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Texas Monthly 2021 Top 50 BBQ Joints

439,422 Views | 3153 Replies | Last: 18 hrs ago by DiskoTroop
AggieFabricator
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I tell no lies. Go to 5:25 to see full context or 6:20 to Hear the quote. 18-22% of all of the prime briskets in the US and Canada. That's between Dallas and Austin locations. They cook 100+ briskets a day alone just in Austin.


Beef Cheek
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I did some quick math and believe they would need to cook closer to ~3,000 a day.

But they're definitely cooking more prime brisket than anyone I know of
AggieFabricator
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I just build the pits and listen to too many podcasts I guess.
Beef Cheek
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Haha when I was looking up numbers there was part of me thinking maybe it's true.

I'd be curious to know how many prime briskets HEB sells company wide on an average day.
agcrock2005
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That guy was drunk...and not good at math!

What bbq podcasts are your favorites?
wadd96
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No way. Maybe they buy only top 20% prime brisket in Texas. Still find hard to believe.,
All the God's, all the Heavens, all the Hells are within you.
Ol Jock 99
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When it comes to BBQ math, I trust Brian Bracewell (Southside Market)...and pretty much no one else unless they have a PHD after their name.
Objective Aggie
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Beef Cheek said:

Haha when I was looking up numbers there was part of me thinking maybe it's true.

I'd be curious to know how many prime briskets HEB sells company wide on an average day.


Was it you they were talking about that cooked beef cheeks?
tsuag10
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Well here's the data from a PhD.

There were 127,000 head of cattle killed today according to USDA-AMS https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lsddcbs.pdf

Most data out there says we are getting somewhere between 5%-9% Prime these days. A decade ago it was almost unheard of to average above 4-5% Prime, but genetics are getting better all the time.

If we use 5% as a base number, that's 6,350 head of cattle grading prime. Or 12,700 briskets per day.

Let's just take him at his word and take 20% of that number. That would mean that Terry Blacks is cooking over 2,500 briskets per day…..
Umm, ……no.

However, he may have been referring to the specific supplier they get their briskets from, i.e. Creekstone, Snake River Farms, etc.

It is possible that Terry Blacks accounts for 20% of the Prime briskets from a specific dedicated source. For example, I know at one time Franklin's was exclusively using Creekstone Prime, and he had direct communication with the packing house sales folks about his specs and usage.
AggieFabricator
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This makes a lot more sense.
Objective Aggie
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Stiles Switch in Cedar Park.

Best bbq with no wait I've had. Also got sausage samples and those were solid.


Beef Cheek
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I love that corn pudding so much
Jock 07
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That's what I always loved about Roegle's. Really solid q and never a wait.
AggieFabricator
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Terry Blacks bringing the heat before they even open. Something about families and bbq restaurants..
Beef Cheek
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agcrock2005
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This is going to be fun to watch. Probably going to be one-sided ass whoopin though because the original Black's is **** now.
wadd96
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Or even Roegels ... I need to get down to visit the Katy Store as well as Russell and Misty...
All the God's, all the Heavens, all the Hells are within you.
fav13andac1)c
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What's the backstory?
agcrock2005
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fav13andac1)c said:

What's the backstory?
You didn't ask me, but there's lot of bad blood between Terry Black (and his kids that now run the restaurants using his name) and Kent Black that runs the original Black's in Lockhart. I believe most of the bad blood is because Terry's boys went to Austin to open a Black's BBQ, after working with Kent in Lockhart, but Kent sent a cease and desist to not use the Black's name. Said it would be confusing to the market for several reasons, including they were cooking in a different method (AKA: better) than original place. Lawyers got involved and they called it Terry Black's BBQ and they haven't been on friendliest of terms since.

They've been doing very well, and decided to create a GFY restaurant in Lockhart to drive the nail in the coffin of Kent's original Black's bbq. That last part is my assumption.
WP69
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Good video on Evie Mae's. When my '02 son lived in Lubbock, we'd drive up to Wolfforth for Evie Mae's. I'm happy it's getting recognition.

agcrock2005
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Great video. Probably never going to make it out there, but looks great.
fav13andac1)c
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Wow that's hilarious and sad and awesome at the same time.
wadd96
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You need to go! Worth the trip!
All the God's, all the Heavens, all the Hells are within you.
CDub06
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agcrock2005 said:

fav13andac1)c said:

What's the backstory?
You didn't ask me, but there's lot of bad blood between Terry Black (and his kids that now run the restaurants using his name) and Kent Black that runs the original Black's in Lockhart. I believe most of the bad blood is because Terry's boys went to Austin to open a Black's BBQ, after working with Kent in Lockhart, but Kent sent a cease and desist to not use the Black's name. Said it would be confusing to the market for several reasons, including they were cooking in a different method (AKA: better) than original place. Lawyers got involved and they called it Terry Black's BBQ and they haven't been on friendliest of terms since.

They've been doing very well, and decided to create a GFY restaurant in Lockhart to drive the nail in the coffin of Kent's original Black's bbq. That last part is my assumption.
The genesis of them splitting off from Kent was because they said he wasn't doing things the traditional "family way" and suggested he was taking shortcuts, like using rotisserie smokers. Terry Blacks opened to right that and to take the time and effort to do things more traditionally.
Matsui
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What is the name
Of the new place in Lockhart ?
agcrock2005
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Matsui said:

What is the name
Of the new place in Lockhart ?
Terry Black's
agcrock2005
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Pretty awesome video on Goldees. I don't know them at all. When I hung out with the Panther City guys not too long ago I asked them about those guys and they were very positive. Would love to hear BeefCheek's opinion. This is like a Chef's Table knockoff on them, but produced pretty well for a guy with 13K followers on IG.



Ol Jock 99
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That's great. Thanks for sharing. One of the trio that showed up at 6AM is a buddy of mine.
Martin Cash
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agcrock2005 said:

fav13andac1)c said:

What's the backstory?
You didn't ask me, but there's lot of bad blood between Terry Black (and his kids that now run the restaurants using his name) and Kent Black that runs the original Black's in Lockhart. I believe most of the bad blood is because Terry's boys went to Austin to open a Black's BBQ, after working with Kent in Lockhart, but Kent sent a cease and desist to not use the Black's name. Said it would be confusing to the market for several reasons, including they were cooking in a different method (AKA: better) than original place. Lawyers got involved and they called it Terry Black's BBQ and they haven't been on friendliest of terms since.

They've been doing very well, and decided to create a GFY restaurant in Lockhart to drive the nail in the coffin of Kent's original Black's bbq. That last part is my assumption.
Actually, it started when Kent convinced his elderly mother to throw brother Terry out of the business. That's when Terry opened the store in Austin.
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. Ecclesiastes 10:2
BurnetAggie99
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Black's BBQ in Lockhart, Texas has long been renowned as the oldest family barbecue restaurant in the world, famous for its old-school cooking techniques and amazing smoked meat.

However, this beloved barbecue joint has had its fair share of family drama, most recently between pitmaster Kent and his nephews, Mike and Mark.

The family drama began in 2014. Twin brothers Mike and Mark were raised in the barbecue Mecca that is Black's BBQ, and they're passionate about authentic, old-school BBQ. As the brothers told Eater in an interview, they feel that the family barbecue restaurant is losing touch with its roots and departing from the Black family tradition.

As Eater Austin reported, "In their opinion, Kent Black's cooking techniques have violated Black's Barbecue's 'old school' traditions. Mike learned pit-smoking from his grandfather, Edgar Black, Jr. He feels that under Kent's leadership, Black's has moved away from using the open pit concept and now uses rotisserie cookers as a major part of their cooking process. In addition, Mark Black tells Eater that he believes that the sides, once all made from scratch, now 'primarily come from a bag or a box.'"

https://www.wideopeneats.com/blacks-bbq/amp/
agcrock2005
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While on the topic...

Quote:

DV: There has been some recent discussion about a new location in Austin run by your nephews. They wanted to call it Black's BBQ, but they blamed you for not letting them use that name. It sounds like you don't actually have the power to let them use that name.

KB: Correct. It's a separate business venture run by my brother Terry and his kids. I'm doing my own thing in San Marcos and he's doing his own thing in Austin. Neither of them will be legally or financially related to the Lockhart location. I think we've got it worked out. They'll call it Terry Black's BBQ and they'll do well in Austin. I wish them the best, but we didn't want our customers to be confused because it won't be an identical restaurant.

DV: Did you see the recent interview with your nephew Michael? He was angry about not being able to use the name and he also said he wanted to open the Austin location because he didn't agree with the cooking methods at Black's.

KB: Yes. I was pretty surprised to see that one. I don't know if it was a misunderstanding, but my parents own the name, and they don't want to see another Black's BBQ while they're alive. Michael is my nephew and I don't wish him any ill will. I guess people like a good controversy, but I don't like a good controversy. I can imagine Michael's pretty excited. He worked for me for a few years and he's got plenty of ideas. He's a good kid and he'll do well.

Interview: Kent Black of Black's BBQ
fav13andac1)c
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Interesting. Good overall response. I hope it's that one-sided behind the scenes.
agcrock2005
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fav13andac1)c said:

Interesting. Good overall response. I hope it's that one-sided behind the scenes.
I doubt it. This interview is nearly 9 years old by now. I'm sure it's gotten much worse between the two sides. My in-laws lived in Lockhart for 20 years or so and MIL used to do the taxes for Edgar (the dad) and she said long ago that Kent was a huge ******* and Terry was very nice and an overall good person. She's strongly rooting for the nephews to do well at the expense of Kent. Said Terry is just like Edgar and Kent was kind of a jerk that never wanted to be in the BBQ business. He was a lawyer and felt like he had to come back and help his parents.
AggieFabricator
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Fast forward ten years and there's another Blacks opening in Lockhart. Guess they didn't smooth things over much.
BurnetAggie99
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The wide open eats link I posted is from 2022
 
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