Available to stream beginning Oct. 31, 2025 with KPBS+
"The State of BBQ: A Texas Monthly Special," hosted by Texas Monthly’s renowned barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn, profiles barbecue joints with deep roots and innovative approaches and delves into the process behind Texas Monthly’s influential Top 50 BBQ Joints list.
Featured stops on the tour include:
- Hallelujah! BBQ in El Paso employs homeless staff and is serving up hope in a revitalized downtown building.
- Smoke ‘N Ash blends Ethiopian cuisine with impressive results from an unassuming strip mall in North Texas.
- Ia Barbecue in Austin, where Pitmaster Ali Clem is carrying on a Texas legacy after the passing of her wife, LeAnn Mueller, of the famed barbecue family.
- KG Barbecue in Austin, Texas, is run by Kareem El-Ghayesh, who quit his job in finance, moved from Egypt, and became one of the best barbecue pitmasters in the world. He made it look easy.
"The State of BBQ" also highlights one of Texas Monthly’s most well-known editorial features — the Top 50 BBQ Joints list. Published only once every four years, the list is known as the “Olympics of Barbecue” and has the power to transform a restaurant’s business and launch careers into a national spotlight.
Many documentary filmmakers have requested to tell the story, but, for the first time ever, Texas Monthly is telling its own story and pulling back the curtain on how it all comes together.
Watch On Your Schedule: "The State of BBQ: A Texas Monthly Special" will be available to stream (beginning Oct. 31, 2025 at 6 p.m. PT) with KPBS+, a new free streaming video app designed for ease and enjoyment everywhere you watch including Roku, smart TVs and mobile devices. It’s locally curated for San Diego by the KPBS programming team. With a clean and intuitive design, discovering and enjoying KPBS and PBS content on-demand has never been easier.
You can also tune in live to watch our four TV channels in real time: KPBS, KPBS 2, Create, KPBS Kids 24/7. We also added a new channel - FNX (First Nation Experience).
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Credits: Produced by Texas Monthly in association with PBS. They were directed by Owen Schwartzbard, produced by Alyssa Estrada and Mike Snyder, edited by Field Humphrey, Nathan Berkowitz, Forest & Pine, and Devin Fortenberry, and sound design by Brian Standefer. Cinematography provided by Forest & Pine, Merit Productions, Netta Lou Creative, and Owen Schwartzbard. Reporting by Lea Konczal, Emily McCullar, Doyin Oyeniyi, Peter Holley, Tess Coody, Forrest Wilder, Daniel Vaughn. Executive Producer is Melissa Reese. Original production funding was provided by H-E-B and Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. Special thanks to the Texas Public Broadcasting Association. Margaret Ebrahim is Executive in Charge for PBS.
