CultureMap Video

Where's the beef? Houston Barbecue Festival goes whole hog with crowd-pleasing choices

"This is a celebration of Houston barbecue, and that's what it's all about."

Leave it to Wesley Jurena, pitmaster of Pappa Charlies Barbeque, to offer such a succinct summary of the third annual Houston Barbecue Festival. Sunday, 21 Houston barbecue joints and two central Texas stalwarts gathered at NRG Park.

Just as Houston's barbecue scene has exploded over the last three years, the festival has grown, too. A sold-out crowd of 2,000 filled the festival grounds (aka, the Green Lot), and, while lines for meat at popular places like Gatlin's BBQ, Killen's Barbecue and Louie Mueller Barbecue could be long, they moved swiftly.

Just as Houston's barbecue scene has exploded over the last three years, the festival has grown, too.

Not surprisingly, almost every participant served beef brisket. The consensus among attendees seemed to settle on Killen's and Blood Bros. BBQ as standing out, but everyone who served it turned out a high-quality product.

In order to stand out from the other barbecue joints, some turned to less traditional meats. Louie Mueller featured smoked lamb ribs, and CorkScrew BBQ served both smoked pork belly and boudain-stuffed pork loin.

While all of those dishes had their fans, it was Tastemakers Rising Star Chef of the Year nominee Patrick Feges who wowed the crowd with his Carolina-style whole hog. Feges built a pit in the NRG parking lot using cinder blocks as well as a "burn barrel" to turn pieces of wood into coals that would maintain the proper temperature.

Why serve whole hog? "Why not," he replied. "Everyone’s doing brisket. Everyone does brisket well . . . No one does whole hog in Texas. I want to get that going." Hopefully, Feges finds an opportunity to serve whole hog in his role as sous chef at upcoming Heights restaurant Southern Goods.

In general, a spirit of camaraderie filled the festival grounds, but the event was not without one major problem. The crowd's size and hot weather combined to overwhelm the festival's only beverage tent with attendees waiting half an hour for soda, water or beer. NRG beverage concessions are handled by catering giant Aramark, who really should have enough experience to have been better prepared. If the festival continues to grow, organizers should arrange for at least one additional tent to better handle the demand.

Of course, the festival will grow, since Houstonians' demand for the new wave of Central Texas-style barbecue appears virtually limitless. Four of the attendees, Louie Mueller Barbecue, El Burro & the Bull, Pappa Charlies and Pinkerton's Barbecue, are making plans to open brick and mortar locations in Houston. El Burro looks to be the most imminent, with pitmaster John Avila working on a project that will see him serve from a repurposed shipping container on the East End esplanade on Navigation.

Check out the video above to see more of the sights and sounds of the festival. Let's do it again next year.

Patrick Feges shows off his whole hog.

Patrick Feges Southern Goods Houston Barbecue Festival

Photo by Eric Sandler

Patrick Feges shows off his whole hog.

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bring on barnaby's

Favorite Houston comfort food spot picks Garden Oaks for 10th location

Courtesy of Barnaby's Cafe

Barnaby's Cafe is coming to the Stomping Grounds this fall.

Earlier this week, real estate developer Bryan Danna promised “big news…very soon” about a new tenant for the former LuLoo’s Day & Night space at his Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks. That news is that Houston favorite Barnaby’s Cafe has claimed the space for a new location that will open later this year.

When a Barnaby’s decal appear on the restaurant’s door a couple of days ago, news of the restaurant’s imminent arrival spread quickly on social media. It will be Barnaby’s tenth location, joining outposts in Montrose, River Oaks, the Heights, and more.

The restaurant will occupy a 2,250-square-foot space at the Stomping Grounds. It will offer a to-go window for people hanging out in the development’s green space as well as a gated, dog-friendly patio. Houston artist Roberto Cervantes will contribute works to the restaurant’s interior.

Founded in 1992 by restaurateur Jeff Gale, Barnaby’s is known for its wide-ranging and affordable menu of classic American fare, including salads, sandwiches, breakfast items, and dinner entrees. Customer favorites include the Lebanese chicken fattoush salad, chipotle black bean burger, baby back ribs, and green eggs, which are scrambled with spinach and artichoke hearts. Dogs can snack on a special “puppy menu” of ground beef, sliced chicken breast, or scrambled eggs over brown rice.

Stomping Grounds green space A to-go window will expedite orders for people in the Stomping Grounds' green space.Courtesy of Stomping Grounds

“Bringing Barnaby’s to Garden Oaks and Oak Forest has been on my wish list for more than a decade, so I’m incredibly grateful that Jeff Gale and his team saw Stomping Grounds as the right fit,” Danna said in a statement. “Jeff and I go back to his first Heights location, which was one of Barnaby’s first big moves north of Montrose, and I have always respected what he and his longtime team have built. Thirty years in the restaurant business is a serious accomplishment. You do not make it that long unless you know how to take care of people, build loyalty, and become part of the neighborhood.”

When it opens this fall, Barnaby’s will be open daily from 11 am to 9 pm. It will join other restaurants at the Stomping Grounds, including Fat Cat Creamery, Tex-Mex restaurant La Mex, Bollo Woodfired Pizza, casual sushi restaurant Himari, Little Sister Cake Shop, and High Five Mini Bar. Earlier this week, casual Vietnamese restaurant Pho Prime announced that it had claimed the space formerly occupied by The Pho Fix for a new location that will also open this fall.

news-you-can-eat openings stomping grounds barnaby's cafe