Beef Utopia: Texas Monthly BBQ Fest

If you weren’t already aware, barbecue is king in Texas. We eat it, we dream about it, we obsess over it – heck, we even wait five hours in line for it (looking at you, Franklin).

This past weekend, the BEEF Loving Texans were fortunate enough to attend Texas Monthly’s BBQ Fest, an annual celebration of all things meat, taking place at the Long Center in Austin. This event is a beef lover’s dream, featuring two dozen of the state’s best BBQ joints coming together for attendees to sample their goods. Needless to say, it’s nothing short of incredible. From newer operations like Killen’s to classics like Cooper’s, the best of the best were well-represented.

The fest in all its glory

While we loved the nonstop barbecue sampling, part of the fun was being in the presence of some true Texas food legends. The stories behind each of these BBQ restaurants are unique (check out Pecan Lodge’s if you don’t believe us), and it was an eye-opening experience being able to see so many talented pit masters doing exactly what they do best – making great food for Texans.

Check out some of our favorite snaps from the weekend:

Cooper’s BBQ

Lambert’s Downtown BBQ

Prep work at the Killen’s booth

Killen’s brisket and beef rib. Heaven.

Stiles Switch

Hatfield’s

The legendary Tootsie Tomanetz of Snow’s in Lexington. 80 years young and still serving some of the best cue’ in Texas!

Some sugar to balance out the meat!

Interested in attending next year? Tickets for 2016 aren’t on sale yet, but keep your eyes peeled as they go quickly. We’d also highly recommend looking into volunteering if you have the time (Free admission! Yes!).

What’s your favorite Texas BBQ joint? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.