Smoke Sessions Barbecue , Royse City, Texas 1/22/26

https://www.smokesessionsbbq.com/

sampled around 11:45 am

This was our second stop on our mini-BBQ tour and it was just 8 minutes away from the first.  This spot got an honorable mention on the latest Texas Monthly Top 50 list.  I chose the trinity again and picked the garlic/pepper jack sausage.   The brisket and sausage were average to my taste with the brisket being a bit mushy with no smoke flavor.  The casing on the house made sausage was very tough and I opted to peel most of it off after the first few pieces.  The ribs were excellent, leaving a perfect bite mark, and were full of flavor.  Once again, very friendly folks in a good joint in small town Texas.

Smoak Town BBQ, Fate, Texas 1/22/26

https://www.smoaktownbbq.com/

 sampled around 11 am

Scott had a hankering for some Q before the winter weather clobbers us, so off we went to sample a couple of joints just east of Dallas.  First up was Smoak Town BBQ in Fate.  This food truck made the top 50 on Texas Monthly's last list.  We were first in line at 11 am but there were quickly 7 or 8 folks lined up behind us.  I grabbed a Texas trinity plus some pork belly burnt ends.  I passed on the sides and they made up for that with a very generous helping of smoked meats.  I thought the brisket and burnt ends were average, with lots of coarse pepper bark.  The ribs were a bit overdone.  The bark was tough and chewy and the meat fell off the bone.  The highlight for me was the house made sausage with a coarse beef grind with good jalapeno and cheese flavor.  I'd make another trip east just for that sausage.

Overall, a good joint with friendly folks.  Lucky Fate!

First smoke of 2026

 

Salmon may not be BBQ but it is the next best thing to put in a smoker.  We have 8 and a half pounds to make us smile for awhile.  We also did a bunch of poblano and banana peppers, which are also great right off the smoker.

Last BBQ of 2025

 

https://www.royhutchinsbbq.com/

sampled 12/30/25 around 4 pm

We had a friend in town for New Years Eve festivities and he wanted some Roy's.  I stuck with pork belly burnt ends, a slice of fatty brisket, and a couple of twinkies.  Their meat to cheese ratio in their twinkies is just right, to my taste.  A great end to a year full of great BBQ.

Santa loves brisket biscuits

 

sampled 12/21/25

Santa loves brisket biscuits so much, he brought me a 1 quart deep fryer for Christmas, 4 days early.  I put it to good use and I think I have it down close enough.  From my previous attempts, I learned to roll the biscuit dough even thinner and add more brisket.

Into the grease they went at 375 degrees until they were golden brown on both sides.

Were they as good as Don Green's?  I don't think so, but they will do fine when I feel the need to brisket a biscuit.  Thanks Santa!

Brisket biscuit experiment, part 2

 

sampled 12/15/25

Applying what I learned last night, the results tonight were much better.  Tonight I rolled the biscuit dough a lot thinner and added more brisket.  The best of the batch were very good, as seen above.  I also experimented a bit adding sauce and a small pat of butter to a few.  Those were pretty good, too, but the extra moisture inside kept the innermost part of the biscuit a bit doughy.  

The takeaway is that I need to roll the dough even thinner and add even more brisket.  The extras should be added after frying.  I think I'm about 80% there and we'll see in the next batch if we can get even closer to perfection.

For the last two I added smoked turkey instead of brisket.  That works, too!

Brisket Biscuit experiment, part 1

 

sampled 12/14/25

Green's has only been gone for a week and I finished off my last brisket biscuit from there on Thursday.  Time to start experimenting to see if I can make something half as good.  

My Mrs. picked up some cheapo store brand biscuits, I packed them full of brisket and fried them up at 350 degrees.  Close, but no cigar.  The outside was nice and crispy, but they were doughy inside.  I learned I need to roll out that biscuit dough much thinner and I need to put in a lot more brisket.

When at first you don't succeed, try try again.  And I shall!