have a great new public
viewing area, complete with information that ironically enough is only
readable during the day. There are also the much-desired public restrooms
(with innovative septic systems that don’t quite make total sense
to us, but see for yourself). Anyway, it was a fun stop on our Texas
tour and we just had to mention it. If you have any barbecue-based theories
that explain the Marfa Lights, please submit them to info@bbqfilm.com.
ALPINE, TEXAS
In the home of Sul Ross State University, you’ll find The Shotgun
Grill. It was there that we ran into a number of Sul Ross students taking
a break over some barbecue. One of them even did a BBQ cheer for us.
Behind the Shotgun Grill we were treated to a very special private performance
from Two Tons of Steel, including an original barbecue song. The guys
have had plenty of time to become Texas barbecue experts while on the
road. They recently released their new CD entitled “Transparent.”
Find out more about this awesome Texas band at www.TwoTons.com
.
FORT STOCKTON, TEXAS
An hour north of Marathon, you’ll find one of the larger cities
in the region. Fort Stockton is home to Camp House Bar-B-Que, owned
and operated by John Jackson. John is a former rancher himself who decided
to leave the ranch for end product. He has one of the few joints that
offers barbecue sirloin. It was excellent.
MARATHON, TEXAS
Pop quiz… How do you pronounce “Marathon?” If your
version sounds like a really long race, the locals know you’re
a “foreigner.” In the place that’s pronounced “Mar-uh-thun,”
we visited the 2nd Annual West Fest and a number of its cabrito cook-off
participants. If you’re wondering, cabrito is essentially barbecue
goat and it cooks up real good. An interesting fact we learned about
cabrito is that it can be cooked for a really long time without overcooking,
making for a long day Toss in some Lone Star Beer and you have a huge
West Texas party, complete with showmanship competitions and music.
That night, the town was treated to the music of Two
Tons of Steel as they played on the back of two flatbed pickup trucks.
ALPINE, TEXAS
Our first stop in far West Texas was the expansive Leoncita Ranch between
Alpine and Fort Stockton. It was there that we met cattle rancher and
real cowboy Tom Beard. He’s a law school graduate who has made
ranching his occupation for the last 30 years. It’s guys like
Tom that put BBQ on our tables. He remembers the days when real cowboys
were readily available but says they’re tougher to come by these
days. An 11-year drought has forced him to cut costs on crews and implement
time savers like helicopters. Tom has an amazing piece of Earth to tend
to and wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. He’s
accompanied by his wife (the county judge for over a decade), a couple
dogs, and an immeasurable number of ranch kittens and cats (we really
wanted to take one home with us). It was amazing for us to see where
it all begins. Thank you Tom.
DENTON, TEXAS
While we have experienced a lot of wonderful stories surrounding community
and barbecue in Texas, this is by far the most touching. After almost
23 years in business in Denton, Steve Logan’s small barbecue joint
burned down. Steve, an incredibly nice man with a passion for cooking,
lost everything. Since then, the community of Denton has come together
to get him back on his feet. They have begun the process of rebuilding
Steve’s barbecue joint by completely clearing the corner lot where
it will again sit. Steve intends to make no changes to his new place
other than using a steel structure instead of wood and locating the
pits ‘outside’ of the restaurant. The 900 square-foot size
will remain the same, as has the size of Steve’s heart and appreciation
for his neighbors. We wish Steve the best in the rebuilding process
and can’t wait to sample his barbecue. Good luck Steve!
DALLAS, TEXAS
At Baker’s Ribs in the Deep Ellum district, we found a little
piece of country culture in the middle of the big city. Baker’s
is located in a very popular club area that brings barbecue to a contemporary,
pop group at night and an incredible lunch crowd during the day. For
all of you Dallas foreigners, don’t assume that meter parking
is free on the weekend. We advise all of you to feed the meters liberally
with quarters. Then, treat yourself to some awesome ribs.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
Are you ready for some Horned Frog Football?! It just rolls off the
tongue, doesn’t it? Hundreds were ready on September 20 as TCU
geared up to take on Vanderbilt. Around the stadium we found diehard
fans cooking up barbecue at their tailgates, including our friend from
Railhead, Charlie Geren. We also ran into some absolutely amazing pits
on trailers. One came all the way from New Braunfels and is supervised
by ex-TCU athletes who would prefer no one refer to their barbecue pit
as a “roaster.” Their game days in their post-collegiate
lives are longer than ever, beginning the ‘cue preparations well
before the sun comes up. When you’re stuck in a parking lot for
hours and hours, barbecue becomes the center of attention and sometimes
it even trumps the actual game.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
When in Cow Town, go where the cows are. We stopped by Ft. Worth’s
famous Stockyards to explore the question: Where does all this great
barbecue come from? Not finding the barbecue answers in the crazy maze
you pay to get lost in, our Art Director Bob Boucher thought he might
look on top of the mechanical bull. He’s not sure if there were
any answers there, because he didn’t stick around up there long
enough to find out. When we thought all hope for answers was lost, we
ran into real cowboy Ron Sitton and his trusty Longhorn Shiloh. Ron
told us all about the importance of the cattle industry to Texas and
the origins of barbecue, plus he has an awesome moustache! Thanks Ron.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
Our first Metroplex stop was Railhead, considered to be one of the newer
kids on the block but a local favorite nonetheless. Owned and operated
by Charlie Geren, Railhead offers the Texas barbecue staples, plus a
rather unusual menu selection of Smoked Bologna. Geren’s Railhead
prides itself on not being located in Dallas with signs like “Life
is too short to live in Dallas.”
AUSTIN, TEXAS
When’s the last time Asleep at the Wheel played in your driveway?
Well… when you’re Ray Benson, it’s a little different.
He and the boys played a barbecue benefit at his home for which proceeds
went to Austin’s Wild Basin Preserve. The event was catered by
The County Line. This is just another example of Texans coming together
around barbecue to support a worthy cause. For more information on Wild
Basin Preserve, click here.
LOCKHART, TEXAS
It was another installment of the UT Barbecue Club… this time
at one of our favorite places, Smitty’s in Lockhart. Dinyar and
the gang said farewell to past president Michael Hoffman as he leaves
Texas for England, a place where there is no real barbecue. Michael’s
friends and family were in attendance for the send-off.
We also got an update from the students on the legal struggle with the
University of Texas regarding the use of barbecue words on a seal that
resembles the university’s seal. We are still waiting for further
comment from UT.
AUSTIN, TEXAS
It was a tasty day in Austin as we made our rounds to three very different
places: John Mueller Barbecue, Sam’s Barbecue and The County Line.
At John Mueller (on Manor), we found a relatively new operation being
run with the experience an age-old establishment. John is nothing less
than serious about his ‘cue. He comes from a BBQ family and simply
does what he loves and does it well. He does it well enough to be recognized
by multiple sources as among the best in Texas.
 Sam’s
Barbecue on East 12th has an atmosphere all its own. Sam’s is
a neighborhood institution, known for staying open until the food runs
out
even if it means staying open until 2 in the morning.
At Sam’s, we caught up with Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton
who recalled the role Sam’s played early in his career, along
with peers Stevie Ray Vaughan and Tommy Shannon. From late nights in
Austin to having Sam’s barbecue shipped to a studio in New York,
Chris expressed a special connection to Sam’s, most recently featured
in “The Life of David Gale.”
We've heard some skepticism surrounding barbecue places with multiple
locations because of fears of a lack of consistency, quality or character.
What we found at County Line was anything but. The County Line (we were
at “The Hill” location) most definitely has character, from
the talking animal heads on the walls to audio in the bathroom that
teaches you how to talk Texan. Of course, the food is outstanding. This
is one of the only places to offer ‘both’ beef and pork
ribs. That’s a lot of meat but fitting when you consider it is
Home of the Big Rib. Thanks go out to Skeeter and his unbelievably veteran
and loyal staff for making our visit one to remember.
AUSTIN, TEXAS
What happens when you take a former White House press secretary, a famous
Austin entertainer and a backyard overlooking our state capital? A backyard
barbecue like no other. On this day, we were treated to a rare opportunity
to sit down with Liz Carpenter and her close friend Cactus Pryor in
Carpenters backyard. With us, a few friends, and an army of news cameras,
the two reminisced about the role barbecue played in the presidency
of Texan Lyndon Baines Johnson. The two shared some amazing stories,
including one in which Cactus was preparing for a barbecue at the Johnson
ranch when he was one of the first in the world to learn that JFK had
died from gunshot wounds in Dallas and LBJ had officially become President
of the United States. We were also treated to some fun music from local
musicians… even a special song about barbecue. Thank you to Opies
and Sam’s for providing excellent barbecue for this one-of-a-kind
event. An incredible thanks to Liz Carpenter for being a host like no
other and Cactus Pryor for making a special effort to be in attendance.
HOUSTON, TEXAS
H-Town felt like our town for a day as we traversed the huge city following
our noses to places like Burns, Thelmas, Drexler's and even a couple
of mobile barbecue joints. Burns in Houston’s 3rd Ward takes the
top position as the smokiest pit area we’ve experienced, leaving
 our
seasoned barbecue veteran crew tearing and running for the door back
to the kitchen. After we tasted the barbecue, we learned exactly where
all that smoke went, right into the meat. Very good. A huge thanks to
Mr. Burns for taking time out of his schedule to show us around.
 Over
at Thelmas, we were greeted with the biggest smile we can recall seeing
all tour. Thelma is the perfect barbecue joint owner: always happy,
always smiling and always on top of quality. Her place is cozy and welcoming
and worth a visit on any trip to Houston.
 Just
west of downtown, we also found a barbecue business like no other. Drexler’s
is amazingly refined to every last detail, from the marble-topped tables
to the wood panel stage that serves as music stage and basketball court.
What was the most memorable about Drexler’s was the absolute sense
of family we found there, from the owners to the cooking staff. Brother
James tells a story of beginning in the barbecue business over 30 years
ago, making money to support the rest of his brothers and sisters through
school, and even watching his brother Clyde glide to an amazing career
in the NBA. All of them have in a hand in the business today, even to
the point of the new building designed by James’ sisters.
 There
was much more in H-Town (like the police officer that was oddly intimidated
by our camera during a simple conversation) but you’ll just have
to wait for the film… or maybe even some DVD bonus features. The
pic to the right is what happens when you eat too much BBQ and work
for 20-hours straight.
CONVERSE, TEXAS
A pretty woman named Barbie who fights fires, has a three-legged dog,
eats BBQ and… get this… races lawnmowers. It may sound like
a storybook fairytale, but it’s the reality we walked into on
a rainy day in Converse, Texas. For 51 years now, the Converse Volunteer
Fire Department has been raising funds for its services by cooking some
of the best barbecue around for its community. We were honored to be
on hand for one of the most important events all year in this small
town outside San Antonio. For the last few years, they have included
serious lawnmower drag racing as part of the event. When we say serious,
we mean souped-up lawnmowers topping speeds of 70 mph on a 150-ft track.
This community truly comes together around slow-cooked barbecue and
fast-paced lawnmowers. This is another story you’ll have to see
to believe.
SPICEWOOD, TEXAS
This is one stop we’re really glad we made. Opies Barbecue in
Spicewood has been firing up their pits for just a few years now off
of Highway 71 between Austin and Marble Falls. If you’re ever
going in or out of Austin on 71, we officially request that you make
this stop. Because it’s a new, lesser-known place we’ll
even give you the phone number: 830-693-8660. In fact, it’s worth
 the
20-minute drive west of the big city. You’ll no doubt be greeted
by proprietor Todd and his friends Harvey and Bradley, and wife Kristen.
You’ll be able to pick your meat right off of the pit and take
it inside to be cut. We recommend Opies sirloin and jalapeno sausage.
The sirloin is untouchable. While you’re there, ask Bradley what
his occupation used to be. Thanks to Todd for sitting on a bed of wood
in the hot Texas sun during our interview. We didn’t realize the
ants were attacking you until after we reviewed the footage, seriously.
Thanks Todd.
MARBLE FALLS, TEXAS
At Peete Mesquite, we found a relatively young barbecue joint run by
a former executive chef and his CPA wife. Don’t let the former
fancy job titles fool you. The people of Marble Falls turn to Peete
Mesquite for their down-home ribs, brisket and chicken. Cooked out back
with indirect heat and watched over by the two resident cats, Peete
and his buddy Mesquite, the food has been named best barbecue in Burnet
County.
 ELGIN,
TEXAS
This is the Sausage Capital of Texas. How do we know? Well, even the
state legislature proclaimed it. Elgin is home to some amazing barbecue
and some very interesting people. We were fortunate enough to visit
Southside Market, Crosstown BBQ and Meyer's, all offering their own
special brand of cooking and ambience.
We were thrown off a bit when our film crew stepped
into Crosstown to find another film crew already shooting an interview
with owner Larren Morgan. It turned out to be a crew from The Travel
Channel taking a tour of some Texas barbecue. We exchanged a few notes
and proceeded to interview the interviewers. Thank you to host Michael
Lomonaco for spending some time with us.
 After
way too much to eat at both Southside and Crosstown, it was off to witness
one of the most bizarre phenomena of this entire barbecue journey, a
group of Elgin women who call themselves The Sowpremes. No
strangers to bad puns, these women give countless hours to the musical
group that takes popular songs and re-works them in some way relating
to pork or sausage (like "The Little Old Lady from Porksadena").
Their craft and their pink-accented wardrobe are truly amazing. The
Sowpremes perform at community functions and try to give back to
Elgin in any way they can. Even though they were among the toughest
interviews for the film (because you just can't calm them down) they
were an absolute pleasure to meet, and you'll be pleasantly surprised
with their BBQ Film performance. www.sowpremes.com
We would also like to thank Elgin mayor Eric Carlson and economic development
coordinator Amy Miller for their input on the impact of sausage on the
city of Elgin. This is truly the City of Sausage.
TAYLOR, TEXAS
Have you been to Taylor? Louie
Mueller owner Bobby Mueller says that a majority of his business
comes from out-of-towners, like you, looking to get a taste of Taylor.
Louie Mueller ranks extremely high in our crew log as one of the most
authentic and historic joints on our journey, thus far only rivaled
by Smitty's in Lockhart. From the classic signs to the famous smoke
and grease stained wall of business cards, few places can touch this
time capsule of Texas. We met no less than 3 generations of BBQ-goers
on our visit, including one family who was celebrating their son's first
birthday with barbecue (we took a crew picture with him for his scrapbook).
 From
Louie Mueller, it was off to the Taylor
International Barbecue Cook-Off where we caught up with some of
Central Texas' most interesting cook-off teams and the Taylor Jaycees
who organize the benefit. This may be the only cook-off where no cash
prizes are awarded. It's all about good ol' Texas pride. We also enjoyed
our visit with the FOX 7 News crew from Austin who featured the cook-off
and the production of our film on FOX 7 News at Nine that night.
LOCKHART, TEXAS
If there is a Barbecue Capital of the World, this is the place. From
what we hear, there's about 11,000 people in this small town who are
easily outnumbered by a prodigious army of ribs, cuts of brisket, some
amazing shoulder clod, and countless links of sausage. Barbecue runs
this town. With 4 major BBQ joints, the proprietors simply recommend
you try all of them and pick your favorite. We were not disappointed
by our journey to Smitty's Market and Kreuz Market (pronounced"Krites"
by the locals, although they understand that they just made that up).
 At
Smitty's Market we were greeted by _Texas Monthly_ cover star (May 2003)
John Fullilove who presented the BBQ Film crew with brand new Smitty's
Market shirts that we couldn't exactly wear to our next stop at Kreuz
a quarter-mile down the road. All part of the same extended BBQ family,
these two institutions top the best. From the amazing history at Smitty's
to the amazing space at Kreuz, our trip to BBQ Mecca was dotted with
characters like Harold (a Smitty's patron). Now, here's a man who has
a special creative set of words and outlook for any situation, and who
was once forced to quit eating barbecue for 97 days for specific medical
reasons. Can you guess the first thing he did on Day 98? We also ran
into a certain Hollywood actor at Kreuz (whose dad was great in "The
Godfather") who was so consumed with his BBQ that he simply couldn't
talk to us.
Our thanks to the BBQ royalty of Lockhart for feeding us a little piece
of Heaven (okay, a huge piece) and taking us a long way back in history.
To find out what in the world shoulder clod is, educate yourself by
clicking
here.
HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS
Many Texans accept barbecue as sacred, but we've only found one place
that makes it a part of their church. Welcome to New Zion Missionary
Baptist Church, where four days a week, Ms. Annie Ward serves up BBQ
that draws followers from around the globe. Written up in "GQ"
as one of the top places to fly into to eat in the WORLD (only three
in U.S.), no one can touch the hard work these ladies and their cooks
put into what has been dubbed by outsiders "Holy Barbecue."
 While
we were there shooting we ran into a couple who had driven about 300
miles to get a taste of Ms. Annie's brisket. Another man had come a
little further, from Minnesota (only to be minutes late). We even ran
across a real cowboy and cowgirl from the historic Taylor-Stevenson
ranch. On Sunday, we were honored to be guests at the New Zion church
service.
We left Huntsville with a whole herd of interviews (you'll see what
we mean later) and a full stomach.
AUSTIN, TEXAS
We were lucky enough to attend a meeting of the UT student barbecue
club, where we ran into some of the most passionate barbecue eaters
yet. We rode with them to Donn's in Oakhill while they used walkie talkies
to assure the accuracy of their navigation.
The club is currently the controversial source of some BBQ Breaking
News as they have been charged with misusing the university's seal.
You can check out the alleged violation for yourself at www.utexas.edu/students/barbecue.
We're still pursuing official comment from the University of Texas regarding
the allegations, but they recently canceled a scheduled interview with
our crew. Stay tuned.
CLUTE, TEXAS
"And the judges say…” Two of the BBQ Film crew members
had the privilege of being selected as judges for the finals of the
BBQ Ribs Cook-Off competition at the Great Texas Mosquito Festival.
In addition to meeting some awesome BBQ cooks who devote their weekends
to cook-offs like this one, we were treated to an array of other talent,
including the Mosquito Calling Contest and the music stylings of young
rapper named Sheldon.
CASTELL, TEXAS
Today we saw unbelievable displays of athleticism. Not only did
nearly 50 people race down the Llano River in kayaks headed for
some of the best BBQ in Texas, but there were an amazing number
of beer curls being attempted by the ambitious spectators.
Our favorite drinking-age BBQ eater had to be Bob who boldly led the
quest to give BBQ cook Bruce a star on the Castell Highway (wait ‘til
you see how he marked the future position).
Our favorite minor came up a major winner on the BBQ scale. Leon is
the first person we’ve met on this BBQ journey to have developed
his very own BBQ rating system. Leon’s quest is not far from so
many of us; he’s searching for the best BBQ in Texas. Bruce’s
ribs earned a score of over 40,000! That’s a lot of ______ . Oops,
Leon doesn’t want us to release his scoring system until premiere
night.
Next up is the BBQ cook-off at The Great Texas Mosquito Festival in
Clute, Texas.
Media inquiries can be addressed to media@bbqfilm.com
or call (512) 784-5851.
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