Magnolia’s Feedlot BBQ embraces its competitive edge
Aaron Bisher’s most memorable experience as a competition-barbecue cook happened in a field in Kemah a couple of years ago. As he stood at his barbecue trailer preparing his smoked-meat entries for judging at a local cook-off, the skies opened up and a “rain bomb” — all too familiar to Houstonians — instantly flooded the field.
“We were standing in ankle-deep water, under a tarp meant for light rain,” Bisher says. “But we kept cooking, turned in our entries and had one of our best showings ever.”
“Now when we plan to attend a cook-off and it’s supposed to rain, I consider that a sign of good luck.”
However, Bisher and his wife, Paige, who compete in barbecue cook-offs across Texas as the After Party Pit Crew, have had little time to attend competitions in the past few months. That’s because they opened their own barbecue joint on a farm-to-market road in Magnolia and have been working continuously to establish The Feedlot BBQ as a smoked-meat destination in the increasingly crowded barbecue scene of Houston’s northern reaches.
Making the jump from competition to retail barbecue is nothing new in Houston. Pappa Charlies Barbeque near downtown and Tin Roof BBQ in Atascocita are examples of competition-barbecue families who have successfully made the transition from weekend barbecue warriors to celebrated brick-and-mortar joints.
Bisher’s story is similar to other competitive cooks who make the jump to professional pitmaster. It was a change born of necessity.
He grew up in Spring Branch and worked in the oil patch for the past nine years. When he was laid off after the downturn in oil prices, he and Paige wondered where the next paycheck would come from. They’d spent most of the past two years competing in cook-offs every weekend, with good results, and decided they would make a go of it as nascent barbecue entrepreneurs. They opened The Feedlot BBQ on Aug. 10.
Like most Houston barbecue start-ups, they began in a trailer — in this case, in the parking lot of a lawnmower store on a busy stretch of road that connects Magnolia and The Woodlands with Tomball. They invested most of their personal savings to build a custom trailer equipped with a full kitchen, then had local pit manufacturer Pitmaker install two “Mega Vault” vertical smokers.
Unlike other competition cooks who change their recipes to appeal to a broader audience, Bisher is embracing his competition recipes and even bills The Feedlot BBQ as “fueled by After Party,” his competition team.
In general, competitive barbecue uses bolder and spicier ingredients and techniques to flavor the barbecue. For instance, a typical Central Texas-style barbecue joint often will use only salt and pepper to flavor a brisket. Competition briskets, to stand out with judges, might include many more flavors, such as paprika and garlic. Indeed, Bisher’s brisket features a more complex seasoning, or “rub.”
Like many competition-style barbecue joints, the stand-out menu item is the pork ribs. Pork ribs are a fiercely fought category at any cook-off, and Bisher’s ribs reflect his years of testing and adjusting his recipe. Recently, at a cook-off in San Antonio, Bisher placed sixth out of more than 300 entries.
Bisher serves the same ribs at his barbecue joint as those he cooks for competitions. He starts with a “3½ and down” (referring to the weight in pounds) slab of pork ribs with a St. Louis-style cut (most of the bones are trimmed off). He adds his own proprietary rub and glaze and smokes the ribs for about four hours using post oak and hickory. They are meaty, smoky, sweet and spicy all at the same time.
Of course, making the jump to retail has been a challenge. The sprawl of this area of Magnolia can make it difficult to get the attention of would-be customers driving by. The Bishers have added banners and created colorful and welcoming seating to attract interest.
And there is the weather, a thorn in the side of any burgeoning barbecue-trailer operation.
Though Bisher may consider rain good luck for his competitive endeavors, a weekend of bad weather can all but kill business for a retail operation. It’s just one more adjustment that must be made when making the jump from competition to retail barbecue. jcreid@jcreidtx.com twitter.com/jcreidtx