Snow's BBQ

I decided to start a blog about my BBQ outings with a group of friends not because I'm such an avid blogger or want to share my whole life with the world wide web, but because Mama Said So.

The Barbeqrew was born out of fools who don't have many better things to do than wake up on a Saturday morning, drive all around Texas, drink lots of beer, and consume copious amounts of the most noteworthy barbecue in the state according to the Texas Monthly Magazine. While fifty locations seems like a tough feat, we aren't scared. We're thrilled to road trip from Austin to far away lands such as Brownsville, El Paso, and Amarillo to experience the best brisket, ribs, and artisanal sausages, among other glorious meats, that are being smoked by those dedicated pit masters who have been standing over the fire for sixty plus years. As vegans, vegetarians, and other pro-plant based dieters might cringe at the thought of ordering sixteen pounds of meat in one sitting, honestly, anyone might cringe at that, we are heading full force into a world somewhat familiar to us, but wildly unknown. Follow The Barbeqrew's BBQ adventures here, and hopefully we'll make it to all fifty locations without suffering from heart attacks, cholesterol issues, or extreme high blood pressure.

We decided that, in honor of our first outing, we must venture to the best, most revered, barbecue joint in Texas, Snow's BBQ. All seven of us miraculously made it up and out of our beds, ready to drive an hour and five minutes at seven a.m. on Saturday. This was our first big win. As the trip that kicks off our bond as The Barbeqrew, although we hadn't thought of the name yet, I was definitely weary of how probable it was that we would all make it. Turns out, we're all super committed to the 'que. 

Rolling up to Snow's BBQ at 8:45, I really wasn't expecting the long ass line that stood before me. I thought we were dedicated, but these folks must have gotten up hours before us to make the trek to Lexington, Texas, the small town where this respected dive calls home. We hesitantly walked past more and more people, barely able to see the back of the line, and then finally plopped our coolers and chairs down on the road where we would call home for the next three and a half hours. Clearly, we were the only ones prepared, as nobody around us had coolers, chairs, or, what made the wait the most durable, beer. Maybe we were the most obnoxious people in the line, but we sure did have fun.

The Barbeqrew circa 10:30am, had been waiting about 2 hours but had consumed many more beer. 

When we finally reached the entry way we could see the menu and the front door. We were almost there, it was 12:15. We kept inching up the line, and the suspense kept inching up as well. A few parties were before we got to the door, and a Snow's BBQ employee walked out of the door and causally put a sticky note over a menu item "Out of Jalapeño Sausage." This had narrowed down the menu to three items out of maybe ten. We were almost there. But what would sell out next and would we make it? Because we had been so patiently waiting in line for so long, and because we were so eager to eat, I suggested buying them out of whatever they had left. People were on board, however, after a few minutes of thinking about it, we decided it wouldn't be fair to the hundreds of people in line behind us. While we didn't buy out the place, we did order sixteen pounds of meat, $236 worth of  juicy 'que, which was still way more than we could have eaten. 

Got the goods.

Maddie got the pickles -- what a cutie!!! 

Finally, we sat down, chowed down, and were lucky enough to meet the pit master, Tootsie. Tootsie graciously stepped away from her perch, where she had been working since around three a.m. to take a picture with us goons. She was happy, friendly, and more than excited to share her story with us, one that has been developing for the last sixty or so years, when she first took rightful place in front of her smokey throne.

Tootsie, qrew, and 'que!

We made our way back to Austin, past the cornfields we couldn't notice on our early trek out to Lexington, Texas. As the BBQ settled into our stomachs, we, or maybe just me, weren't feeling to hot. In Austin, we frolicked by the pool, the only way to survive the impending summer heat. After a few hours, we went our separate ways, full and tired from an adventurous weekend, looking forward to 49 more stops on the list and the tattoo we had all agreed upon if we made it to all: "que qrew."