Show Notes
Why are so many Texas BBQ joints closing? Is the Texas BBQ Boom Over?
Texas BBQ has experienced an incredible boom over the last decade, but lately some well-known restaurants have been shutting their doors — and this week, Nick Pencis, Justin Fourton and Wayne Mueller ask whether something bigger is happening.
Is Texas BBQ simply too expensive? Have we reached peak BBQ? Is the market oversaturated? Or are great pitmasters discovering that making incredible barbecue and running a successful restaurant are two very different things?
The guys get into rising beef prices, labor and operating costs, shrinking disposable income, the impact of social media and changing customer habits, and why even getting onto a major BBQ list may not have the lasting impact it once did.
They also discuss whether the Texas BBQ boom has already peaked, why restaurants need to focus on “peak operation” as much as “peak food,” and what today’s aspiring BBQ restaurant owners need to understand before signing a lease.
Plus, we answer your questions — including why three of the biggest names in Texas BBQ don’t even have smokers at home.
Featuring:
Wayne Mueller — Louie Mueller Barbecue Justin Fourton — Pecan Lodge Nick Pencis — Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q
And Plate or Hate is back, where some of the biggest names in Texas BBQ review YOUR BBQ. Tag us on instagram to get featured!
What do you think? Is this just a difficult moment for restaurants, or has the Texas BBQ boom actually peaked? Let us know in the comments.
More from Smoke(less)
Making great BBQ is easy. You just need a little patience… right? This week on Smoke(less), Nick Pencis of Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q, Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue, Justin Fourton of Pecan Lodge and Vic Barry respond to the claim that anyone with a cheap offset smoker and a little patience can make great barbecue.
What started as a backyard BBQ in Dallas has grown into something nobody could have predicted.
Before Texas BBQ became a global phenomenon, Wyatt McSpadden was already there — camera in hand, documenting the people, places and traditions that helped define it.
Before Jess Pryles became one of the biggest names in live-fire cooking, she was living in Australia, bouncing between careers and travelling to Texas whenever she could. Eventually, she realised her life back home was essentially “on pause” while she waited for the next trip.
What BBQ advice actually matters and what’s just hype? This week on the Smokeless Podcast, Nick Pencis of Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ, Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue and Vic Barry get into the questions backyard cooks actually want answered. What should you buy if you want to start smoking brisket and ribs? Are expensive pits really worth the money? What’s the one meat that’s almost impossible to screw up? Which BBQ trick is completely overrated? And what happens when even experienced cooks get it spectacularly wrong? The guys talk Weber kettles, overpriced smokers, beef tallow, pork shoulder, BBQ sides, guilty pleasures and some of their worst cooking disasters, including a brisket that ended up being thrown into a river. Plus, a surprise call to Jordan Jackson for his backyard smoker recommendation, and a look ahead to our upcoming episode with Jess Pryles. Got a BBQ question for the guys? Send it our way and don’t forget to send us your best (or worst) cooks for Plate or Hate.