Tag: Texas Monthly

A Real Texas Success Story of Meaty Deliciousness Smoke and Bone BBQ

Trey Chapman Chow
Award Winning PHAT Burger

Howdy Chow Hounds,

We decided to make the trip to Panther Island Brewing to indulge in some Texas BBQ at Smoke & Bone BBQ. As soon as we pulled up, we could smell the BBQ smoke wafting through the air. It’s a thick, aromatic, and often persistent plume created by cooking with hardwood, meat, rubs, and spices “low and slow.” It’s truly an art form. For us, it signals that something delicious is about to happen. It simply means: get ready because you’re in for some meaty BBQ deliciousness, complemented by amazing chef-driven sides.

This journey started a few years ago when I contacted Smoke & Bone BBQ to participate in our 2024 Best Burger contest at River Ranch Stockyards. I knew they offered tasty Texas BBQ and fresh sides with a chef-driven approach, but I had no idea they would have the BEST burger in Cowtown. But they did! Smoke & Bone took home the win with their big, fat, delicious smoked burger.

Fresh BBQ Ramen ( Oh, YEA!)

Owned by Ross and Katherine Marquette, their story is a true American success tale. They were service industry veterans when the COVID-19 pandemic left them both jobless. To survive, they began delivering DoorDash orders. It was during this challenging time that they had the idea to use their old smoker to create and sell Texas BBQ through pop-ups. As they say, the rest is history—Smoke & Bone was born.

Things really took off when they found a new full-time home at Panther Island Brewing in Fort Worth. This location was perfect because they no longer had to roam the streets pulling their BBQ trailer and setting up at different locations to sell their delicious food.

They have created something truly special with their ever-expanding menu, which now features brisket, ribs, Texas beef ribs, barbecue ramen, a smoked-meat taco salad, and the burger that won the trophy for being the fan favorite at the 2024 Cowtown Burger Showdown.

The BBQ ramen was savory, flavorful and slup-o-licious! The sausage had that perfect snap—KA POW! Those tasty pork ribs were pork-o-licious! The brisket was a masterpiece of tender, juicy meat encased in a dark, peppery, slightly crunchy bark, achieved through low-and-slow smoking. It resulted in a deeply smoky, savory flavor with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, sliced thick. It was simply BP, “Brisket Perfection.” The slightly spicy slaw was fresh and different, with a pop of flavor, and the corn was ridiculously delicious. But those burnt ends were life-changing—flavor-packed and NOT lacking in deliciousness.

Everything we tried was so fresh, flavorful, and delicious that I couldn’t stop eating or thinking about it. I was glad to have some to take home so we could enjoy it all week. I highly recommend you make the trip to chow down on some Smoke & Bone Texas BBQ perfection and enjoy some fresh craft beer from Panther Island Brewing. You’re going to love it, I can promise you that.

It’s officially approved as Trey’s Chow Down delicious destination, and I highly recommend you make the trip!

Palmira BBQ – Where South Carolina, Texas, and Puerto Rico, Collide Creating Unforgettable Flavor Explosions

Trey Chapman Chow
A tray of food with meat and sides on it.


Barbeque lovers unite! We discovered a NEW delicious barbeque destination that every meat lover should visit. Welcome to Palmira Barbeque in Charleston, South Carolina. When we heard about this now famous little BBQ joint you know we had to make the trip. We wanted to meet pitmaster Hector who is masterfully combining South Carolina, Texas, and Puerto Rico flavors to create award-winning and famous meaty deliciousness.

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Palmira Beef Cheek Perfection

When I say famous and award-winning it’s a FACT! They’ve been featured in Forbes, Southern Living, The Local Palate, EATER Carolinas, Charleston Magazine, The Post and Courier, RESY, and Texas Monthly and I’m sure there’s more tocome. We’ve been traveling coast-to-coast, from Los Angeles to Miami and every in-between, on the hunt for America’s BEST BBQ. We’ve visited thirty-one states on our BEST BBQ mission. It was only fitting after I read, researched, and viewed all the delicious social media posts Palmira was a must-visit for us.

If you follow our foodie and travel adventures, you know I love to tell the backstories. I’m a firm believer that anything tastes better with a good story. This is why the Palmira story was so intriguing to me because pitmaster and owner Hector Garate has an interesting family history. Buckle up it’s story time!

When we visited, I was honored to spend some time with Hector walking around his smokehouse area and discussing the finer details of his success. We also discussed his passion for designing and creating custom smokers. He showed me his latest whole hog smoker and it was beautiful. After speaking with Hector, I noticed that his passion for creating BBQ perfection was only matched by his love for serving people and seeing them smile with the satisfaction of deliciousness.

Hector’s passion for BBQ started at an early age and has not stopped him from perfecting his craft since. Born in Puerto Rico, he was exposed to whole animal cooking pra early on. Hector specializes in smoking beef cheeks, brisket, whole hog, and house-made sausages. In the pursuit of creating the best product, Garate devoted their free time to building his custom cooking appliances, in particular an offset smoker. Hector has partnered with Brasstown Beef, Creekstone Farms, and Peculiar Pig Farms to source the most sustainable farm-to-table smoked meats for Charleston, SC through Palmira Barbecue. Palmira Barbecue’s name is an homage to Hector’s grandmother, who grew up on a sustainable cattle ranch.

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Ridiculously Delicious Texas Barbecue and Burgers!

Trey Chapman Chow
A tray of food with meat, coleslaw and other foods.


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Dayne and Ashley Weaver

Howdy Texas BBQ Lovers!

When you talk about Texas BBQ and all it offers then you have to mention Dayne’s Craft BBQ. They’ve won so many awards and accolades that it’s impossible to list them all. I’ve been following them since they began and I’ve watched them as they’ve climb their way to the TOP of the Texas BBQ peak. The success they’ve enjoyed has come from blood, sweat, tears, hard work and dedication to their craft. All the smoked meats, pork, sausages, sides, sweets, and burgers are simply RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS. They’ve even prepared AND SMOKED WHOLE HOGS where ever bite was PORK-O-LICIOUS.

Let’s talk burgers! They won the Cowtown Burger Showdown in Fort Worth at RIVER RANCH two years in a row. Dayne’s OG SMASH BURGER has got a flavor profile so delicious that everyone wants it. It’s cheesy smash burger deliciousness that’s truly unforgettable. It’s become a TEXAS BURGER LEGEND running through Texas like a run away freight train.

Their story is great one: Dayne Weaver started his journey in Texas barbecue as a backyard smoker enthusiast. His father-in-law left a small kettle grill in his backyard in 2017, which he converted into a mini-smoker. He threw a brisket on and was immediately hooked. He began smoking meat every weekend; however, barbecuing is an expensive hobby. Dayne’s wife, Ashley, told him that if he was going to continue to cook regularly, he needed to find someone to buy it. That’s how “Dayne’s Underground Barbecue” was born.

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30 Must Try Restaurants & Food in Dallas & Fort Worth for 2022 (Best Thing I Ate)

Trey Chapman Chow
A collage of different foods including meat and vegetables.


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Best Thing I Ate On Fox 4 Good Day.

Hello Food and Drink Lovers!

Have you ever taken a bite of something so delicious that you thought to yourself, “I have to tell someone about this!” I’m sure you have because we all feel that way sometimes. It doesn’t matter if it’s savory, sweet, or both, we just want to tell someone about how perfect a dish was. After traveling around in 2021, eating and visiting with chefs and restaurant folks, I had an idea. I wanted to spread a little deliciousness among my friends; I wanted to share with everyone the BEST DISHES I ATE in 2021.

2021 was our most successful year at locating creative chefs and delicious dishes. We traveled through 10 different states, logging our most miles ever and visiting a record number of chefs and restaurants. I wanted to highlight some of the most unique and delicious dishes you should try in 2022. These are my top restaurants with dishes, and there’s a big variety so there’s something for everyone!

I enjoyed visiting and eating with some of the best chefs and restaurant folks in the business. Each dish has been carefully chosen and is a chef-driven dish prepared by the best! They only use fresh ingredients, vegetables, and spices to create some bold, modern flavor profiles that everyone will love. Most of the eats are simple dishes that are prepared with passion, love, and creativity. Remember, a simple dish is sometimes the most difficult to facilitate because all parts must be complete perfection. I believe that in most cases simple is better because it gives each ingredient that culinary jingle to create deliciousness.

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