Bar-B-Que Hut 31608 Old Hempstead Road, Magnolia 281-259-7706 47125 FM 1774, Magnolia 281-259-0701 Country Bumpkin’s Cafe 18929 Telge Road, Tomball 281-290-6512 Dickey’s Barbecue Pit 28155 Hwy. 249, Ste. 2, Tomball 281-255-2775 6011 FM 1488, Magnolia 281-259-5619 www.dickeys.com Harris County Smokehouse 14243 FM 2920, Tomball 281-351-4060 www.harriscountysmokehouse.com Hickory Corral 18537 FM 1488, Magnolia 281-356-7885 Old Tomball BBQ 30042 Hwy. 249, Tomball 281-351-0929 The Original Rib Tickler 28930 Hwy. 249, Tomball 281-255-8119 www.texasoriginalribtickler.com Valley Ranch Grill & Barbeque 22548 Hwy. 249, Tomball 281-376-1588 www.valleyranchbbq.com The Wooden Spoke 27405 FM 2978, Magnolia 832-701-6453 www.thewoodenspoke.com

Butchers

Ainsworth Meats 32599 FM 2978, Magnolia 281-252-0002 www.ainsworthmeats.com Pancho’s Meat Market 938 W. Main St., Tomball 281-516-0002 Smitty’s Meat Market and Smokehouse 11210 Mahaffey Road, Tomball 281-516-7205

Cooking tips

What are the best cuts of meat for grilling? You’ve got your rib-eye steaks, New York Strips and fillets, which are all prime cuts of meat. Then you’ve got brisket, ribs and pork, which are all really good for grilling and feeding large groups of people. Grilled or smoked sausages also make great appetizers. What are the biggest mistakes people make when grilling? They overcook it. What I look for is the firmness of the meat when you pick it up, or you can use a temperature probe to make sure that it’s about 130 degrees or medium-rare. It all really comes down to how individual people want their meat cooked. You also want to make sure you have a grill with heavy-duty metal that holds in the heat.

Grill buying tips

David Hendricks, manager of Westside Grill and Fireplace in Katy, offers shoppers tips on what to consider when buying a new grill. What should customers look for when shopping for a new grill? If you don’t want to buy a new grill every few years, you should look for a stainless steel grill. Stainless steel grills are what most people are looking for now, but most people don’t know that there are different grades of stainless steel. When you go to a mass merchant and their grill says that it’s stainless, it doesn’t tell them that it may be a low-grade of stainless steel, and lower-grade stainless steel will rust. If you’re buying a stainless steel grill, take a magnet with you. If the magnet sticks to the surface of the grill, it’s a lower-grade stainless. A magnet won’t stick to higher-grade stainless steel. When should customers consider purchasing a more expensive grill? You’ll save yourself a lot of time and money in the long run with a more expensive grill. With proper maintenance, you won’t have to go out and buy a new grill every two or three years. You’ll be able to get something with a higher temperature range and something that you can buy parts for to repair. With a more expensive grill, you won’t have to chase the heat around [since it cooks meats more thoroughly]. You’ll be able to sear your meats properly so that more juice is locked in.