A Visit from the Pitmasters

Central Texas city ropes in new country music and barbecue festival

Panther City BBQ is one of the headliners of the new Tanglefoot Festival.

A new festival is lighting up a nearby city most San Antonians don't spend much time in: Temple, Texas. The inaugural Tanglefoot Festival will be held September 12-13 with live music, newly announced barbecue masters, and more. Ticket proceeds and other funds raised will support Central Texas flood victims.

The musical lineup has already been announced, and includes Parker McCollum, Cody Jinks, Robert Earl Keen, Randy Rogers Band, Corey Kent, Mark Chestnutt, Jack Ingram, and more, totaling 21 acts.

There will be almost as many participating barbecue joints: 16 from across the country. According to a press release, a majority of the participating pitmasters are representing restaurants that have appeared on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ Joints list. Those included in the most recent list include:

B4 Barbecue (Mabank)
Bar-A-BBQ (Montgomery)
Miller’s Smokehouse (Belton)
Panther City BBQ (Fort Worth)
Rossler’s Blue Cord Barbecue (Harker Heights)
Brick Vault Brewery & BBQ (Marathon, honorable mention)
Hill City Chop House (Tolar, honorable mention)
Schoepf’s BBQ (Belton, honorable mention)

Visiting pitmasters from other states will show off their distinct styles — a rarity for a Texas barbecue festival. (Texas is the best, but it's always fun to broaden our meaty horizons.)

Travelers will include Edge Craft Barbecue from Oklahoma, Southern Smoke BBQ from North Carolina, Fork Grove Barbecue from South Carolina, Owens & Hull from Georgia, and Meat Mitch from Kansas.

Barbecue won't be included in the base ticket price. Guests will have access to food trucks via the base ticket, but for barbecue they'll have to purchase a "BBQ Time @ The Smoke Stack" add-on, starting at $25 ($30.12 including fees). It includes unlimited samples for one day per add-on. VIP ticketholders won't have to worry about this option, which is included in their ticket.

This add-on is one of two "BBQ-focused fan experiences." Some of the added funds will benefit flood victims.

A more involved barbecue fan may want to add the "Pitmasters Privilege," starting at $100, which includes unlimited tastings during "daily BBQ hours," a private demo and Q&A with the pitmasters before gates open each day, and a commemorative shirt and photo ops. Participating pitmasters are Corey Mikes of the local Fat Boys BBQ; Chef Tim Clowers, visiting from Nashville; and the team from Panther City in Fort Worth.

“We wanted the BBQ at Tanglefoot to be just as unforgettable as the music,” said festival director Steve Clayton in a press release. “These pitmasters represent the best of the best — and most of them don’t normally travel too far from their firepits. To have them here in Temple for one weekend, sharing their craft while also coming together to help our Texas neighbors impacted by the recent floods? Now that’s something worth celebrating."

Single-day tickets for Tanglefoot Festival start at $108.51 including fees. Two-day tickets start at $209.35. In addition to the barbecue add-ons, there are VIP tickets (starting at $295.73 for one day), plus add-ons for parking, private party deck access and an all-access pass (enquire for prices). Special discounts are available for military personnel and college students. All are available at eventhub.net.

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COMING ATTRACTIONS

Chef Jason Dady revives much-missed Umai Mi at San Antonio's Pearl

Photo by Katie James

A coconut curry at Umai Mi.

Call 2025 the year of the culinary comeback. San Antonio chef Jason Dady is reviving his short-lived pan-Asian concept Umai Mi on December 10 at Pearl’s Bottling Department food hall at 312 Pearl Pkwy., Bldg 6 #107.

The prolific Alamo City chef first opened Umai Mi at 555 W. Bitters in January 2014 after closing tapas bar Bin 555 a mere 17 days earlier. The menu’s tagline, “so not authentic, it’s absurd,” aptly described the fusion focus, a mishmash of Asian flavors Dady enjoyed tinkering with at home.

Since he retired the restaurant in January 2015, he has explored Mediterranean, Mexican, and Italian concepts. Still, he has not returned to the “countless bowls, broths, herbs, and sauces” of his beloved modern Asian cuisine until now.

This time, Umai Mi has a sharper focus — bánh mì. The sandwiches will be made with Pullman Market crackling demibaguettes, delicate herbs, crunchy vegetables, and a choice of proteins such as lemongrass chicken, ginger soy beef, or shrimp. Guests can also order the sandwich Saigon-Style with a housemade pâté.

Umai Mi Bánh mì is the centerpiece of the menu.Photo by Katie James.

Beyond the sandwiches, Umai Mi will serve a bún bowl built with vermicelli noodles, fresh vegetables, peanuts, and a protein, finished with the house nuóc chãm. Diners can also dive into curries made with slow-simmered blends of coconut milk, aromatics, and Thai basil, available in red, Panang, or green.

The small plates and starters bring back some of Uma Mi’s heavy-hitters, including Japanese-inspired deviled eggs, crispy shrimp rolls, summer rolls, sweet and spicy wings, and a crispy rice salad. Although the kiosk — which replaces Chilaquil — doesn’t have “authentically absurd” cocktails of the original, it does offer playful choices like taro bubble tea, mango milk tea, and strawberry matcha.

The Umai Mi revival comes during a year of restaurant nostalgia. Earlier in the year, restaurateur Chad Carey staged a five-day series of pop-ups supporting Hill Country flood relief that featured the menus of now-shuttered concepts Cookhouse, Sandbar, The Monterey, Gwendolyn, and Feast. Feast is also undergoing a month-long resurrection at Battalion throughout December.

But the Jason Dady Restaurant Group is mostly looking toward the future. This year, the chef has opened Ice Ice Dady and Lil’ Bros BBQ Shack at The Rock at La Cantera and Tre Pizzeria at the San Antonio International Airport. Mexico Ceaty, a reimagining of mall food courts, is slated to debut in early 2026 at the Shops at Rivercenter downtown.

“We’re thrilled to bring Umai Mi to the Food Hall at Pearl, a place that celebrates culinary creativity and community,” says Dady in a statement. “The bánh mì represents what I love about cooking, balancing textures, fresh herbs, and layering flavors in a way that makes every bite exciting. At Umai Mi, it’s not just a menu item; it’s a dish that defines who we are.

Once opened, Umai Mi’s hours will be 11 am-9 pm Monday through Thursday, 10 am-10 pm Friday and Saturday, and 10 am-9 pm Sunday.

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