Tyler Texas... Gates opened at 3:00, and the BBQ sampling began. 15 joints were present. I think I got a pic of all of them. I made it to all 15 booths in a little over an hour, and I was absolutely stuffed. Some of the booths were giving real big boy samples. I should probably not have cooked in the morning (I made my friend and I a naked fatty, a rack of beef backs and a chuck roast - there were leftovers of all three for my family). The music was starting (you could buy just music tickets if you wanted) at 7:00, but I left at 5:00. There was one band that played during the BBQ section, and I had a 2 hour ride home. Awesome food! For the most part, the focus was on the trinity of brisket, sausage and spares all done central TX style. There were a few surprises along the way like a couple of lightly glazed ribs, one pulled pork sample and a beef rib sample (from Louie Mueller - Awesome). If it was closer to home, I probably would have waited until I got hungry again (you could sample until 6:00) and made another round. A friend of mine came along, so I got to talk BBQ for many hours. Also hung out with a few friends (Tim Hutchins and Daniel Vaughn) along the way.
