Three years ago, Gregg and Casey Lee Ring watched as a building burned uncontrollably in Flatonia, a town about midway between Houston and San Antonio. Once the damage was cleared, the owner put the empty lot up for sale. Gregg, a budding barbecue cook at the time, saw the potential of the prominent location along Main Street and bought it to set up the trailer for Casey Lee’s Family Craft BBQ. Casey, noticing that locals had criticized the volunteer fire department online about the incident, joined Flatonia Fire & Rescue.“That unfortunate day spurred on a lot of things in our life,” Gregg said. It also allowed Flatonia to get some remarkably good barbecue.Don’t expect smoked brisket every time you visit the Saturdays-only joint. Gregg said…
The irresistible combination of mildly sweet & mildly spicy in Gochujang spice paste makes these sticky Korean Gochujang chicken wings absolutely addictive and simply unputdownable! Try these at your own risk!
I had shared my Gochujang chicken thighs recipe a few months ago and it went viral instantly! But honestly I knew it would! We have also been making our Gochujang chicken on repeat!
So it is high time now that I share my next favorite recipe using Gochujang so that you can keep relishing this classic Korean paste in maximum ways possible!
Welcome Gochujang chicken wings!
Sticky, sweet, savory & spicy - these Gochujang chicken wings possess all that you desire for in a phenomenal chicken wings recipe!
The best part of my Gochujang chicken wings is that they are made in the air fryer which means making these Gochujang chicken wings is as hassle-free as it can possibly be!
What are Gochujang chicken wings?
Gochujang is a classic Korean condiment that is very commonly used in Korean cooking. It is a fermented red chilli paste containing many other ingredients and sold as a concentrated thick paste in a tub.
Earlier, about 7 to 8 years ago, it was not easily available in India.
I got my first tub of Gochujang long back from my lovely cousin who lives in Malaysia as I have been experimenting with my cooking skills a lot back then (Well, I still do!)!
With the increasing cultural exchanges through social media and people being open to try new things, such authentic cooking ingredients from around the world are being easily found in Indian supermarkets nowadays. Thank God for that!
Now that you understand what Gochujang is, you can quickly make out what Gochujang chicken wings are!
When you coat your chicken wings with this tempting Gochujang paste along with a few other ingredients and air fry them to perfection you get one of the most delicious chicken wings of all time!
Decades ago, the late Hubert Green began an annual tradition of cooking a Thanksgiving meal for free at the Euless Senior Center. This year’s feast, on November 12, was the last served by the Green family.Hubert founded North Main BBQ just down the street from the senior center in 1981. A black-and-white pig statue greeted diners outside the front door, and the pitmaster would fire up an armadillo-shaped smoker around back. Both are now gone. Hubert and his second wife, Shari McKay Green, passed away in 2017. The business went to the McKay side of the family, was sold twice, and eventually closed.When Hubert died, his son Don Green had already opened his own barbecue trailer in Euless, the Saturdays-only Green’s Texas Bar-B-Que. He took…
Tifany Swulius and Antonio Guevara originally partnered to seek glory at the State Fair of Texas. In a shift that surprised both of them, they ended up opening a barbecue joint instead. Now they’re serving some of the best breakfast tacos in Dallas.Swulius and Guevara had worked together at Lakewood Landing, a Dallas institution that describes itself as “an upscale dive.” Swulius was a bartender who often brought in home-baked treats for coworkers and customers. Guevara ran the kitchen while also operating his own barbecue and taco pop-up, Tejas BBQ & Tacos, which became Tejas Brisket Co. after a similarly named Texas barbecue restaurant sent him a cease-and-desist letter. “I wasn’t making any money, but I was getting my name out there,” he said.While working…
Smoky Flavor Secrets Every Backyard Cook Should Know There’s something about a deep, rich, smoky flavor that makes backyard cooking feel more satisfying. Whether you’re grilling, slow-cooking, or experimenting over a small fire pit, that subtle mix of aroma and depth brings out the best in meats, vegetables, and even sauces. You don’t need a […]
When Jereis Khawaja launched Truboy BBQ with nationwide shipping in 2020, he wrote a mission statement for the website that promised to give everyone in the U.S. the opportunity to enjoy Texas barbecue. The Houston native read the statement every day, but he eventually realized it wasn’t true for many Muslim and Jewish customers because of cross contamination with Truboy’s most popular item, pulled pork. “By eliminating one product from my menu, my mission statement could become a true statement,” Khawaja says. In March 2021, he switched to only smoking halal meats, including brisket, lamb, and chicken.Last month brought the next big transformation of Khawaja’s business. Truboy BBQ Market, the first physical location for the brand, opened in Missouri City, outside Houston. Inside, a wall…
Wanalee “Nan” Gorelick grew up without electricity in the town of Rangsit, outside Bangkok, in Thailand. She moved to the U.S. in 2008 with just $100 to her name, eventually making her way to Cypress, northwest of Houston, where she met her now-husband, Adam Gorelick. When the subject of marriage came up, Nan demanded Adam spend some time in the Thai countryside living like a local. “I wanted to make sure he knows who he [is marrying] and where I came from,” she explained.Besides making a request for a window-unit air conditioner (which Nan’s family mercifully granted), Adam rose to the challenge. He took showers with a bucket of warm water poured over his head and lived with few of his usual comforts. While still…
Editors’ note: This segment first appeared on Texas Monthly Presents, a television program airing on Texas PBS stations and PBS.org. After Fasicka Hicks helped her husband, Patrick, get his barbecue business off the ground, she began to grow bored. Leaning into her roots, she added a separate menu, cooking Ethiopian dishes from her childhood. When customers began requesting combinations of both types of food, an idea was born. Daniel Vaughn visits Smoke ’N Ash BBQ, exploring what makes it one of the most unique barbecue spots in Texas.
This smoked turkey is all about big flavor and perfect texture — juicy meat with crispy, bite-through skin. The secret isn’t complicated: a simple brine, a good dry, and steady heat on the pit.
Once the bird soaks up that flavor, I let the skin dry out, season it from top to bottom, and smoke it low and slow over pecan wood. The result is golden skin that crackles when you slice and meat so tender it practically drips juice.
Serve it hot off the board for Thanksgiving dinner and show off what a real smoked turkey should taste like.
Juicy, smoky, and crisped to perfection — this smoked turkey is everything a holiday bird should be. Tender, flavorful, and kissed with just the right amount of smoke — it’s turkey done right.
Ingredients
1 whole turkey (12–18 lbs), thawed
HowToBBQRight Ultimate Brine Kit
OR
1 bottle Malcom’s Bird Brine
1 bottle Killer Hogs AP Seasoning
1 bottle Malcom’s King Craw Cajun Seasoning
Meat Bag
Water (enough to completely submerge turkey)
1 stalk celery, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, quartered
1 apple, quartered
3 cloves garlic, smashed
Cooking spray or oil (for coating the skin)
Chicken Rack (optional)
Instructions
Brine the Turkey
Mix one bottle of Bird Brine with 1 gallon of water until dissolved. Place the turkey in a large brining bag or container and pour the brine mixture over the bird. Add enough cold water to completely submerge.
Seal the bag (or cover the container) and refrigerate for 24 hours. For larger turkeys (over 16 lbs), brine up to 48 hours.
Dry and Prep
Remove the turkey from the brine and discard the liquid. Pat the skin completely dry with paper towels—this is key to getting crispy skin.
Stuff the Cavity
Place the celery, onion, apple and garlic (use whatever aromatics you like) inside the cavity.
Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips underneath so the turkey cooks evenly.
Oil and Season
Lightly coat the entire surface of the turkey with cooking spray or oil.
Season the backside first with a medium coat of Killer Hogs AP Seasoning, followed by a medium coat of Malcom’s King Craw Cajun Seasoning.
Flip the turkey onto a rack and repeat on the top side with the same layers of seasoning.
Smoke the Turkey
Preheat your smoker or grill to 275°F using pecan pellets (or your preferred wood).
Place the turkey on the pit, centered for even airflow, and cook until the internal temperature in the deepest part of the breast reaches 160°F.
Rest and Serve
Remove the turkey from the smoker and rest for 20 minutes. The internal temperature will carry over to about 165°F in the breast and 175°F in the dark meat.
That’s how you smoke a turkey that comes out juicy every single time — with golden, crispy skin and that rich, smoky flavor you can only get from cooking it low and slow. Keep it simple, trust the process, and you’ll carve into the best turkey you’ve ever put on the table.
This story was originally published in January 2022 and has been updated. No Texas city has Austin beat for its sheer volume of worthy barbecue destinations. Sure, the Houston area’s widespread suburbs might be richer in excellent smoked meats, and the Fort Worth scene is hot and new, but the amount of world-changing barbecue within our capital’s limits is staggering. In the June 2025 issue, we published our list of the top fifty barbecue joints, along with fifty more honorable mentions, but our barbecue recommendations don’t stop there. You can get a great meal at any one of these barbecue joints in Austin and its suburbs.In the City of AustinB. Cooper BarbecueThis unassuming trailer can be easy to miss when driving past. In the city…
Hit the blinker as soon as you spot the trio of BBQ flags waving outside Kirby’s BBQ. The speed limit is 50 miles per hour on Loop 494, and there’s just a wide strip of gravel between the low-slung, metal-roofed shack and the two-lane road. Kirby’s may have the look of a long-standing establishment, but it opened in May, the newest barbecue joint in New Caney, just northeast of Houston.After the cloud of dust settled from my sudden stop in the makeshift parking lot, I walked up the steps to the screened-in porch, where employee Svea Bailey greeted me and took my order. The building only houses the kitchen, so the dining area is limited to the picnic tables lining the porch. I found a…
This story was originally published in March 2022 and has been updated. San Antonio barbecue is ever evolving, but it has deep roots, as evidenced by the old-school brick pits that are still operational around the city. Good tortillas aren’t hard to come by here, and neither is excellent smoked chicken. We have our favorites, of course. In the June 2025 issue, we published our list of the top fifty barbecue joints, along with fifty more honorable mentions, but our barbecue recommendations don’t stop there. You can get a great meal at any one of these San Antonio joints.In the City of San Antonio2M Smokehouse2025 Top 50This barbecue spot quickly became the best in town after it opened in 2016, helping usher in a San…
Finding a great deal at a barbecue joint these days is like scoring a shaded spot at H-E-B in the summer. So on an early August stop at Tyler’s Barbeque, in Amarillo, I was surprised to see beef short ribs on the specials board for only $16 per pound. Surely, that price for this Saturdays-only offering was for a half pound, a common gambit to delay customers’ sticker shock. I double- and triple-checked the board while in line, as I inched ever closer to the counter, then asked the cutter for one of those ribs, one on the smaller side if possible. It was rung up at just $1 an ounce, and I felt like I was getting away with something as I scurried off…
This story was originally published in January 2022 and has been updated. The Metroplex is too big for just one barbecue guide. The Fort Worth area already got its own, so this one is dedicated to Dallas and its many suburbs, which are packed with smoked-meat stops both old and new. We have our favorites, of course. In the June 2025 issue, we published our list of the top fifty barbecue joints, along with fifty more honorable mentions, but our barbecue recommendations don’t stop there. You can get a great meal at any one of the joints below.In the City of DallasHeim BarbecueThe Heims ushered Fort Worth into the modern barbecue movement with their tender brisket, colossal beef ribs, and famous bacon burnt ends, though…
This story was originally published in December 2021 and has been updated. For years, Texas Monthly published a single guide to cover all the barbecue in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Then Fort Worth—as well as the Mid-Cities—suddenly became the most exciting place in Texas for new barbecue joints. Panther City and its suburbs are now receiving the honor of their own directory. In the June 2025 issue we published our list of top fifty barbecue joints, along with fifty more worthy of honorable mentions, but our barbecue recommendations don’t stop there. You can get a great meal of smoked meats at any one of these Fort Worth–area joints.In the City of Fort WorthAngelo’s BBQThis Fort Worth staple goes back to 1958. The brisket and ribs are plenty…
BJ Bradford’s jump start to becoming a barbecue entrepreneur began with 25 briskets gifted to him by the universe. In 2016, while working as an over-the-road trucker and hauling a load of beef from Kansas to Florida, a customer rejected five boxes from the delivery because they were damaged. When the company told him to keep or get rid of them, BJ’s choice was clear. Adopting those orphaned briskets would end up altering his career.He picked up four big coolers from a nearby Walmart, packed them full of briskets and ice, and headed back home to Bryan, Texas, where his family was waiting for him. “I got a lot of training from those briskets right there,” he says. Smoking meat wasn’t new to BJ. His…
This story was originally published in November 2021 and has been updated. The Houston metro area has more standout barbecue joints than exist in many entire states. We have our favorites, of course. In 2023, Texas Monthly released a list of the best new barbecue joints in Texas. In the June 2025 issue we published our list of top fifty barbecue joints, along with fifty more worthy of honorable mentions, but our barbecue recommendations don’t stop there. You can get a great meal of smoked meats at any one of these Houston barbecue joints.In the City of HoustonBrisket & Rice2025 Top 50Phong Tran, his brother Hong, and Hong’s wife, Michelle Nguyen, combined their Vietnamese heritage with classic Central Texas barbecue to create this gem next…
About a year ago, Marc Fadel sat across from me as I burst his barbecue bubble. The then-eighteen-year-old begged for an honest assessment of the smoked meats from his three-week-old Habibi Barbecue trailer. I began with some light, constructive criticism. But then he asked me to be more blunt.“If you keep at this for a year, you’ll look back at photos and be embarrassed of the barbecue you’re serving now,” I told him. His mouth said he understood, though his face looked crestfallen. I didn’t mean any disrespect. Any experienced pitmaster trying to improve with every cook will know what I meant, and the good news is that Fadel did keep at it. A year later, he has matured into one heck of a pitmaster.“I…
Joshua Coleman loved his family, custom trucks, Nike shoes, and barbecue. When he passed away in September 2023, after a tragic accident at the age of 36, his obituary read in part, “Josh had a deep appreciation for Texas barbecue, often embarking on long journeys just to savor the finest flavors of the Lone Star State.” His mother, Adrienne Jolliff, encouraged mourners at his funeral to wear Nike tennis shoes. His brother Casey Coleman now drives one of the many trucks, a red Ford F-150, that Josh customized. After his funeral, Adrienne and Casey decided they would continue to celebrate Josh’s life through barbecue.“We were looking for a way to celebrate his birthday but also keep his memory alive,” Casey told me. A month after…
Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi remembers traveling from his home in Columbia, Missouri, to Kansas City as a boy. As Muslims, his family kept to a strict halal diet at home, but when they traveled, the rules were relaxed. “Back then, there were literally zero halal options at any restaurant,” he says. They usually sought out beef, and he was fond of the brisket at Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ (now Joe’s Kansas City Barbeque). As halal options became more plentiful over time, the family stopped eating non-halal. Abdul-Kafi recalls the burnt ends he ate as a fourteen-year-old with a unique sort of reverence, because it would be another fifteen years before he would eat barbecue again.In 2019, Abdul-Kafi was living in the Bay Area of California, where he had…
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Three years ago, Gregg and Casey Lee Ring watched as a building burned uncontrollably in Flatonia, a town about midway between Houston and San Antonio. Once the damage was cleared, the owner put the empty lot up for sale. Gregg, a budding barbecue cook at the time, saw the potential of the prominent location along Main Street and bought it to set up the trailer for Casey Lee’s Family Craft BBQ. Casey, noticing that locals had criticized the volunteer fire department online about the incident, joined Flatonia Fire & Rescue.“That unfortunate day spurred on a lot of things in our life,” Gregg said. It also allowed Flatonia to get some remarkably good barbecue.Don’t expect smoked brisket every time you visit the Saturdays-only joint. Gregg said…
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