WHERE THERE'S SMOKE

Top Texas pitmasters will blaze through Lockhart for 2023 Texas Monthly BBQ Fest

LeRoy & Lewis Barbecue will participate in the Texas Monthly BBQ fest.

For Texas barbecue fans, sampling the best can be a daunting job. There are the gas costs, of course, and all the waiting in line. Then road warriors must consider lodging. Rural towns may produce exceptional brisket, but few are well-known for luxurious linens.

Carnivores with less cultish levels of devotion know the best way to check out the scene is through a yearly pilgrimage to the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest.

The annual meatopia will blaze into Lockhart November 4-5. The juicy 2023 lineup, dropped on August 22, includes some of the most celebrated pitmasters in the state. (And that top-tier programming is crucial, since these dates conflict with the Austin Food & Wine Festival.)

Drawing from barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn's "Top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas" list and the September "25 Best New and Improved BBQ Joints in Texas" update (which featured five Austin-area spots), the invitees reflect Texas' deep culinary traditions and growing diversity.

The shindig kicks off on November 4 with the BBQ World's Fair, a free street fair featuring live music, artisan vendors, cooking demos, and an array of vendors from Texas Monthly's barbecue lists and Taco Trail. Those wanting a more VIP experience can purchase an "Around the World" punch card entitling guests to exclusive bites from featured barbecue joints.

The honor roll includes the following, with more to be announced soon:

Barbs-B-Q (Lockhart)
Brix Barbecue (Fort Worth)
CM Smokehouse (Austin)
GW's BBQ (San Juan)
KG BBQ (Austin)
Khói Barbecue (Houston)
The Original Black's BBQ (Lockhart)
Sunbird Barbecue (Longview)

The weekend continues on November 5 with the giant Top 50 Picnic, a celebration of the finest craft makers in the state. The stellar lineup adds:

1701 Barbecue (Beaumont)
2M Smokehouse (San Antonio)
Baker Boys BBQ (Gonzales)
Blood Bros. BBQ (Bellaire)
Brett's BBQ Shop (Katy)
Brett's Family BBQ (Rockdale)
Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue (Pflugerville)
Burnt Bean Co. (Seguin)
Cattleack Barbeque (Farmers Branch)
Convenience West (Marfa)
Dayne's Craft Barbecue (Fort Worth)
Desert Oak Barbecue (El Paso)
Eaker Barbecue (Fredericksburg)
Evie Mae's Pit Barbecue (Wolfforth)
Feges BBQ (Houston)
Goldee's Bar-B-Q (Fort Worth)
Guess Family Barbecue (Waco)
Hays Co. Bar-B-Que (San Marcos)
Helberg Barbecue (Woodway)
Hurtado Barbecue (Arlington)
Hutchins BBQ (Frisco)
Interstellar BBQ (Austin)
Killen's Barbecue (Pearland)
LaVaca BBQ (Port Lavaca)
LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue (Austin)
LJ's BBQ (Brenham)
Micklethwait Craft Meats (Austin)
Miller's Smokehouse (Belton)
Mimsy's Craft Barbecue (Crockett)
Panther City BBQ (Fort Worth)
Rejino Barbeque (Olton)
Slow Bone (Dallas)
Smokey Joe's BBQ (New Braunfels)
Snow's BBQ (Lexington)
Teddy's Barbecue (Weslaco)
Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue (Tomball)
Terry Black's Barbecue (Lockhart)
Truth Barbecue (Houston)
Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ (Buda)
Zavala's Barbecue (Grand Prairie)

Although VIP tickets and weekend bundles have already been gobbled up, a few general admission tickets and punch cards remain for the weekend events. Snag them at texasmonthly.com.

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hottest headlines of 2024

Austin's 10 hottest restaurant stories of 2024 serve up BBQ and Tex-Mex

Mum Foods Smokehouse And Delicatessen pastrami sandwich

Mum Foods Smokehouse And Delicatessen/Instagram

Mum Foods Smokehouse And Delicatessen made USA Today's national list.

Editor's note: As 2024 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Austin this year, and that includes our delicious, if ever-changing, restaurant scene. This year, Austinites devoured news about unique barbecue joints, classic Tex-Mex chains, a meme-y brewery, and an award-winning Hill Country winery. Here are Austin's top 10 restaurant stories of 2024.

1. Unique Austin barbecue joint makes USA Today's first 'Restaurants of the Year' list. Mum Foods Smokehouse and Delicatessen was the only Texas restaurant on the list.

2. Hill Country winery makes prestigious World's Best Vineyards list for 2024. Out of the more than 100 wineries in the Hill Country, William Chris Vineyards was the only one to make the list.

3. Austin's favorite taco chain takes top honors on USA Today 10-best list. Austin-born Torchy's once again found itself on this list of the best fast casual restaurants in the U.S.

4. Austin's beloved Tex-Mex chain Chuy's gets acquired by a new owner. The chain has been acquired by Darden Restaurants, Inc., the Florida-based hospitality company that also owns Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, and more.

5. 13 Austin coffee shops join in on action day honoring Daniel Johnston. In January, locals gathered for "Hi, How Are You Day" — to honor Johnston's lasting legacy and build community.

6. Beautiful West Coast sushi restaurant rolls into downtown Austin. Sushi Roku, an alluring newcomer from California, stepped onto the less coastal scene by opening its first Texas restaurant in the Capital City.

Sushi Roku Austin interior By now, most Austin diners know what to expect from an upscale sushi restaurant. Sushi Roku combines "Western influences with internationally inspired accents." Photo by Richard Casteel, courtesy of IDG

7. Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant in South Austin closes after 35 years. Hao-Hao Restaurant on William Cannon is now closed. Austin foodies can still visit the Round Rock spot with the same name, but the restaurants' lineages are only distantly connected now.

8. New Braunfels sausage and beer extravaganza Wurstfest returns for 2024. Austinites love any excuse to get out to the Hill Country, especially if it involves German brews, fried food and sausage, and lederhosen.

9. Brewery named after famous character Old Gregg debuts in Austin suburb. You ever drunk Bailey's from a shoe? Well, now you can order it on the menu at Pflugerville's newest brewery. But the real focus is the signature beers, plus house-made hard seltzers, cocktails, and a rotating menu for frozen drinks.

10. Both Austin finalists win H-E-B competition to sell products statewide. Birria Queen won the grand prize in the Quest for Texas Best, earning $25,000 for its birria seasoning bombs; and Certified Country Lemonade won second place and $15,000 for its frozen iced teas and lemonades.