Don’t worry, guys. Daniel Vaughn, the BBQ Snob and new Texas Monthly barbecue editor, will never get too big for his brisket. Even though he did hold his most recent book signing for The Prophets of Smoked Meat at a place called Stodghill Manor last Friday, everyone wore “barbecue attire,” drank beer, and dug in to fatty meats with their fingers. I think Mayor Rawlings even popped up at the end, if my eyes didn’t fail me. (I heard he cussed up a storm at the “A Way With Words” charity event last week. 10 points for Gryffindor!)
At Friday’s event, Franklin’s (#1 on TM‘s 50 Best BBQ List), Pecan Lodge (#2), Lockhart Smokehouse(also on the list), and Smoke all made it to the event. Big bad boys in one, big bad place. Aaron Franklin came all the way up from Austin and borrowed a smoker from Justin Fourton of Pecan Lodge to make the most beautiful brisket I’ve ever seen. Charred black edges encircled a pink ring around smooth brown meat. That’s what I call teamwork, guys – when the number one and number two best barbecue joints in Texas join forces in the name of friendship. Cool beans.
It’s not nice to brag and talk about all the great barbecue and desserts I had at Stodghill Manor on Friday, but I just gotta say that Daniel Vaughn knows how to throw a good party. Everyone seemed well-fed and nobody really wanted to leave. But the Vaughn fun never stops. This BBQ Snob is hosting a “Meat and Greet” on Saturday, May 25, at Four Corners Brewery from 6 to 9 p.m. Pecan Lodge, Lockhart Smokehouse, and Meshak’s will be smoking it up while Vaughn autographs books. Should be fun. I’d go ahead and RSVP if I were you. You can even talk to Vaughn + the three pitmasters for A WHOLE HOUR if you pay $100. I’d say it’s worth it, but only if Vaughn wears those red-and-black leather cowboy boots of his.
Enjoy the rest of Matt Shelley’s pictures.
