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This is comfort food with a backbone. Tender Llano & Rye "Dino" rib meat, slow-cooked on the bones until it practically falls apart, then shredded and folded into a rich tomato, garlic, parsley, and beef-broth sauce. Tossed with penne to catch every drop, it’s the kind of dish that feels familiar and generous—simple ingredients, deep flavor, and the unmistakable reward of time well spent.

Food is one of the most powerful ways we pass love, culture, and memory from one generation to the next. It’s how we show up for one another. It’s how strangers become neighbors. It’s how ordinary days become something worth remembering. Traditions are made one at a time. And they’re worth every minute.

When Pop rolls into town, it means one thing: sides are back. The kind that turn barbecue into a shared meal—and spark lifelong debates. I grew up loving rutabaga; my sister Leigh hated it so much she wouldn’t touch potatoes served with the same spoon. Bringing sides back feels like coming home, full of gratitude and family stories. With Pop here, every bite is a reminder of the Taste of Time Well Spent.

Before there was Llano & Rye, there was New Moon Seacoast Barbecue – my first foray into cooking barbecue at larger scale. Launching New Moon brought the addition of some bigger equipment to my cooker arsenal (enter Pepe the 100-gallon offset smoker), caused me to cut and store up more Seacoast hardwood, had me enlisting the support of family and friends to give the resulting barbecue a try, and kept me up on many a long night out by the cookers tending fires and briskets int

Does the choice of wood make a difference in live-fore BBQ? Yes – up to a point. Different types of cooking wood do have broadly differentiated flavor profiles, and an experienced barbecue enthusiast may be able to discern these profiles across different types of meat. But the seasoning of the wood, the quality of the fire, and the amount of time any given barbecue product is left “on the smoke” also make a big difference. When used properly, many kinds of hardwood have grea

A Sweet + Savory Sidekick for Spicy BBQ When the pit is blazing and the chicken’s coming off with just the right kick of spice, you need...

Pitmaster Dub shares the fundamental truths about what makes Live-Fire barbecue extraordinary.

At Llano & Rye, we’re all about the taste of time well spent. That’s not just how we cook—it’s how we live. And when the smoke is rolling, the pit is fired up, and the brisket is resting, there’s one thing we always reach for: a cold, tall glass of iced tea.

Here's a great sweet tea recipe from Wyatt's sister Amy.

Why Pickles and BBQ Are a Match Made in Smokehouse Heaven At Llano & Rye, we spend a lot of time thinking about smoke, fire, and how to...

This is the perfect recipe to have on hand when cucumbers show up in the spring. With a little preparation, you can make sure you have enough of these delicious pickles to last all year.

This is a go-to recipe for pickles. It will produce classic cucummber pickles but also works well for carrots, green beans, or cauliflower.