BBQ Interview Series - Kevin’s BBQ Joints

Joseph Quellar - JQ's Tex Mex BBQ - Houston, Texas

In this episode I have a great conversation with Joseph Quellar from JQ's Tex Mex BBQ in Houston, Texas.
See all things JQ's Tex Mex BBQ AND place preorders here: https://www.jqstexmexbbq.com
Check out JQ's Tex Mex BBQ on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/jqstexmexbbq
See JQ's on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/jqstexmexbbq
Currently they are only doing preorders and announce on social media when that window for ordering has opened up.
He is going to be getting a trailer which will opening the end of August/early September and plans to be open Friday, Saturday, and Sundays.
This interview goes deep really quickly. We talk about his upbringing, country vs. city life, the first job he took on when he turned 18 which was labor intensive, rigorous, and ultimately dangerous. But this interview evolves into what is truly important to Joseph. That being the BBQ family and how they have lifted him up and inspired him along with way. He talks of Ernest Servantes, Robert Jacob Lerma, Patrick Feges, Evan LeRoy, Clay Cowgill, JC Reid, Michael Fulmer, Arash Kharat, and so many others that have either given him advice, a chance. or just moral support.

Justin Easterwood - Chef J BBQ - Kansas City, Missouri

In this episode I get the chance to sit down with Justin Easterwood from Chef J BBQ located in the historic West Bottoms(https://www.westbottoms.com) area of Kansas City.
See all things Chef J BBQ here: http://chefjbbq.com
Pre-order BBQ here: http://chefjbbq.com/saturday-pre-order-menu
Check out Chef J BBQ on Instagram here:https://www.instagram.com/chefjbbq/
Follow Chef J BBQ on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/chefjbbqkc
HOURS: Every Saturday 11:30 - 4PM(or sold out)
ALSO, every first Friday weekend he's open Friday-Sunday
Preorders are picked up starting at 10:30
 
This is a great conversation and to be honest, it felt like I was chatting with a friend I knew for years. He's that nice and that likable. More importantly, he's INCREDIBLY passionate about BBQ and putting out great quality food each Saturday. They are at the same location as THE BEAST(https://www.kcbeast.com) haunted house which is the oldest haunted house in America. He was born and raised in Kansas Cit and has worked in the restaurant business since he was 14.
They started selling BBQ here in February of 2020 and then signed a lease in March. You know what happens next...the pandemic. This didn't stop him and as I mentioned above, they are rolling through each week selling out.
He's building a smokehouse for his dual firebox pit that he currently has AND a new 1,000 gallon pit he is getting made by Collin Gray from C. Gray Ironworks.
We go over the menu in depth. He has the Texas Trinity(brisket, ribs, and house-made sausage), but he also offers turkey, pork belly burnt ends and more. He offers an insane array of sandwiches all of which I want to try. The sides sound incredible as well as the desserts.

Tuffy Stone - Author | Storyteller - Interview

In this episode I get a chance to sit down with Tuffy Stone.
See everything Tuffy Stone here: https://tuffystone.com
Check him out on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/tuffystone
See all things The Westover Richmond, Virginia here: https://www.facebook.com/thewestoverrva
The Westover address: 5047 Forest Hill Ave, Richmond, VA 23225
Cool Smoke BBQ: https://coolsmokebarbeque.com/
Info on his cooking classes: https://cool-smoke.myshopify.com/pages/cooking-class
If you want an autographed copy of his book 'Cool Smoke The Art of Great BBQ' which came out in 2018, you can follow this link: https://cool-smoke.myshopify.com/collections/pantry/products/signed-copy-of-cool-smoke-the-art-of-great-barbecue
 
We talk about a myriad of things throughout the course of our chat, but note that he is extremely humble and would rather talk about anything other than himself. I do get things out of him, but it should be mentioned that he has 6 World Championships at Memphis in May, he's won the Jack 3 times, as well as the American royal and The Open.  He teaches all of the world and doing these classes is his true passion.
 
He was inducted into the BBQ Hall of Fame in 2018. His catering company, which he started with is wife in 1993 is called A Sharper Palate.
See all things(and book events) A Sharper Palate here: https://sharperpalate.com
 
Some of his partners: Tyson Fresh Meats, Snake Rivers Farms, Yeti and Weber.
 
He discusses in depth his philosophy on partnerships.
 
Additional info on The Westover: 'We have retooled The Westover and we have many additions. We have a small local market, now, where you can pickup dry goods, specialty products, cheeses, charcututerie, beers, wines, and such. We will slowly be offering in-house prepared foods. A new ice cream counter has been built and we are proud to be serving King Of Pops, Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Gelati Celesti Ice Creams and Sorbets. We will have ice cream cones and cups, sundaes, and milk shakes. Our hours to start, will be Wednesday through Sunday 8am to 7pm.
 
We will be serving breakfast, lunch and a limited dinner offering. We will have the espresso drinks and coffee, as we offered before we closed. We intend to grow our dinner and market offerings in time. If we can do enough business to support our costs, we will expand our hours. We just need to grow to that. Again, please have patience with is, as we reopen and work towards getting better at what we are doing.'

Bradley Robinson - Chuds BBQ - Interview

In this episode I was able to break Bradley Robinson from Chuds BBQ away from his crazy schedule to talk about his journey and why his plate is so full.
See all things Chuds BBQ here: https://www.chudsbbq.com/
Look at all the pits he offers here: https://www.chudsbbq.com/shop
Contact him via DM or email him here for pricing or info: chuddsbbq@gmail.com
Current wait time is 1 year
See Chuds BBQ on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/chudsbbq
Check out and SUBSCRIBE to Chuds BBQ YOUTUBE page is here: https://www.youtube.com/user/pistolwhipthewitness
New Videos Every Tuesday Morning Subscribe to LeRoy & Lewis' Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/leroyandlewis/posts
See all things LeRoy & Lewis here: https://leroyandlewisbbq.com
Check out(and sign up for classes) New School BBQ University here: https://leroyandlewisbbq.com/learnfromus
 
We go into his journey from New Hampshire to Austin(it wasn't for food or BBQ originally), how he connected with Evan LeRoy at Freedmen's(where he also worked with Chris McGhee, Jalen Heard, Lane Milne, Joel Garcia, and more), his stint at Micklethwait Craft Meats, Eastside Tavern with Cade Mercer, then back with Evan at the newly opened(then) LeRoy & Lewis. We talk about how he got into pit building(this involves of course Evan again) and how that business has grown to what it is. We get into his YouTube channel(very extensively) which you should watch, subscribe and repeat and his famous fried chicken. We also get into everything for the classes they are putting on with New School BBQ University.
 
Lastly, a cool video he mentions(The Science of BBQ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccqOVmsybO4

Todd David - Cattleack Barbeque - Dallas, Texas

In this episode of 'From Behind the BBQ Front Lines' I chat with Todd David from Cattleack Barbeque in Dallas, Texas.
See all things Cattleack Barbeque here: https://www.cattleackbbq.com
See Cattleack on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/cattleackbbq
Check Cattleack out of Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/CattleackBarbeque
Sign up for the email here: https://www.cattleackbbq.com/contact
Pre orders: https://www.cattleackbbq.com/pre-order/
Pre-orders used to be two weeks in advance, now it shuts off Tuesday for the current week and you can still order takeout and dine in at the location itself.
HOURS: Thursday and Friday & the First Saturday of the Month
10:30 - Sold Out
Per Todd folks are getting there at the 9:30 AM range and the pre-orders are picked up at 9:45. A COOL TIP in this he talks about the PERFECT TIME to come, however the wait at the most 30 minutes right now He also notes that they are doing whole hog every day and pull and chop that pork.
He goes into detail about all of the safety precautions they have gone into to make sure that are above and beyond safe for the customers and employees.

Wyatt Fields - Breakwater Barbecue - El Granada, California

In this episode I get a chance to sit down with Wyatt Fields from Breakwater Barbecue in El Granada, California which is right outside of Half Moon Bay and not too far from San Francisco.
 
See all things Breakwater Barbecue here: https://www.breakwaterbbq.com
 
Order their food online here: https://breakwaterbbq-onlineorder.square.site
 
See Breakwater on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/breakwaterbarbecue
 
Check them out on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/breakwaterbarbecue
 
Current Hours: Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
Noon - 5PM
*The goal is to get to Thursday - Sunday 11AM - 7PM
 
We go over his journey. He grew up in Half Moon Bay and started his restaurant career at The Chart House. He then went from being a sales rep in the surf industry to crab finishing to eventually moving back towards food, learning the ropes, and opening Native catering which did a good amount of BBQ.
 
We also take a look at his menu in depth. From Brisket to pulled pork to house made sausage and ribs and smoked salmon with sides that draw from the abundance of farms in the area. For dessert they are serving their take on a Texas sheet cake. While they are at 50% capacity for seating, most of their business is to-go(again you must order ahead of time online). They also sell local beer and Shiner Bock.

Jess DeSham Timmons - Cherry Block Craft Butcher + Kitchen - Houston, Texas

In this episode I get the chance to sit down with Jess DeSham Timmons from Cherry Block Craft Butcher + Kitchen in Houston, Texas.
See all things Cherry Block here: https://www.cherryblockbutcher.com
Follow Cherry Block on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherryblockhou
Check Cherry Block on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/cherryblockhtx
Follow Jess DeSham Timmons on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/jess_timmons
See Bravery Chef Hall here: http://braverychefhall.com
Bravery Chef is currently at 75% capacity and open Monday - Friday for dinner and Saturday and Sunday for lunch and dinner. They also do curbside, take out, & delivery.
First off, if this interview doesn’t make you smile, I don't know what will. She has an infectious laugh and such a positive attitude that it truly gives you hope in a time that feels at times hopeless. Jess talks about her route from Bennigan's to Landry's to Foodways Texas to Republic Country Club and BBQ to Caboose BBQ and now to her partnership at Cherry Block.
They opened July 2019 and February 2020 was their record month...then came the pandemic. Since then they essentially reopened 3 times since to pivot and adapt to the new world with COVID. 
I was a fan of H.E.B. in Texas before talking Jess, but now I am a HUGE supporter. It is so interesting and moving as to what they are doing for Cherry Block(it's employees especially) and other restaurants. Cherry Block is doing 5 items(smoked ham hock gumbo, pimento cheese, Dr. Pepper short ribs set on cheese grits, marinated steak sliced with mashed and collard greens, and red beans and rice. Stay on the lookout for them in your local H.E.B. They are in the deli section(grab and go). It's the Texans Helping Texans Program.
This interview too is a GREAT primer for restaurants, especially with the safety protocols that they put in after day one. She talks too about her management style which is firm, but with compassion.
Find Cherry Block here: 409 Travis #368 Houston, TX 77002

Kyle Rensmeyer - Holy Trinity Barbecue - Portland, Oregon - Interview

In this episode I chat with Kyle Rensmeyer from Holy Trinity Barbecue in Portland, Oregon.
See all things: https://holytrinitybarbecue.com
NEW HOURS, EFFECTIVE 7/22:
Wed-Sun, 11AM - 8PM (or sold out)
Order ahead here: https://holytrinitybarbecue.com/order-ahead
Check out Holy Trinity Barbecue on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/holytrinitybarbecue
See Holy Trinity Barbecue on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/holytrinitybarbecue 
We talk a few weeks into the shutdowns for the pandemic. He came up with a bunch of ideas to try to get food to his customers, but it ended up being just the way he had been doing and being in a food cart has it’s advantages because he was essentially grab and go. He did add the online ordering system so people can order ahead.
Some interesting things he added was Family Packs(https://holytrinitybarbecue.com/order-ahead/june-19-21-family-pack-feeds-4-6-cddjn) and The Single Dad(https://holytrinitybarbecue.com/order-ahead/june-19-21-single-dad-feeds-2-3) which have really taken off. Kyle grew up outside of Dallas and went to Texas A & M.
After graduation he became an animal feed commodity trader in Round Rock, but didn't enjoy that. He moved on to work for 7/11 in their corporate division and was transferred to Portland. The thing was, Portland didn't have the BBQ he was used to...so he started cooking on his own(and eventually selling). You may have seen his first version which was called Q PDX, but soon transitioned to Holy Trinity Barbecue and is nestled in a cart pod with 7-8 food carts in it. He talks about the great class he took from Dylan Taylor and references it several times as a place he learned a ton of about his craft, especially making sausage. During the month of May he did Sausage collabs with various carts including a Korean sausage and a pepperoni pizza sausage.
You can visit Holy Trinity Barbecue here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Holy+Trinity+Barbecue/@45.4964841,-122.6267613,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x8bb3060143ef8f3a?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwilo-XyitPqAhXXIDQIHQJaC5wQ_BIwCnoECBYQCA