Hand-Rolled Tortillas and Salsa Verde Like Grandma’s Elevate This Hutto Barbecue Truck

The latest TM stories. ͏ ͏ ͏ ››͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ››͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ [Join TM BBQ Club](   Sep 27, 2024 [Hand-Rolled Tortillas and Salsa Verde Like Grandma’s Elevate This Hutto Barbecue Truck]( BBQ Joint Reviews [Hand-Rolled Tortillas and Salsa Verde Like Grandma’s Elevate This Hutto Barbecue Truck]( Sebastien Quintanilla takes inspiration from his grandmother Rosa in crafting the menu for the BBQ Fiends food truck, outside Rockabilly Brewing. [READ STORY]( ELECTION WATCH 2024 WITH ALEX [Alex-Samuels](   I’m Alexandra Samuels, a senior editor with Texas Monthly. This week, I’m going over the biggest takeaways from our latest [Answer Me This]( video. (And remember, if you have an idea for a question you’d like to see answered, please email me directly at asamuels@texasmonthly.com!) There have been a few updates in some of the races we highlighted, so let’s run through those as we assess this question: Which Texas races might flip seats—or, at the very least, be competitive—in November? I know, I know—it seems like everyone’s focused on the presidential race and the U.S. Senate race (more on the latter below), but there are several congressional and state legislative races also worth paying attention to on Election Day. Here’s a rundown. 🗳️ At the federal level, I’m paying close attention to the race in Texas’s Thirty-Fourth Congressional District, anchored in McAllen, which is currently represented by Democratic Congressman Vicente Gonzalez. As of press time, it looks like Gonzalez [should be safe](, but he faces a steep(ish) path to victory. That’s in part because the Democrat will go head-to-head with Mayra Flores, who briefly represented the congressional district in 2022, and national Republicans are pouring in [gobs of money]( to help ensure the race is tight. As a result, the nonpartisan [Cook Political Report]( lists this race as a lean Democratic one, rather than a bluer likely Democratic one. Of course, if the 2022 midterm election is any guide, Gonzalez might prevail: That year he [defeated]( Flores by nearly nine percentage points. 🤔 Meanwhile, in the Texas Legislature, there are a handful of seats each party thinks it could flip. That’s because retirements and the effects of the 2021 redistricting process have put up to nineteen seats in play. Realistically, Texas Democrats are looking to flip at least six seats in the Texas House. If the new district lines had existed in 2020, Trump would have won four of these seats by less than five percentage points; in the other two districts, he would’ve lost to President Biden. But it won’t be easy for Democrats to flip all six seats. In some, the Republican incumbent ran ahead of Trump in 2020, so the GOP brand might be strong enough in those districts even if the former president isn’t. ❗Republicans are looking to flip some seats too, of course. In the Lege, the GOP’s best pickup opportunity is in House District 80, stretching from Uvalde to the Texas-Mexico border near Nuevo Laredo. Conservative Democrat Tracy King, of Uvalde, retired, and his exit leaves the door open for Republican Don McLaughlin to possibly overtake his opponent. In 2020, Trump lost this district by nearly eight percentage points, but the redistricting process gave a boost to Republicans. Under the new lines, he would’ve won by four percentage points. 📊 I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the U.S. Senate race. The race will be tight (likely decided by a single-digit margin) and is drawing a ton of attention, especially after the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee [announced]( that it’s sending millions to Texas in a new round of investments. But the data and polling we have so far still suggests that the Senate race is Cruz’s to lose. For more on the stakes of the race, read Michael Hardy’s recent [cover story]( on Cruz. If you want to keep up with our reporting on these races now—or on Election Day—keep an eye out for our news and politics coverage at [TexasMonthly.com](. See y’all soon, [Alexandra Samuels]( TEXAS MONTHLY SENIOR EDITOR     IN OTHER NEWS Sports [Faster Than Pickleball. Slower Than Tennis. Is This the “Just-Right” Racket Sport?]( With padel clubs opening around the state, Texas has become a hot spot for the glitzy mash-up of doubles tennis, pickleball, and squash. [READ STORY]( [Faster Than Pickleball. Slower Than Tennis. Is This the “Just-Right” Racket Sport?](   Music [Kacey Musgraves Is Still Following Her Arrow]( At the East Texas native’s third ‘Austin City Limits’ taping, everything that makes her an iconoclast was on full display. [READ STORY]( [Kacey Musgraves Is Still Following Her Arrow](   LIMITED-TIME OFFER   [Enjoying What You've Read So Far?]( There's so much more where that came from. [Subscribe now]( to get both the print and digital editions for only $25! [SUBSCRIBE](     MORE OF THE LATEST [Adaptive Pickleball Nights Bring Together Texans of All Ability Levels]( Giving Back [Adaptive Pickleball Nights Bring Together Texans of All Ability Levels]( A pickleball center outside of Houston hosts free monthly "Pickleball for All" events for children and adults with disabilities. [READ STORY](   [The Truth About Being Dead]( Music [The Truth About Being Dead]( The experimental Austin rock band likes to invent bogus backstories. But its new album, ‘Eels,’ is surprisingly real. [READ STORY](     ONE MORE THING [We’re Making the Ultimate Map of Texas’s Regions—and We Want Your Input]( Being Texan [We’re Making the Ultimate Map of Texas’s Regions—and We Want Your Input]( Is Houston in East Texas? Where does West Texas start? Help us settle these and other perennial debates. [READ STORY](   What We're Reading   • Seven hundred and forty-eight pounds of bologna and 280 boxes of prescription drugs [were seized]( by Border Patrol agents in Presidio on Monday. From USA Today. (Texas Monthly previously reported on the bologna black market [here](.) • A [foliage map]( charts when and where the leaves will change colors in Texas. From KXAN. • The State Fair of Texas opens today in Dallas. By the numbers, [here]( is the event’s economic impact on its host city. From Axios.   Today in Texas history... The 2024 State Fair of Texas begins in Dallas.     SPONSORED [Coca-Cola Cookoff Classic Lets Backyard Cooks Compete]( [Coca-Cola Cook-Off Classic Lets Backyard Cooks Compete]( With our host Chet Garner and our friends at Coca-Cola, we hosted some friendly competitions to find out how backyard BBQ'ers do when they go head-to-head cooking Texas classics. [Watch Video](       Just Announced: The [TM BBQ Fest]( Live Music Lineup Get ready to dance through the meat sweats! With a tasty [barbecue joint]( and [taco trail]( lineup on the menu, our [live music lineup](—just announced!—is set to keep the party going all weekend long. Make sure to check out the [TM BBQ Fest playlist]( on Spotify for a taste of what’s to come. [GET TICKETS](   TRENDING ONLINE - [Schlitterbahn’s Tragic Slide]( - [The Photo the Dallas Cowboys Never Wanted the Public to See]( - [Want to Hike 1,500 Miles Across Texas? A New Trail Might Make It Possible]( - [Behind Houston Public Media’s “Head-Scratching” Decision to Kill a Much-Hyped Podcast]( - [2024 Texas Monthly BBQ Fest benefiting Feeding Texas in Lockhart]( Have feedback for the editors? Submit your questions or comments to roar@texasmonthly.com to have your thoughts heard and possibly published.   Enjoyed TM Today? 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