Five Texas Barbecue Events to Put on Your Meat Calendar

Catherine Downes

What with the announcement of this year's Meat Fight date (more on that in a minute), and the sad fact that said date is way off toward the end of the year, we thought it might be time to have a quick poke around the internet to see what we could see. And what we saw was a bounty of barbecue events.

See Also: DFW's 10 Best Barbecue Joints

Barbecue events are, of course, a delicious excuse to both be outside and to eventually slip into a meat coma, slumped on the floor, back pressed up against the vegetarian friend or relative you persuaded to come along and be designated meat-free driver. Also, you could probably use a reminder that the weather won't be like this for long, and the endless Texas summer will soon make us all wish for thundersleet. We've tried to stick with ones near the DFW area, but there are a few worth driving for, no doubt.

Fort Worth Cops 4 Kids Barbecue Cook-Off, March 21-22
An annual barbecue cook-off sanctioned by the International Barbecue Cook-Off Association, which is of course a real thing, the Fort Worth Cops 4 Kids Cook-Off raises money for disadvantaged kids in the Fort Worth area via FWPD, forging stronger bonds between the kids and the cops via toys and brisket.

You can even enter to cook your own barbecue, if you're man or woman enough, and last year saw 111 teams competing in the ol' Stockyards. Entry for those who just want to eat, dammit, is via donation through the website linked to above. Oh, and they're raffling off a gigantic custom smoker, for $25 per ticket. You probably want that.

via Pink Soles in Motion's Facebook page

If this image from a previous year is anything to go by, a man will peer pensively through some smoke.

Pink Soles In Motion, Carrollton, March 28-29
If you ever wanted to attend a barbecue contest that takes place at a Harley-Davidson showroom, then here is your chance, and all in exchange for a short drive up I-35E. Broader information is thin on the ground, but there is even a contest for something called "Jackpot Beans" that is completely separate from the meat contest.

Each barbecue sandwich is $5, entry is seemingly free, and it'll cost you $75 if you want to competitively cook your meat, this time under the Lone Star Barbecue Society rules. There's a guaranteed $1,500 jackpot for the meat winner. All proceeds go to benefit cancer victims and their families.

Head over to the next page for information on the State Championship Goat Cook-Off. Yes.