Front row: Stuart Lapp, The Woodlands BBQ Festival organizer, Bailey Carwile, Bailey Allison, Carsyn Burney, Chandler Steele, Kenzie Lackey, and Sarah Crum; Back row: Katie Price, Devon King, Jazmin Guerra, Wade Baty, Julia Rauschuber, Brogan Horton, and Eric Hamilton
The Texas Barbecue program at Texas A&M University was well represented at this year’s The Woodlands BBQ Festival, held on Sunday, October 7, 2018. Faculty members, Davey Griffin, Ray Riley, and Jeff Savell, graduate students, Eric Hamilton, Brogan Horton, Julia Rauschuber, and Chandler Steele, and undergraduate students, Bailey Allison, Wade Baty, Carsyn Burney, Bailey Carwile, Sarah Crum, Jazmin Guerra, Devon King, Kenzie Lackey, and Katie Price were there to talk to the pitmasters at the event, to answer questions from the participants about barbecue, and to eat great barbecue and other specialties prepared by these outstanding establishments.
This is the third year of the festival, and we have been there each year. Thanks to Stuart Lapp, one of the organizers of The Woodlands BBQ Festival, for the invitation and the support of our program. Thanks also go to Chris Reid and Michael Fulmer, organizers of the Houston BBQ Festival, for their help and encouragement for this festival and their desire to showcase the great barbecue that is in and around the Houston metropolitan area. Houston is making a mark in the Texas Barbecue scene, and events such as these help to showcase these great establishments.
The Woodlands BBQ Festival, which benefited the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, is a community partnership between Stibbs & Co., P.C. and The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce.
Visiting with pitmasters
We enjoy the opportunity to visit with the pitmasters at every festival we participate in. Our goal is to get there early enough to go by and introduce ourselves to those we do not know and to say high to those we do.
Blood Brothers BBQ, Russell and Misty Roegels, J.R. Cohen and Aggies
Pitmasters and students at The Woodlands BBQ Festival
John Brotherton talking to the students about his experience and background in barbecue
Eric, Ray, and John Brotherton, Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue
Clay Cowgill, Snow’s BBQ, holding court with the students
Brogan, Davey, Jeff, Misty Roegels, Russell Roegels, and Ray in front of the Roegels Barbecue booth at The Woodlands BBQ Festival
Sampling great barbecue
The major benefit of going to the barbecue festivals is to sample the great barbecue and side dishes that each of the vendors has to share. At each event, we try to pace ourselves, but it never works! Everyone does such a great job of bringing the best at what they do, and we are never disappointed that we have sampled so much great food in a short time without having to travel around for hours or days to do so.
Sarah, Devon, and Ray sharing some samples
Kenzie and Devon enjoying some banana pudding at The Woodlands BBQ Festival
Bailey, Kenzie, Sarah, and Devon sampling Blood Brothers BBQ sausage
Answering questions about barbecue
The organizers provided us a Texas A&M University tailgate tent for us to hang out in. We had many people come by to talk to us about the Texas Barbecue program: ANSC 117, Texas Barbecue, Barbecue Summer Camp, and Camp Brisket. Some knew about these programs, but most did not so it was good to share what we do and why we were at the festival if we were not serving barbecue to everyone.
The love for barbecue brings everyone together
Carsyn and Bailey answering questions about Texas Barbecue
Sawing Varsity’s horns off!
We love the opportunity to visit with people, eat great food, and help support worthy efforts such as the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. We hope that we see everyone in The Woodlands next year.
