Get in-depth coverage of news, reviews and conversations about Texas barbecue. It's basically Christmas every day for barbecue-lovers.

In our series Stuff Texans Love, our state’s most stylish celebrities share their shopping lists. Hotelier Liz Lambert, the creative wunderkind behind projects such as Austin’s Hotel Saint Cecilia and Marfa’s hotel-campground hybrid El Cosmico has a tried-and-true method of gift giving.“If I like something, I go and tell everybody,” she says. She only sets a present under the tree when she’s passionate enough to “do an informercial for the thing.”More than two decades ago, the former attorney pivoted her career trajectory, turning her detail-oriented eye to Texas hospitality. Her Midas-like touch has transformed run-down properties into artistic getaways, and Lambert’s sense of style and taste naturally extend to her selection of these six go-to holiday gifts.Flamingo Estate Roma Heirloom Tomato Dish Soap ($30)Lambert asks readers…

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Get in-depth coverage of news, reviews and conversations about Texas barbecue. It's basically Christmas every day for barbecue-lovers.

When the College Football Playoff begins this weekend, UT will take on Clemson in the first round. Four hours later, on another TV network, UT will take on Ohio State. Good thing Steve Sarkisian has two quarterbacks!Of course, the Longhorns aren’t playing twice—rather, this twelve-team iteration of the College Football Playoff features two schools that abbreviate their names the same way: the University of Texas (which will face Clemson) and the University of Tennessee (Ohio State).This would not ordinarily be a big deal. The two UTs have coexisted since the nineteenth century without rancor or confusion, save for the occasional search engine mix-up. You'd think that with the massive amount of data that Google has on me that they would be able to see me…

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Get in-depth coverage of news, reviews and conversations about Texas barbecue. It's basically Christmas every day for barbecue-lovers.

TM Audio subscribers have access to this episode one week early. Visit our FAQ page to learn how to link your subscription to your podcast app. This bonus episode of Viva Tejano features a conversation with Paula Mejía about Mejía’s feature in the December issue of Texas Monthly, which covers Johnny Canales, the golden age of nineties tejano, and—most of all—why the boom in regional Mexican music today owes so much to Canales and his work in the eighties and nineties.(Read a transcript of this episode below.)Viva Tejano is produced by Ella Kopeikin and Patrick Michels and produced and engineered by Brian Standefer. Our executive producer is Megan Creydt. Additional production is by Aisling Ayers. Consulting producer is Adrian Arredondo. Graphic design is by Jenn Hair Tompkins and Victoria…

The post TM Audio Exclusive: Paula Mejía on the Enduring Influence of Johnny Canales appeared first on Texas Monthly.

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Get in-depth coverage of news, reviews and conversations about Texas barbecue. It's basically Christmas every day for barbecue-lovers.

The paintings on the walls of Johnny’s Barbecue in Midland left a bigger impression than the barbecue when I visited over a decade ago. Anthropomorphic swine showed off outfits, including those of a nurse, a construction worker, and a Dallas Cowboy. Another wore a cowboy hat and boots while happily munching on a rack of ribs. When the restaurant closed in 2022, after seventy years in business, new owner Ruben Carrasco Jr. had a photographer document the images. (He’s planning to create a coloring book.) Now there’s new artwork, inspired by Carrasco’s native El Paso and his family, including his late brother, Jeffrey. Carrasco’s serving barbecue out of the old building with his restaurant, Pachuco’s, which opened two years ago, but the menu is like…

The post Smoked Meats Are a Major Part of This Midland Restaurant’s Menu, but Don’t Expect a Typical BBQ Joint appeared first on Texas Monthly.

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Get in-depth coverage of news, reviews and conversations about Texas barbecue. It's basically Christmas every day for barbecue-lovers.

At six foot six and nearly three hundred pounds, with shoulders that barely fit inside an XXL suit jacket, Travis Miller is a hulking wall of a man. He claims to be a “big teddy bear” with a knack for putting even small children at ease, but there is no doubt that he more often exudes intimidation. This came in handy on the football field: Miller nearly made the NFL and then played in the Arena Football League and overseas. But giving off an air of menace, it just so happens, is an even greater asset in his current line of work. Most would identify Miller as a bodyguard, but within the small fraternity of high-priced chaperones who shepherd the rich and famous around the country,…

The post They Protect Rich and Famous Texans. They Say They’ve Never Been More in Demand.  appeared first on Texas Monthly.

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