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Terry Black's first outpost in Houston may finally be getting underway.

Internet sleuths sussed out years ago that LLC's connected with Terry Black and his sons were buying up several adjacent properties in the Heights. Eventually they acquired a large chunk of the block fronting Shepherd between 13th and 14th. Over the last few weeks, numerous demolition permits have been issued and all those buildings should start coming down over the next few months.

https://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/48391-1311-1331-n-shepherd-dr/

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1 minute ago, Texzilla58 said:

The great bbq shakeout is looming.


ive been to pinkerton’s and truth recently for lunch - both were very busy and both the bbq was damn good 

throw in pit room too, their line was out the door and around the building for lunch 

Edited by tx 3 putt
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29 minutes ago, Texzilla58 said:

The great bbq shakeout is looming.

I think you're right.  At some point people are just gonna go more for the burgers or pizza or TexMex because most BBQ is just too damn expensive, especially for a family outing.  The top joints will mostly survive, but i think at this point we're approaching saturation.  At least we can get great 'Q in Austin now.

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49 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Pinkerton’s and Truth are minutes away. Why not build this in one of the burbs ?

I mean, they're not exactly across the street from each other. Truth is on Washington and Pinkerton is basically east of Norhill. Each would be between 2-3 miles away from TB.

I'm pretty comfortable making the following prediction: If they do actually build a big Terry Black's at that location on Shepherd, it will be busy. Additionally, neither Truth nor Pinkerton's will see a noticeable drop-off in customers.  Houston is not exactly shrinking, and the Heights specifically continues to get more and more dense. God knows how many new giant apartment complexes have sprung up in the past few years. 

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40 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

throw in pit room too, their line was out the door and around the building for lunch 

I'm looking forward to checking out the Pit Room's new flagship location when it opens up next year out in Memorial City, next door to Fishing Tackle Unlimited. Gonna be like 5x the size of the original.

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5 minutes ago, Storm the Field said:

I'm looking forward to checking out the Pit Room's new flagship location when it opens up next year out in Memorial City, next door to Fishing Tackle Unlimited. Gonna be like 5x the size of the original.


This is news to me. If the food is the same, it’ll do great 

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14 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:


This is news to me. If the food is the same, it’ll do great 

Out-dated article from 2022 that talks about a Fall 2023 opening, but it is currently under construction. I'm guessing sometime in Summer 2024.

https://houston.eater.com/2022/10/26/23424738/houstons-pit-room-opens-new-resturant-expansion-katy-barbecue-bbq-memorial-city

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On 12/15/2023 at 12:37 PM, Patricio Swayze said:

Deadshank and I managed to choke down some awful bbq today at Truth. Just terrible stuff.

911d5dfd334fcfdbf75451407bd89f70.jpg

Patty was first in line when I staggered up to join him.  I double-dog dared him to reply “uh….”  when the guy on the knife asked him what he wanted.   We chortled about that as it drives both insane when people do that. 
 

Of course, Patty got the first brisket of the day unfolded in front of him and cut for his order.  The guy automatically gave him the burnt ends and I got bupkis.  Not even a “go to hell.”

The look on Patty’s face as he nervously cut a side- eye glance at me while I glared at him was priceless. After I got snubbed the previous visit and he didn’t share his burnt ends  I told him I’d call his sorry ass out this time.  
 

He spared me one of four, God bless him. 

Edited by deadshank
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Made the pilgrimage to Burnt Bean yesterday. Ribs were the best I’ve had at a restaurant, didn’t care for the sausage, and the brisket definitely was overcooked that day. It was pot roasty and I couldn’t even get my leftovers into my to go plate bc it was falling apart. Bacon ranch taters were fucking amazing and so were the crispy Brussel sprouts. Truth in Houston is still #1 for me 

 

IMG_2138.thumb.jpeg.3ee2fa3d73d314092eb03ea2ccd5c5f2.jpegIMG_2140.thumb.jpeg.6d34c25958a096c17b277b369d8b2e2e.jpegIMG_2139.thumb.jpeg.58a1644a8b9da714463b17503aaa253f.jpeg

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2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Need some help here -- what's the name of the thread about tips and techniques for smoking various meats?

You sure you aren't confusing it with the WSM or All things brisket threads? Can't find any threads specifically titled about smoking various meats, but those threads might touch on smoking different meats.

So I got a WSM...

All Things Brisket

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I'm just trying to identify some alternatives to brisket and pork butt for meats that benefit from low and slow to 185 F - 205 F ish range.  My wife wants BBQ for a pretty small Christmas Eve family dinner (8 people total), and multiple choices.  I mean, yeah, I can smoke a brisket and a pork shoulder but that's gonna yield 15+ pounds of cooked meat.  Sure, I can do leftovers and freeze the rest but it's sub-optimal.

Things like prime rib aren't "BBQ" like she's thinking.  Yes, they can be smoked, but you still need to stop mid-rare at the most.  It's a smoked steak in my mind.

We'll pick up some sausage, but is there a beef option (besides just buying a flat) that is a good alternative to brisket?  Same for pork shoulder?  At least on the latter there are usually some smaller cuts available.

Can I smoke a chuck roast?  A tri-tip?  I'm woefully inexperienced here.  (WSM, by the way.)

Edited by jimmyjazz
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3 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'm just trying to identify some alternatives to brisket and pork butt for meats that benefit from low and slow to 185 F - 205 F ish range.  My wife wants BBQ for a pretty small Christmas Eve family dinner (8 people total), and multiple choices.  I mean, yeah, I can smoke a brisket and a pork shoulder but that's gonna yield 15+ pounds of cooked meat.  Sure, I can do leftovers and freeze the rest but it's sub-optimal.

Things like prime rib aren't "BBQ" like she's thinking.  Yes, they can be smoked, but you still need to stop mid-rare at the most.  It's a smoked steak in my mind.

We'll pick up some sausage, but is there a beef option (besides just buying a flat) that is a good alternative to brisket?  Same for pork shoulder?  At least on the latter there are usually some smaller cuts available.

Can I smoke a chuck roast?  A tri-tip?  I'm woefully inexperience here.  (WSM, by the way.)

Beef ribs would be good.

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On 12/15/2023 at 11:06 AM, jimmyjazz said:

I think you're right.  At some point people are just gonna go more for the burgers or pizza or TexMex because most BBQ is just too damn expensive, especially for a family outing.  The top joints will mostly survive, but i think at this point we're approaching saturation.  At least we can get great 'Q in Austin now.

Heim was bitching on Twitter about beef prices and how their 2024 outlooks will likely include less beef.

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3 minutes ago, elfenix said:

you're supposed to smoke tri tip.  though still treat it like a steak instead of a roast, only go to about 130. 

Yeah, that's what I figured.  Not what she's going for.  She's had a rough 18 months -- lost both parents -- it's her call on the menu, I'm just manning the smoker.

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I smoke chuck roasts all the time for taco meat.  On the smoke for about 4 hours, then slice an onion into big, thick rounds and put on the bottom of a steam table pan.  Dump a can of hot Hatch chiles into the pan with the onions.  Beef broth to just cover the onions and put the roast in the pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil and put back on the smoker for a couple of hours to braise.  Strain the juice in the pan and chill so you can just lift the congealed grease off.  Use remaining liquid for au jus or a gravy base.  Shred the meat while still warm.

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19 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'm just trying to identify some alternatives to brisket and pork butt for meats that benefit from low and slow to 185 F - 205 F ish range.  My wife wants BBQ for a pretty small Christmas Eve family dinner (8 people total), and multiple choices.  I mean, yeah, I can smoke a brisket and a pork shoulder but that's gonna yield 15+ pounds of cooked meat.  Sure, I can do leftovers and freeze the rest but it's sub-optimal.

Things like prime rib aren't "BBQ" like she's thinking.  Yes, they can be smoked, but you still need to stop mid-rare at the most.  It's a smoked steak in my mind.

We'll pick up some sausage, but is there a beef option (besides just buying a flat) that is a good alternative to brisket?  Same for pork shoulder?  At least on the latter there are usually some smaller cuts available.

Can I smoke a chuck roast?  A tri-tip?  I'm woefully inexperienced here.  (WSM, by the way.)

Could do a pork shank. 

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20 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'm just trying to identify some alternatives to brisket and pork butt for meats that benefit from low and slow to 185 F - 205 F ish range.  My wife wants BBQ for a pretty small Christmas Eve family dinner (8 people total), and multiple choices.  I mean, yeah, I can smoke a brisket and a pork shoulder but that's gonna yield 15+ pounds of cooked meat.  Sure, I can do leftovers and freeze the rest but it's sub-optimal.

Things like prime rib aren't "BBQ" like she's thinking.  Yes, they can be smoked, but you still need to stop mid-rare at the most.  It's a smoked steak in my mind.

We'll pick up some sausage, but is there a beef option (besides just buying a flat) that is a good alternative to brisket?  Same for pork shoulder?  At least on the latter there are usually some smaller cuts available.

Can I smoke a chuck roast?  A tri-tip?  I'm woefully inexperienced here.  (WSM, by the way.)

if you want some more ideas you can poke around reddit for some ideas/pics. lots of shit there but can help give you some new ideas or at least point you in a direction. i sort by top then poke around. again, just know there is going to be a lot of shit in those subs.

https://old.reddit.com/r/smoking/top/

https://old.reddit.com/r/pelletgrills/top/

this guy puts out a ton of great content/ideas too.

https://www.youtube.com/@allthingsbbq/videos

recipes: https://www.atbbq.com/blogs/recipes

Chud has done some different things you can look at too, but pretty sure you are aware of him https://www.youtube.com/@ChudsBbq

if you want to go further down the rabbit hole, L&L does a lot of non traditional things and have started releasing their older patreon videos on their YT account: https://www.youtube.com/c/EvanLeRoyLL/videos

or you can sub to their patreon and see what other things they have done recently

 

Edited by NoName
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20 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'm just trying to identify some alternatives to brisket and pork butt for meats that benefit from low and slow to 185 F - 205 F ish range.  My wife wants BBQ for a pretty small Christmas Eve family dinner (8 people total), and multiple choices.  I mean, yeah, I can smoke a brisket and a pork shoulder but that's gonna yield 15+ pounds of cooked meat.  Sure, I can do leftovers and freeze the rest but it's sub-optimal.

Things like prime rib aren't "BBQ" like she's thinking.  Yes, they can be smoked, but you still need to stop mid-rare at the most.  It's a smoked steak in my mind.

We'll pick up some sausage, but is there a beef option (besides just buying a flat) that is a good alternative to brisket?  Same for pork shoulder?  At least on the latter there are usually some smaller cuts available.

Can I smoke a chuck roast?  A tri-tip?  I'm woefully inexperienced here.  (WSM, by the way.)

Sounds like maybe not what you're going for, but I smoke pork tenderloin all the time, and it's a staple in our Christmas Eve meal.  The nice thing is it's a small cut so you can make as many, or as few, as you like, depending on the size of your crowd.  And of course it's relatively inexpensive but doesn't taste like it.

It's super lean of course, so you only cook it to about 140 and let the carryover take it a bit higher.  Best part is it takes no more than a couple of hours, sometimes only an hour depending on length and girth (yeah, yeah).  

To dress it up, pair it with a sweet-hot peach mustard chutney, or dress it down and serve with jalapeno jelly.  Both go really really well with the pork.

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11 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Sounds like maybe not what you're going for, but I smoke pork tenderloin all the time, and it's a staple in our Christmas Eve meal.  The nice thing is it's a small cut so you can make as many, or as few, as you like, depending on the size of your crowd.  And of course it's relatively inexpensive but doesn't taste like it.

It's super lean of course, so you only cook it to about 140 and let the carryover take it a bit higher.  Best part is it takes no more than a couple of hours, sometimes only an hour depending on length and girth (yeah, yeah).  

To dress it up, pair it with a sweet-hot peach mustard chutney, or dress it down and serve with jalapeno jelly.  Both go really really well with the pork.

Ironically I have a smoked pork loin (not tenderloin) in the freezer.  It was gifted to me by a co-worker last week, bought from some annual church fundraiser.  I'll probably thaw it and make it an option, too.

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13 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Thanks for all the suggestions.  I'm pretty curious about the chuck roast.  I braise them often in the oven, and everyone loves it.  Add smoke, what could go wrong?

Oh No Fire GIF

 

 

 

anyway, you could smoke a fresh ham.  has that long smoking time your wife seems to be looking for.

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On 12/15/2023 at 10:34 AM, Texzilla58 said:

The great bbq shakeout is looming.

I think the great shakeout of way too expensive Brick & Mortar bbq is most certainly coming.  I think some wise pitmasters that can perfect the craft will do well if they can find some semi-rundown property with lots of outdoor space to create some weekend music revenue will do just fine.  But spending $1mm+ on a building right now is absolutely asinine.  

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Some of these craft guys should look around. In Ft Worth Railhead still packs them in selling brisket at $17.75 a pound and ham, turkey and sausage at $13.50 a pound with great french fries and ice cold frosted mugs of beer.

I’m buying choice pork shoulders for .97 a pound. Rib roasts for $5.97. I’m not paying a car note to feed the family barbecue.

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