The Troubadour Festival returned to Aggieland for the second year in one of the state’s largest gatherings of barbecue pitmasters and guitar pickers.

In the shadow of Kyle Field, 35 of the best barbecue joints in the Lone Star State lined Aggie Park, ready for ravenous ‘cue lovers to descend upon their white-topped tents. Texas country music floated around the festival as smoked meats and succulent sides flowed under the Texas summer sun.

A man stands in the smoke behind a barbecue pit. He is wearing a maroon short, maroon and white cap and sunglasses.
Ray Riley, Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center manager in the Department of Animal Science, talks to pitmasters during the Troubadour Festival at Aggie Park. (Katie Perkins/Texas A&M AgriLife)
Three men pose for a photo in front of a barbecue smoker, they are all wearing maroon shirts and caps and they are giving a thumbs up
A barbecue pit is loaded with rows of Texas Twinkies, jalapeños stuffed with brisket and cream chess and wrapped in bacon
A man holds out his hands in front of him with the letters spelling barbecue tattooed on his knuckles
The Troubadour Festival brought together 35 of the top barbecue pit masters in the state of Texas, providing attendees with the opportunity to sample barbecue that ranged from brisket to ribs to Texas-sized jalapeño poppers. The Aggie Brisketeers, Ray Riley, Jeffrey W. Savell, Ph.D., and Davey Griffin, Ph.D., were on hand to visit with and share their expertise with the pitmasters. (Katie Perkins/Texas A&M AgriLife)
A large crowd of people stand in lines for barbecue. Kyle Field is in the background
Festival goers were treated to barbecue samples from 35 of the best barbecue joints in the state of Texas. (Katie Perkins/Texas A&M AgriLife)

The barbecue hot spot

College Station is quickly becoming a hub for all things barbecue education, with Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science meat science programs like Camp Brisket and Barbecue Summer Camp taking place each year.

These programs are spearheaded by the affectionately named “Three Brisketeers,” Jeffrey W. Savell, Ph.D., vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences; Davey Griffin, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Animal Science and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service meat specialist; and Ray Riley, Rosenthal Meat Science and Technology Center manager in the Department of Animal Science.

The spirit of Aggieland runs deep with this trio, and they shared their expertise throughout the day. 

Four men stand in a circle talking to each other
A man slices a smoked brisket
A man stands behind a barbecue pit flipping the meat
A stack of bones stands next to a person taking a sample of food
Attendees of the Troubadour Festival had their choice of barbecue samples from 35 of the best barbecue pitmasters in Texas. The samples ranged from brisket and ribs to chicken fried brisket. (Katie Perkins/Texas A&M AgriLife)

Students of barbecue

Ambassadors for the ANSC 117 class, Texas Barbecue, manned the middle of the barbecue corridor. Texas Barbecue is a class intended for first-semester freshmen to gain a sense of community in the College as well as learn how to barbecue. 

These students of barbecue shared the effects of shrinkage on a brisket from preparation and smoking with attendees at the Troubadour festival. 

Three female students talk to a man
A hand touches an uncooked brisket in a tub of ice
Four students pose for a photo
Ambassadors from the Department of Animal Science’s ANSC 117 class, Texas Barbecue, were on hand to share barbecue information including the effects of shrinkage on a brisket from preparation and smoking with attendees at the Troubadour festival. (Katie Perkins/Texas A&M AgriLife)
A female singer holds a guitar and is standing at a mic
A large group of people pose for a photo
A hand grabs a sample of barbecue from a vendor
An open-faced grill is filled with grilled meat
A hand holds out a sample from one of the barbecue vendors with a flag sticking out of the food that reads Hutchins Barbeque
A man holds a cardboard tray filled with an array of barbecue samples
Three men stand around a grill talking
A girl holds a chicken wing preparing to take a bite
Three men look at a rack of ribs in front of a barbecue pit
Four knifes sit in a line on a cutting board
A large group of people pose for a photo at a festival
The Troubadour Festival, which is billed as the largest barbecue and country music festival in Texas, brought together 35 of the top barbecue joints in the state who provided festival goers with unlimited samples of their barbecue staples as well as some of their own unique barbecue creations. (Katie Perkins/Texas A&M AgriLife)
Print Friendly, PDF & Email