Texas Monthly BBQ Festival Tickets Go On Sale

AUSTIN, TEXAS — It's enough to make you belt out a hearty and full-throated yee-haw. Tickets to one of the city's most anticipated and mouth-watering-inducing events, the Texas Monthly BBQ Festival, went on sale Monday.

The quintessentially Texan, event-filled weekend celebration of BBQ in all its wondrous forms isn't until November. But you can bet a buck to a doughnut untold numbers of carnivores are furiously clacking on their keyboards to access the ticket portal while envisioning them good eats they'll be savoring.

So let's just get that other the way before further linguistic adornment or ornamentation. Tickets to the Nov. 13 event are available for purchase at TexasMonthly.com/tmbbqfest. Tickets went on sale on Monday, Sept. at 10 a.m. local time.

Go ahead, join the stampede of would-be attendees. We'll wait. In the meantime, here's some pretty pictures from last year's version of the carnivorous celebration:

When was the last time you sank your teeth into some slow-cooked brisket that virtually melts in your mouth? Well, that's just too long, pilgrim! Photo via Texas Monthly.

Texas brisket is to be held gently as one would hold a precious Faberge egg or delicate unearthed archaeological artifact that advances our knowledge while suffusing us with the glow of understanding and life-affirming appreciation. For this is the holy grail of Texas eating, the culinary centerpiece around which all other food is peripheral, each complement relegated to mere side dish. Photo courtesy of Texas Monthly.

Words are not needed for this, and we're starting to get emotional. More than a slab of brisket, this is a slab o' inspiration. Photo courtesy of Texas Monthly.

Oh, you're back. Glad you got your tickets. Where were we? Oh yes: The upcoming event, dubbed the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest, celebrates the award-winning magazine’s latest list of “Top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas” with a weekend full of exciting events. The celebration will kick off on Saturday, Nov. 3, with ‘Cue Course, followed by the first-ever Franklin & Friends event that same day.

The main festival itself will take place on Sunday, Nov. 4 at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, 701 W Riverside Dr.

The meatiness of the celebration is matched by the meaty ticket prices. But reaching this barbecue promised land is an investment not only in time but money. General admission tickets for the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest on Sunday are $80 each. For those seeking the ultimate festival-going experience, Texas Monthly BBQ Fest ticket buyers can opt for a VIP ticket at $165, which includes a one-hour advanced entry, a pair of complimentary drink tickets, annual subscription to Texas Monthly Magazine, and a special Texas Monthly gift.

And for the truly hardcore BBQ fans, Texas Monthly offers a 24-hour advanced ticket sale window exclusively for TMBBQ Club members. Membership includes BBQ gear and quarterly BBQ content by Texas Monthly BBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn, as well as early access to BBQ event tickets and ticket discounts to other Texas Monthly signature events. To join the TMBBQ Club, visit tmbbqclub.com.

Texas Monthly is also offering several other ticketed events leading up to Texas Monthly BBQ Fest on Sunday, Nov. 4. On Saturday, Nov. 3, the second annual ‘Cue Course, a BBQ educational experience, will take place at Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew (6610 N Lamar Blvd) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hosted by Texas Monthly’s Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn, the event will dive deep into barbecue education with a hands-on instructional course from certified instructors from the Texas A&M University Animal Science Department with private pit tours and a loaded BBQ lunch. Tickets to the ‘Cue Course are $95 each, and the ticket price includes complimentary food and beverages.

Later that Saturday evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the BBQ Fest will introduce the first-ever Franklin & Friends event, hosted by James Beard-winner and local pitmaster Aaron Franklin at Franklin Barbecue (900 E 11th St). Attendees can expect an exciting evening of cold beer and live-fire cooking from Franklin himself as well as pitmasters Evan LeRoy of LeRoy & Lewis, Sam Jones of North Carolina's Sam Jones BBQ, and Bryan and Nikki Furman of B's Cracklin's BBQ in Atlanta. Tickets to Franklin & Friends are $95 each, and the ticket price includes complimentary food and beverages.

Closing out the weekend festivities, the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest will once again return on Sunday, Nov. 4 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. with VIP entry at noon at the Long Center for the Performing Arts. A total of 30 barbecue joints from across the state will come together in carnivorous collegiality, making this year one of the largest events to date since the festival’s inception in 2009, according to organizers.

Meat lovers descend at the Long Center last year to enjoy some good old Texas barbecue. Photo courtesy of Texas Monthly.

This year, each pit has been asked to serve at least two meats, but also one dessert or side dish to round out the hearty menu. The featured BBQ restaurants, all of which are on the magazine’s latest “Top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas” list, will be serving up their delicious BBQ fare to eager meat mavens. The most recent list, released in the June 2017 issue, was honored by the National Magazine Awards for ‘Best Cover’ with the story entitled “The Golden Age of BBQ,” by BBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn and Executive Editor Patricia Sharpe, officials noted with palpable pride.

"Guests are encouraged to sample as much ‘cue as their stomach will allow, as well as enjoy live music, cold drinks and fun lawn games with attendees of all ages and from across the globe," organizers wrote invitingly in a press advisory. "In addition to the stellar BBQ offerings on-site, the festival will also feature some of the state’s most beloved music performers, including The Madisons, Lavelle White & The L Men, and more."

The current lineup of BBQ participants at this year’s festival includes:

TEXAS MONTHLY BBQ FESTIVAL – 2018 LINEUP:

• 2M Smokehouse (San Antonio)
• Baker Boys BBQ (Gonzales)
• Bodacious Bar-B-Q Mobberly (Longview)
• Cattleack Barbeque (Dallas)
• Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que (Llano)
• Evie Mae’s Pit Barbecue (Wolfforth)
• Flores Barbecue (Whitney)
• Guess Family Barbecue (Waco)
• Hays Co. Bar-B-Que (San Marcos)
• Heim Barbecue (Fort Worth)
• Hutchins BBQ (Frisco/McKinney)
• Killen’s Barbecue (Pearland)
• la Barbecue (Austin)
• Lockhart Smokehouse (Dallas)
• Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor)
• Micklethwait Craft Meats (Austin)
• Miller’s Smokehouse (Belton)
• Pody’s BBQ (Pecos)
• Roegels Barbecue Co. (Houston)
• Smolik’s Smokehouse (Mathis)
• Snow’s BBQ (Lexington)
• Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ (Tyler)
• Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew (Austin)
• Stillwater Barbeque (Abilene)
• Tejas Chocolate Craftory (Tomball)
• Terry Black’s Barbecue (Austin)
• Top 5 BBQ (DeSoto)
• Truth BBQ (Brenham)
• Tyler’s Barbeque (Amarillo)
• Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ (Austin)

The Texas Monthly BBQ Fest Weekend is sponsored by Big Red, Desert Door Sotol, Legacy Whiskey, Lone Star Beer, The Texas Pie Company, and YETI.

Again, for tickets and information about the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest Weekend, visit TexasMonthly.com/tmbbqfest. Go forth, carnivorous compadres and comadres, for what's sure to be a moooooving experience.

May God bless Texas, and thanks Lord for all the barbecue.

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>>> All photos and flyer courtesy of Texas Monthly magazine, used with permisssion