Texas Pit Quest: Houston BBQ

Showing posts with label Houston BBQ. Show all posts

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Where Did We Go?

Texas Pit Quest is definitely still alive, and not on hiatus; we've just been focusing our efforts on providing quality content and Houston-area BBQ posts for our friends at Houston Food Finder. Visit us over there to find out the latest and greatest updates on what's going on in Houston BBQ (and other Houston food news too)!

Some of our latest Houston Food Finder posts:

The 2019 Houston Barbecue Festival Brings Together the Best in Texas

Just a hint of all the meaty goodness that awaits at the 7th Annual Houston Barbecue Festival. Photo by Richard Olivier, courtesy of Houston Barbecue Festival.

Houston Barbecue Business Moves to Brick-and-Mortar in Galveston

Soon all the delicious meats from Buck's Barbeque will be available in Galveston!

Houston and Austin Are Throwing Down (Again) for Barbecue Bragging Rights

Winning entry from Daddy Duncan’s BBQ at the 2018 HouBBQ Throwdown, “The Altuve,” smoked beef cheek barbacoa with sweet potato mash, chorizo and bacon street corn, pickled onions, habanero caviar, and fried pork cracklins.

The Woodlands BBQ Festival Returns For A Third Year With More Meat Than Ever

Bring a tray to help carry all your goodies at a barbecue festival!

Buck’s Barbeque Expands Hours At Lucky’s Lodge

Brisket, smoked pork belly banh mi, and cheesy squash at Buck's Barbeque.

Killen’s Barbecue Now Offers Dinner With Table Service And Reservations

Smoked pork belly burnt ends with pepper jelly glaze.

Ramen Tatsu-Ya And Truth Barbeque Join Forces On A Houston Brisket Ramen

Smoked Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen, photo by Shion Aikawa.

2018 Houston Barbecue Festival's New Venue, Features Even More Restaurants

Photo by Robert Jacob Lerma.

Willow’s Texas BBQ Is A Worthy Addition To The Growing Heights Barbecue Scene

Buck’s Barbeque To Begin Lunch Service At Lucky’s Lodge In EaDo

Pappas Delta Blues Smokehouse Brings Top Quality Barbecue to Clear Lake Area

Barbecue Rescue: Houston Pitmasters Answer The Call During Hurricane Harvey

Exclusive: Houston Pitmaster On The Move To Lucky’s Pub In The Heights

Goode Company Barbeque Opens New Outpost in The Woodlands

Killen's Barbecue Elevates Their Brisket Game

Plant-Based Impossible Burger A Welcome Option Even In Meat-Loving Texas

BrisketU Classes Can Help You Become Better at Barbecue

Two Houston-Area Barbecue Joints Among 10 Best In Texas Monthly’s “Top 50 List”

Incredible Feasts On Buns: The Houston Area’s Best Stacked Barbecue Sandwiches

The 5th Annual Houston Barbecue Festival Is Just Around The Corner

Eats & Greets: Peli Deli Now Open Downtown in the Esperson Building

Exclusive: BuffBurger Is Opening A Second Location in The Museum District

Houston's Craft Burger Chains: How to Choose and What to Order

Housemade Sausage May Be Rare in Houston Barbecue, but Deserves More Attention

The Best Houston Barbecue of 2016

The Pit Room Is Setting A New Baseline Of Quality For Houston Barbecue

Eats & Greets: Pinkerton’s Barbecue Finds A Home in The Heights

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Beaver’s Westheimer hosts National BBQ Day Picnic on the Patio

Around a dozen Houston food media types were invited to a gathering at Beaver’s Westheimer on Tuesday, May 16, for a National Barbecue Day Picnic to sample a spread of chef Arash Kharat’s barbecue menu items. Featuring beef products from well-known Texas beef producer, 44Farms, Kharat and Beaver’s treated the guests to several beefy options, plus ribs and smoked chicken, with Beaver’s three-cheese Classic Mac and Mexican Street Corn sides.

Chicken-fried brisket burnt ends

Appetizers included Beaver’s highly-regarded Buffalo Cauliflower and Fried Brussels Sprouts, but the meat treat for the day was a sampling of chicken-fried brisket burnt ends accompanied by a mustard barbecue sauce. After their time in the pit, the savory, smoky nuggets are given a quick batter dip and then flash fried. Kharat plans to run these as a weekend special appetizer item from time-to-time.

Kharat has honed his barbecue skills over the past several years through his time as executive chef at Saudi Aramco’s Houston office, his association with Aces of Taste, Blood Bros. Barbecue, and cooking at 44 Farms events. A tidbit that’s not widely known, he was one of the chefs assisting with the food preparation for Anthony Bourdain’s Houston episode of Parts Unknown, in the segment for the philanthropic urban farming group, Plant It Forward.

Fried Brussels Sprouts, tossed in citrus ponzu and drizzled with wasabi aioli, topped with micro-pea shoots and micro greens

Barbecue on the menu for the event included brisket, beef chuck short ribs, and what turned out to be the tastiest smoked meat item of the night, a slow-smoked 44 Farms inside round sirloin roast, perfectly seasoned, tender and bursting with flavor. Pork spareribs and baby back ribs were spiced with a bit of heat in the rub, as were the smoked chicken halves. It’s hard to find a memorable smoked chicken these days, but Kharat serves one of the best around, and is a solid choice from their regular menu items.

Smoked 44 Farms inside round sirloin roast, and brisket

Beaver’s regular menu includes a selection of barbecue offerings, and Kharat really shines here. The wood smoke comes through in the bark, but isn’t overpowering. The rubs are more complex than simple Central Texas-style salt and pepper, and are customized to specifically complement the various meats. Kharat’s skills with the smoker make Beaver’s a worthy barbecue destination in the outer Westheimer area.

Mexican corn, elote-style with crema, Parmesean, and chili powder

The favorite side dish of the night had to be the Elote-style Mexican Corn, served in a personal-size cast iron skillet. Roasted whole kernel corn is drizzled with fresh crèma and topped with a generous grind of Parmesan cheese plus a dusting of chili powder. This is another regular menu item from Beaver’s that pairs perfectly with their barbecue offerings.

Personal-sized strawberry shortcake

What would a picnic be without dessert, and Beaver’s came through for the group with two delicious selections—a blueberry and blackberry cobbler studded with mini drop biscuits for the crust, and a strawberry shortcake served in Mason jars. Fresh whipped cream and strawberries were layered with housemade biscuits, and it capped the evening picnic admirably.

With chef Arash Kharat at the helm, Beaver’s Westheimer is a respectable dining destination with a diverse menu and is well-suited for both family dining and fun group gatherings.

Beaver’sWestheimer, 6025 Westheimer Rd, (713) 714-4111
Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

My Best BBQ of 2015 - Texas Pit Quest Celebrates the Excellence of Texas BBQ

2015 was the breakout year for Texas Pit Quest. My friends Andrew and Bryan and I traveled far and wide in search of premier Texas BBQ; we discovered some new gems, and were happy to find many of our favorites still delivering quality Q on a consistent basis.

Houston-area BBQ featured prominently in our travels, as it's really our home base, but several 400 plus-mile road trips took us to new BBQ destinations across Texas. Some have asked what was my favorite BBQ I had this year. I looked back through my posts and photos and have assembled what I recall to be my 25 most memorable bites (or trays I shared), presented here in chronological order:

Killen's Barbecue - Pearland: Brisket, sausage, and pork ribs, 2/8/15