2Fifty Texas BBQ — also known as 250 Texas BBQ — has the best brisket in Maryland, possibly the best brisket this side of … Lewis Barbecue in Charleston, South Carolina. Possibly, the best this side of Texas. I have more eating to do — I only had lean brisket at Sloppy Mama’s — but this is genuinely great. And the brisket is just the … Continue reading 2Fifty Texas BBQ, Riverdale Park, Maryland
God bless our men and women in uniform! Especially my nephew, Murray “Cuatro” Johnston. Cuatro’s current uniform is that of a West Point cadet, but this spring it will be that of an Army lieutenant headed off to Fort Benning to prepare to lead an Infantry platoon. You met Cuatro as the Founder and First President of a Barbecue Club at St. Anselm’s Abbey School for Really … Continue reading 2020, The Year of the Sausage: Episode II
Having resolved the Christmas Gift Mystery (thanks Dale Leibach), I can’t leave Christmas behind without mention another gift. I have a hard time shopping for other people. It’s rare that I pick a really good gift. I did hit a home run one Christmas. I gave Nancy tickets to see her favorite singer in concert in Paris. That wasn’t the home run. Since Nancy knew then … Continue reading 2020, The Year of the Sausage: Episode I
Sloppy Mama’s is the best barbecue place in the Washington area — at least in the DC-Virginia part of the area. I’m hedging because there are a couple of new all-wood barbecue places in Maryland that I haven’t tried. so stay tuned. I’m keeping my powder dry, but Sloppy Mama’s owns the DC-Virginia crown. I went to Sloppy Mama’s as part of my continuing efforts on … Continue reading Sloppy Mama’s, Arlington, Virginia
Purcellville is a nice town of 10,000 in Loudoun County, in the outer Washington suburbs, well past Dulles Airport. It’s in a lovely area of Virginia, and Purcellville enjoys the benefits of the growth of the Dulles tech corridor without being overwhelmed by it. Best of all, Purcellville is the home of Monk’s BBQ, which I can certify is a Campaign for Real Barbecue producer … Continue reading Monk’s BBQ, Purcellville, Virginia
UPDATE: At the time of my visit for this post, just as during my initial visit, I was assured by the waiter and the manager-on-duty that Texas Jack’s does not use gas or electricity, just wood to cook the meat. I subsequently have established that they use a Southern Pride Smoker, and that all Southern Pride smokers are gas-assisted. Texas Jack’s has declined to answer … Continue reading Texas Jack’s Barbecue, Arlington, Virginia
I’ve mentioned my cousins, the Johnstons, before. My first cousin, Ann Thomas, is one of the Wilson, North Carolina, Griffins, famous for their preference for Bill’s over Parker’s. (Now that Bill’s has closed, they seem to be fans of Marty’s.) Murray is from San Antonio and went to school in Austin, and, a true Texan, he makes the best brisket in the Washington, DC, area. … Continue reading Guest Post: Griffin Johnston on Texarbama BBQ, Fairhope, Alabama
Lewis Barbecue is a Texas transplant, which means they cook beef and sausages rather than pigs. I normally wouldn’t bother with a beef barbecue place in South Carolina. There’s pork country and there’s beef country, and usually, the beef in pork country is even worse than the pork in beef country. But Southern Living put Lewis Barbecue, plunked down though it is in pork-centric South … Continue reading Lewis Barbecue, Charleston, South Carolina
I’ve told you this before, but it bears repeating: I love Conecuh Sausage. Conecuh Sausage is the best smoked sausage in the world. Really. It’s made and hickory smoked in Evergreen, Alabama, which is the best-smelling town in the world. You probably haven’t had it unless you live in the South, Detroit, or on a military base. Nothing is too good for our men and … Continue reading Conecuh Sausage has a Fan Club
Shortly after Nancy and I returned to DC from our trip to see Dear and eat barbecue, Doug Jacobson, the Kansas City Barbecue Maven, reminded me of our planned trip to Texas Jack’s, the Washington Post’s highly unreliable selection as the #1 barbecue place in the region. Texas Jack’s is named after John B. Omohundro, a Virginia native who had a colorful career out … Continue reading Texas Jack’s, Arlington, Virginia
