BBQ the slow food of Texas

Joe was the first customer of the day at the Torres barbershop and hair salon, where Mr. Torres barbers and Mrs. Torres salons. The establishment is a small, neat old Galveston house with a condemned building and “stay out” insignia across the street. The haircut done, we started toward the Galveston Livestock Show and BBQ cook-off; spotting a small, tucked away Latino bakery with empanadas and kolaches at under a dollar we bought a good, local breakfast.

Taking the Hway 6 exit off I-45, we drove up to the only regional Haak winery in this part of Texas and from there to the fairgrounds in Hitchcock, TX. We turned in on the country fair grounds and parked on the nearby field. It was a relatively cool and breezy day, though sunny and bright. There was the livestock show, some sheep and goats, more cows and turkeys and mostly chickens and pigs; all bored, lying in their enclosures tolerating the gawkers and their trainers. There were Ferris Wheels and Merry-go-rounds, and a mass of families milling around in the dust and sun.


The BBQ cook-off that was a big part of the attraction smelled like heaven; dozens of big, black, smoking cookers under tents with their guardians sitting around drinking beer and waiting. Turns out, this is a big affair, $2,500 just to enter the cook off; three days, first fajitas and beans, next chicken and chili and finally ribs and brisket. The judges blind-tasted each entry and developed the runner-up list, the final winners to be announced Saturday evening before the concluding rodeo at 8pm. As it turned out, we arrived too early to withstand the heat for another 4 hours, so we took pictures of the fair and the kids and the Ferris Wheels and left. We did, however, get invited to photograph one BBQ outfit, and the owner offered us a spectacular, tender, big, flavorful pork rib that became lunch. Driving back to the Island, we stopped at Katie’s to pick dinner.

At home, we took the folding chairs to the beach and sat for over an hour looking at the waves and the strollers. One grown man was working on his sand castle with a pastry spatula and lots of patience. The sun lowered to the horizon and we did not return to the Rodeo though we had our hands stamped just in case. What a day doing nothing!!