ATX vs HOU BBQ Throwdown 2018

The second annual ATX vs HOU BBQ Throwdown was in Austin this year. I missed the first edition in Houston last year where Austin brought home all the hardware. LeRoy & Lewis and Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue were the big winners. This year's version took place at the Friends and Allies Brewing Company. Bodacious Bar-B-Q from Longview and Brett's Backyard Bar-B-Que from Rockdale participated as wildcard entries. There was a lot of delicious bites to be had on this day. A rundown of them:

AUSTIN

Banger's Sausage House - Pastrami beef tongue taco (refried ranch beans, jalapeño slaw, and salsa verde) & Eastern Carolina whole hog sandwich (coleslaw, pork rib, and Carolina style BBQ sauce on a potato bun)

Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue - Ribeye steak & brisket

LeRoy & Lewis Barbecue - Smoked Lengua (confit 44 Farms beef tongue, hominy elotes, Big Red onions, fermented hatch salsa and cilantro)

Micklethwait Craft Meats - Beef rib, demi-glace, creamy polenta, gorgonzola butter, scallions, and radishes

Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew - Brisket Burnt End Budin (brisket fat, burnt ends, and corn masa baked in a banana leaf)

HOUSTON

Beaver’s - Crispy beef rib quesadilla

Daddy Duncan's BBQ - Clark Griswald (brisket & beef tongue Durban curry, bacon couscous, chorizo hummus, lemon tabouli, and pita bread)

El Burro & the Bull - Smoked Brisket Tamale with Texas red chili con carne

Harlem Road Texas BBQ - Beef rib and polenta

Victorian's Barbecue - Short Rib Taco with tomatillo bacon relish

Bodacious Bar-B-Q (Longview) - Mexican Street Corn Dog (beef cheek & elotes jalapeño popper wrapped in prosciutto, elotes corn dog batter, and Mexican crema, cojita, cilantro & chile spice)

Brett's Backyard Bar-B-Que (Rockdale) - Holiday Stuffed Brisket Tamale with pork carnitas, elotes, and jalapeño avocado crema, strawberry rhubarb smoked cobbler, and Nutter Butter banana pudding

There were two winners at the Throwdown. A judges' choice and the people's choice. The barbecue judging panel included Matthew Odam of the Austin American-Statesman, Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly, food writer Paula Forbes, Nathan Crane of Friends and Allies, and photographer Robert Lerma. Congratulations to Beaver's for winning people's choice and Bodacious for winning judges' choice. This event is going to get big. It would not surprise me if not more cities and BBQ joints will get involved for the future ones. We shall see.

Jordan Jackson of Bodacious and Arash Kharat of Beaver's

Until next time, happy smoking...