Texas Monthly BBQ Fest wraps up in Lockhart

LOCKHART, Texas - The smoky aromas and sizzling flavors took over Texas as the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest has just wrapped up in none other than Lockhart—the BBQ capital of Texas.

The festival is a BBQ lovers' paradise.

"Different sausages, different brisket. It's pork ribs, sausage, ribs," said event attendee, Hayden Farr.

Many Texans looking for who has the best BBQ in the state came to the right place. The Texas Monthly BBQ Fest is a celebration of the magazine's top 50 BBQ spots in Texas, a list that only comes out every four years.

"It's sort of like the Olympics of Texas barbecue," said Melissa Reese with Texas Monthly.

And the process is no joke.

"We have a team of ten tasters. And so, they have a rubric and they take it very seriously. And so, for months they go out and they taste about 400 plus barbecue joints, and they keep track and they visit multiple times," said Reese.

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Organizers said 4,500 people came out to see who filled the coveted spots.

Lavaca BBQ, which started in Port Lavaca, was one of the 50 lucky enough to showcase their BBQ.

"I mean, you're prepping and you're excited. You can't sleep for days," said Lavaca BBQ co-owner Lupe Nevarez.

The family-run business says its Hispanic spin on BBQ makes it stand out against the competition, serving up smoked tamales at the BBQ fest.

"It's an honor. It's sometimes it's like, okay, yeah, you're, you know, you're in the middle of nowhere because we're by the coast. You're not in Austin and San Antonio and Houston where all the major places, you're out here by yourself," said Nevarez.

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But it's about more than just the meat.

A portion of the ticket sales benefits Feeding Texas, a statewide network of 20 food banks. Together, those food banks serve over 250 counties with food and resources.

"Texas has the second-highest rate of food insecurity in the country. So, it's a really big issue. And over 1 in 6 Texans are food insecure. And so, it is something that impacts every community and every county across the state of Texas," said Wesley Story with Feeding Texas.

Last year the event raised over $40,000, and it hopes to top that this year.

"Obviously, and people aren't going to leave here hungry. But we know that there are many hungry people across the state. Many of our neighbors are. And so, you know, we're trying to do the best we can to get back to that," said Reese.