The thrill of victory

H-E-B crashes into Formula 1 with all-star brisket-eating contest

Competitors at the True Texas BBQ Challenge will attempt to eat more than 34.75 brisket sandwiches in 10 minutes.

From the multimillion-dollar cars to the flashy parties, Formula 1 weekend has always been about excess. This year, the Circuit of The Americas is taking it to a whole new level.

On November 2, H-E-B, Favor, and competitive organization Major League Eating will attempt to break two world records when they host the True Texas BBQ Challenge. A release notes the binging spectacular will kick off at 6 pm on the infield between turns six and 12 before Pink’s post-race performance.

MLE world champion Joey Chestnut and other food athletes will attempt to break the record for most brisket sandwiches eaten in 10 minutes. Organizers are hoping that the allure of performative gluttony will also best previous attendance counts at MLE events.

The current record is held by Pennsylvania’s Bob Shoudt (aka “Notorious B.O.B.), who consumed 34.75 brisket barbecue sandwiches in the allotted timeframe on July 26, 2008. Shoudt is “very active” in Krav Maga, according to his Wikipedia page.

The sandwiches will be provided by H-E-B’s True Texas BBQ, named by Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn as the best barbecue chain in the state. The competitors likely won’t have any new praise to add as pounds of meat are delivered straight to their gullets.

Fans can win too by entering a sweepstakes by October 23. The prizes include a race weekend experience, backstage VIP access to the competition, a meet and greet with the winner, and True Texas BBQ for a year.

For H-E-B, it will chance to give the barbecue chain some shine before it opens outposts in South Austin and Tarrytown. It’s unclear if non-competitive eaters, however, will have also have a chance to try the sandwiches.

“Staying true to the motto, ‘Everything is Bigger in Texas,’ True Texas BBQ is thrilled to be featured on the competitive eating circuit,” said Kristin Irvin, director of restaurants at H-E-B, via the release. “While it may take 14 hours to smoke our all-natural beef brisket, we look forward to seeing how quickly these barbecue sandwiches will be devoured.”

Once the concept fires up in Austin, guests will be well-served by chewing a little slower.

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News You Can Eat

A frozen custard closure and New Year's menus renew Austin food news

Culver's/Facebook

People in North Austin can still go to Culver's if they're willing to drive to Leander.

As folks in Austin digest their Christmas and Hanukkah meals, the restaurant scene also takes a bit of a siesta. That's good news for anyone who need to catch up on openings and closings over the next few weeks — or plan a nice meal on an upcoming day off.

Openings and closings

A longtime spot for frozen custard and burgers has reached its melting point. Culver's, technically a franchise out of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, has become a local staple over its decades at 2240 W. Braker Ln., but it's now closed. A Reddit user snapped a picture of the sign on the location's last day. It read: "Count down 1 day / Thank you Austin for a great 26 years." Other users pointed to a condo development that will be taking the restaurant's place. Community Impactreports that the replacement location will be at 1631 Crystal Village Blvd. in Leander, and will open in February 2025.

Speaking of chains in Leander, the California chicken sandwich chain Daddy’s Chicken Shack has recently moved in. Located at 3501 N. Lakeline Blvd., Ste. 110, this is the first restaurant in the Austin area. It's up-and-coming in Texas, but so far there are just three locations across the state. What sets this chain apart is its pressure cooked crispy chicken, but guests can also opt to have their chicken grilled. On the menu are sandwiches, chicken and waffles, popcorn chicken, wraps, loaded fries, and more. Hours are daily from 7 am to 11 pm.

Farmhouse Delivery, a high-end grocery delivery service, is back in action, having made its first deliveries on December 24. The service shut down in May 2024, promising it would just be temporary. Although it's known for its prepared foods, it seems like its bread and butter (pun intended) right now is à la carte, uncooked ingredients. There's no word yet on the upcoming storefront or move away from packaging. (Those changes are covered in more detail here.) Right now, a newsletter says, the goal is getting delivery capacity back up to speed.

Farmhouse Delivery tenderloin This tenderloin is on Farmhouse Delivery's seasonal menu.farmhousedelivery.com

ICYMI: We've published stories about several closings and openings in the past week — some temporary — so let's recap.

Although the 29th Street Ballroom plans to stay open through most of its upcoming renovation, it will feel refreshed in March when the superstar new management team officially presents the new bar, which will be open even when there are no events scheduled.
Fine dining restaurant Hestia is also undergoing some renovations, so exclusive social club The Pershing is hosting the team for ticketed pop-ups throughout January.
Basil & Bites, a new sister concept to Pflugerville's Broth & Basil has been announced in Hutto. It'll serve Vietnamese cuisine with Texas influences.
Confituras Little Kitchen, specializing in fruit preserves and baked goods, is closing its brick-and-mortar and returning to the farmers market. Some products will remain available as retail at other businesses.
A Dallas project called La La Land Kind Cafe seeks to help youth transition from the foster system into adulthood by providing professional training while they work at the cafe. It recently announced it's found a location on South Congress Avenue in Austin. Expect a full coffee menu, fancy toasts, iced coolers, tea, and more.

Other news and notes

Those who need a little luck going into 2025 can get some at Thai Fresh. On New Year's Day, guests can order from the regular menu or the Lucky Foods menu, which features Texas black-eyed pea salad, cabbage soup, fried whole fish, pad mee, and some special desserts. All these dishes were selected because at least one ingredient is said to have lucky properties — and lucky for diners with a gluten sensitivity, everything on the special menu except the pad mee is gluten-free.

"Fish are a symbol of prosperity due to their scales resembling coins and their forward motion," says the menu announcement from Thai Fresh.Photo by Jody Horton, courtesy of Thai Fresh

Quince ATX is debuting its new executive chef in style on New Year's Eve. Julien Hawkins has been chef de cuisine at Austin Proper Hotel and Hestia, and worked in the kitchen at Asador Etxebarri, a Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant in Spain. He'll serve a five-course meal featuring lobster tail thermidor, prime beef tenderloin, Cajun specialties, Baked Alaska, and more for $150. Then the party continues until 2 am with DJ Brigham of San Miguel de Allende. Reserve via OpenTable.

OpenTable, the online reservations platform, has compiled a list of the 10 most-booked restaurants in Austin. Whether you're reading out of curiosity or calibrating your reservations strategy, may the bookings be ever in your favor.

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