THE STATE OF BBQ: A TEXAS MONTHLY SPECIAL, which, for the first time, brings the story of how the magazine compiles its influential Top 50 BBQ Joints List under the direction of renowned barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn. 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. What does it take to be Texas Monthly Magazine’s Barbecue editor? Vaughn has been to over 2500 BBQ joints in just about every community in Texas, averaging about 50 barbecue joints per month! Through the lens of barbecue — which has expanded to incorporate immigrant cuisines — Vaughn shows how Texas is changing, and smoked meats and profiling pitmasters is one way to tell that story.