Birthright BBQ Fest tix on sale May 1

http://birthrightbbqfest.com/

This was a fun little fest last year and VIP tickets are limited to just 200 this year.  Date for the fest is Sunday, June 16.  Father's Day.  Tickets go on sale May 1. 

Ring of Fire, Fort Worth, 4/7/19

http://fortworthfoodandwinefestival.com/events/ring-fire-next-level-cookout/

Last year this event was called the Fort Worth Pitmaster's Picnic.  This year they decided to offer less BBQ and rebranded the event The Ring of Fire.  This was a very fun event, even with less BBQ, though one obnoxious "new rule" threw a bit of a damper on the fun.  Venue was the same as last year and the set-up and setting was as nice as 2018.

We had grabbed VIP tickets awhile back, but Scott found out he had to be out of town.  He passed his ticket on to our friend John and he got to enjoy his first BBQ event.  There was a threat of rain on the day and a quick check of the radar before we left meant we were prepared for a great deluge.  Fortunately, the rain stayed south and we kept all the rain gear packed in our bag.  We arrived about 12:30 and found ourselves about 15th in line waiting for the 1 pm VIP entry.  The staff went down the line with their handy scanner gadget, checked everyone in, and provided wristbands.  Their check-in is easy and efficient.

As we waited, the VIP line snaked out behind us.

Finally, 1 pm arrived and we headed in the gate to the feast.  On the way they passed out little plastic plates and cups.  The plates were pretty much superfluous.  As usual, every single vendor handed out little cardboard boats or polystyrene plates with their food samples.  There's an expense the fest could save, right there.  The little cup was more useful as that is how you got your beer and booze samples.  Once again, we brought our little cardboard boxes so we could run around and gather a bunch of samples before sitting down to eat.  This proved to be an issue with somebody at the fest.  More on that later.

The first problem we had at this fest is that several of the vendors were not prepared to start serving at 1 pm.  What's up with that?  When you pay extra to get in early for the fest they should be ready to serve you on opening.  It took 10 minutes to get our first two samples.  Things moved much better after that and we quickly picked up about half the food offerings and found a table to begin chowing down.  After the first round we repeated the process til we had sampled all the food offerings.  There were 17 food vendors and we managed to sample everything in the first hour, despite the slow start.

At 2 pm they opened the gates to the general admission ticket holders and the lines swelled.  At that point we switched to sampling the beer and spirits vendors as our meat coma began to sink in.  A Johnny Cash tribute band played throughout, taking a short break every now and then.  Recorded music filled the air between sets.

We really did not have any bad food.  There was one piece of undercooked brisket that I found inedible but I went back to the same vendor later and had a nice piece.  Bacon burnt ends (aka cubed, sauced, and smoked pork belly) seemed to be a thing this year with 3 different vendors having them on offer.  Meat Church went all out with their Apple and Brown Sugar Habanero sauce coating.  They practically melted in my mouth.

Not Just Q offered some more tasty pork belly, but their sample came as a slider sandwich.  Our buddy from Midland loved the slaw that came with that slider but I must admit I popped the pork belly and left the bread and slaw alone.  The photo at the top of this post is from one of their sliders.

 

Beef ribs were available at Ten 50 and Cousins.  Both were excellent.  

 

Black's had the best brisket I had all day. But I was not as crazy about their whiskey and Coke pulled pork.  I would have gladly traded it for some of their jalapeno sausage.

Speaking of sausage, there was little on offer this day, which was a bit surprising.  The only sausage I saw was from Cousin's and Raw Republic Meats.  The latter was supposedly jalapeno cheese but I saw no flecks of cheese or green and had no flavor of either in that meat (even though there was plenty in evidence when I made the rounds for photos).  Maybe I just got an end piece.  Kreuz, Heim, and Micklethwait need not worry.

There were lots of "other" items on offer including chicken paella, crawfish, beef stew, and Carolina pulled pork sandwiches.  However the best "other" I had was the dessert from Fort Worth institution The Swiss Pastry Shop.

After chowing down we went on to booze it up, thanks to my Mrs, our designated driver.  We found a couple of beers and spirits we liked and I actually bought some of each the next day.  That's the best thing about fests like this.  You get to sample a bunch of food and drink, then you can add the restaurants or brands you enjoy the most to your regular patronage.

While this is a really enjoyable festival, I was a bit annoyed when one of the officials told us our BBQ boxes were not allowed.  WTF?  After attending literally dozens of BBQ festivals across Texas in the last 14 years, that was a first.  I pointed out to the lady that we had no problems with food gathering boxes last year and she said it was a "new rule".  Of course this "new rule" did not appear anywhere on their website and it wasn't until we were inside waiting in line that it came up.  WTF?  After some discussion she walked away and we just kind of ignored it and did our thing, but I still found it obnoxious.  At this fest, as well as every other fest we attend, the unanimous consensus of the other attendees and the vendors is "Gee that's a great idea.  I wish I had thought of that!"  It's just so much easier to go gather a bunch of samples then sit down and enjoy them.  You can't do that with an 8 inch square plastic plate.  Every single vendor provided cardboard boats or plates for their samples.  Try juggling 3 or 4 of those at one time.  More than likely some of your food will end up on the ground.  Not to mention when you have sauce on a sample from one vendor, you don't want to get all over a sample from someone else.  I betcha the vendors feel that way, too.  Feel free to post a comment and let me know what you think.  I just don't get it.

That's the first time I have been made to feel "unwelcome" at a BBQ fest.  I guess that means that BBQ fans in Houston and Austin, who have custom built wooden and plastic BBQ trays and attend every year, would be unwelcome in Fort Worth, too. 

As usual, another post of food and booth photos follows below.  As always, you can click on any photo for a larger view.

Ring of Fire, more photos

Heim Barbecue, Fort Worth

http://heimbbq.com/

sampled 2/28/19

I had some old college friends visiting who I had not seen in 25 years so I decided to have a nice BBQ spread.  Instead of heading east to Pecan Lodge I headed west to Heim in Fort Worth.  I had never visited their brick and mortar before, but the fact that they had a To-Go window looked easier than the scrum for the Express line at Pecan Lodge.  It was definitely easier and I didn't even have to pay to park.

I may have overdone it, slightly, getting 15 pounds of meat for just 5 people, but I figured I could send some home with our friends and the rest we could freeze for later happiness.  I got one whole brisket, and 2 pounds each of jalapeno cheddar sausage, ribs, bacon burnt ends, and brisket burnt ends.

The meat was a big success and I had plenty left over for later.  Thanks Heim!

More weird BBQ chips from South Africa

Scott always finds weird BBQ chips in South Africa to bring back.  These didn't taste anything like spare ribs to me.  Now I am wondering if they have brisket and sausage flavor.  Holy trinity chips!

Cowtown Brewing Company, Fort Worth

https://www.cowtownbrewco.com/

Sampled 2/20/19

We have been driving past this place for a few months on our way to another brewery and I finally found a good excuse to make a dedicated trip.  In addition to craft beer, they serve craft BBQ which they make in a food truck outside on their patio.  Everything is made in house, even the sausage, and that is usually a good sign.  Their official grand opening is March 2, 2019.

I ordered a 2 meat plate, but I messed up the order (my fault) and ended up getting two types of sausage along with my sides of mac and cheese and skillet potatoes.  I added a quarter pound of brisket and baby back ribs to get a taste of everything.  My Mrs got the brisket tacos.  Unfortunately they had just run out of their bacon wrapped jalapenos.  Next time.

The jalapeno cheese sausage was really nice, almost Kreuz quality. I got some good heat from the generous jalapeno pieces and a nice moist, beefy flavor from the sausage.  The casing was just a little tough, but the good flavor was there.  The black pepper sausage was tasty, also, but could have used a bit more pepper to my taste.  It was also moist and beefy.

The brisket from the fatty end came out in a single thick slice, which usually means it is overcooked.  Yup, it was, but not terribly so.  It wasn't mushy,  but it crumbled a bit when sliced with a plastic knife.  Smoke flavor seemed to be concentrated around the bark without much penetration.  The fat was well rendered and juicy.

The baby backs had a dry rub and were tasty.  The meat left a perfect bite mark.  I just wish they had been spare ribs.  Next time I will definitely get more ribs.

The sides were good, but nothing I would rave over.  I did like their house made pickles.  I could have used a few more of those and some more onions with my dinner.

My Mrs's brisket tacos were tasty but the slightly overcooked brisket was a bit mushy in those.

We heard good things about the brisket chili and the brisket queso, but those will have to wait for another visit.  We shall make more visits.  While their BBQ is pretty good for a brewery, their beers are excellent.  I think next time I shall find another designated driver!

Red Dirt Tix are on sale

http://reddirtbbqfest.com/

Whew, after 10 minutes of refresh and disappointment, I finally hooked our VIP tickets.  Very annoying to finally get a ticket selection box, select 3 VIP tickets, hit checkout, then be told "those tickets are no longer available".  4 times.  Grrrrrr.  Maddening.

Right now they have 26 joints listed including a bunch of Texas Monthly top 50 joints.  Always one of our favorite events of the year.  I just wish they would offer their previous customers a jump on the ticket sales, like Houston does.  They are limiting ticket purchases per transaction to 4 this year.