Vienna, October 15, 2026. With the Texas BBQ Road Trip 2027, M.E.A.T. GmbH is taking meat professionals and BBQ enthusiasts on a journey to the origins of American beef and barbecue culture. Personally guided by certified meat sommelier Ronny Paulusch, this specialized excursion combines ranching and meat science with visits to some of Texas’s most famous BBQ spots. The focus is on the interplay between origin, feeding, cutting, and preparation. The Texas module runs from February 20 to March 1, 2027; following arrival, the specialized program begins on February 21.
The route runs from Dallas and Fort Worth through College Station, Cameron, and Austin to Lexington and Houston. Visits to feedlots and butcher shops provide insights into cattle feeding, processing, and American cuts of meat. At Texas A&M University in College Station, the planned meat science program will focus on topics such as U.S. beef grading, marbling, carcass evaluation, and sensory meat quality. The visit to 44 Farms in Cameron complements the overview of beef origins and production with a look at the day-to-day operations of a Texas ranch.
The culinary highlights include Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, and Truth BBQ in Houston. These three spots, each with its own distinct style, offer the opportunity for a thoughtful comparison: smoke, crust, fat, texture, and juiciness become topics of conversation at the table. At Snow’s, the group encounters the BBQ tradition closely associated with Tootsie Tomanetz.
A highlight of the itinerary is the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest in Houston on February 27. As part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the group will experience American competitive culture amid smokehouses and live music. The Fort Worth Stockyards, a tour of the Texas Hill Country featuring the LBJ Ranch, Fredericksburg, and Luckenbach, and Space Center Houston round out the itinerary.
“There’s a lot to discuss when it comes to a good brisket: origin, cut, fat, smoke, and the cooking process. It gets exciting when we compare them together and understand exactly why it tastes the way it does. We take those experiences back to our own business,” says Ronny Paulusch.
The field trip is aimed at professionals in the meat industry, the restaurant industry, retail, and sensory analysis, as well as dedicated BBQ enthusiasts. The road trip features group travel in rental vehicles and time for participants to explore on their own. An integrated master class delves deeper into the subject matter and counts as an international module for the International Meat Sensory Program (IMSP).
Participants will decide how far the journey takes them through four modules that build on one another. After Texas, the trip continues with four nights in Las Vegas from March 1 through 5. Highlights include Cannon Ranch, a group barbecue at Rachel on the Extraterrestrial Highway, and Grand Canyon West with the Skywalk. From March 5 to 8, the tour continues to San Francisco and Monterey, featuring a coastal drive along Highway 1, a four-hour whale-watching excursion, and visits to the public visitor centers of Google and Apple in Silicon Valley.
The optional extension from March 8 to 12 takes you to Oʻahu. Four nights in Waikīkī, a trade visit to Oahu Meats / Griffith Livestock, Pearl Harbor, and a trip to the North Shore combine island culture with a broader perspective on the regional meat industry. The trip concludes with a group dinner on a catamaran. A day trip to the Big Island is also available as an optional add-on.
The Texas module starts at 2,895 euros per person in a double room. Included are nine nights’ hotel accommodations with breakfast, shared transportation by minivan (including fuel, parking fees, and tolls for the itinerary), the specialized program, and BBQ meals at Franklin’s, Snow’s, and Truth. Admission to the BBQ contest and Space Center Houston is also included. Additional meal packages and optional services can be selected separately; travel to and from the destination, as well as domestic flights, are booked separately. All participants will receive an M.E.A.T. travel package and a personalized digital itinerary. Individual program items are subject to change.
Information on the daily schedule, modules, and services: www.texas-bbq.at
Press Contact
Ronny Paulusch · M.E.A.T. GmbH