The rise of big-box barbecue
One of the more curious developments in the barbecue business over the past few years is what I call the rise of “big-box barbecue.” Some large retail chains are shoehorning barbecue restaurants into their stores.
One of the first was Whole Foods Market, which opened a barbecue outlet in its Montrose store a few years ago. The barbecue kiosk opened with great fanfare, and the ’cue was acceptable. Since then, it has been relegated to a steam-table, grab-and-go lunch counter. The store website no longer mentions barbecue.
More recently, H-E-B has opened seven stand-alone barbecue restaurants in stores across Texas. Two are in the Houston area — one in Bunker Hill and the other in the newly opened Magnolia store.
Surprisingly, in Magnolia, the barbecue concept, called True Texas BBQ, has replaced the prepared-foods counter — the store’s sandwich and salad operation.
On several visits to that store, I found the barbecue was very good, especially the trinity of brisket, pork ribs and sausage. The brisket features a Central Texas-style salt-and-pepper rub and is properly cooked. Pork spareribs are sufficiently meaty and retain a notable smoke flavor. Sausage links are a handtied, pork-and-beef variety, reminiscent of Kreuz Market in Lockhart. They actually are made for H-E-B by Prasek’s Smokehouse in El Campo.
The concept is a hit. On a recent Saturday morning, the line for the Magnolia barbecue outlet was 60 people long. Although the restaurant had been open only a few days, the line moved relatively quickly, and the quality of the product appeared to be consistent.
I returned a few days later, after the lunch rush, to find out how the big-box barbecue operation runs. I asked to see a manager and was greeted by Dee Hanvold, the “lead” of the Magnolia True Texas BBQ. I expected her to refer me to the H-E-B press office to arrange an official tour at a later date, but to my surprise she handed me a hairnet and led me into the expansive kitchen area.
The operation runs off an Ole Hickory end-loading rotisserie smoker. Staggeringly, Hanvold is pushing almost 100 briskets through the smoker every day. There are two cooks per day — one each for lunch and dinner service. Briskets cook 12-13 hours.
The smoker runs 24 hours a day, fed wood every three hours by various store employees. Though the store isn’t open to the public around the clock, there are always employees onsite doing various jobs, one of which is keeping the fire going in the barbecue smoker.
And that’s one of the key benefits to running a big-box barbecue operation — being able to tap into a large and flexible workforce. For instance, if the barbecue operation gets unexpectedly busy, Hanvold can call over to the checkout counter and have additional cashiers working the barbecue counter within minutes.
Quality assurance is managed using the “visual training aid,” a binder filled with descriptions, photos and recipes of every process used in the kitchen, from seasoning raw briskets to carving cooked ones. Hanvold oversees three to four “pitmasters” — mostly without barbecue experience — who are quickly and efficiently trained in the techniques that are common to all of the True Texas BBQ outlets.
Another benefit of being tied to a big-box retailer is, of course, sourcing raw products. H-E-B is undoubtedly one of the biggest buyers of beef in the state, and that means the barbecue operation can pick and choose from the best beef available.
“We tried every type of beef there is and decided that allnatural makes the best barbecue,” says Kristin Irvin, who oversees all barbecue operations as H-E-B restaurant development manager. “All-natural” means the cattle were not raised with hormones or antibiotics. The beef is also choice- or better grade.
I expressed my reservations to Hanvold about the long-term prospects for big-box barbecue, specifically that quality will deteriorate over time as staff turnover kicks in and management interest wanes.
“That won’t happen here,” Hanvold said. “I live just down the street, and many of the customers who come in here are my neighbors.”
Though big-box barbecue will never replace the quality and comfort of the typical mom-andpop joint that is the backbone of Texas barbecue, it is undeniably convenient for barbecue fans who run out for a carton of milk and come home with a lunch or snack of legitimate Texas barbecue.