The secret’s in the smoke and seasoning at Texas Steele BBQ truck
As he told me in recent phone interviews, despite weather so cold then that Steele “nearly froze half to death,” he made the brave decision — some would say crazy decision — to open his Texas Steele BBQ food trailer. Steele’s decision would pay off with new fans.
Remember the snow-blanketed Friday before Christmas when temperatures plummeted below zero and the wind chill index dipped into negative double digits? Akil Steele does because he was outside for hours that day.
If you think this sounds like a guy who might be afraid of heights but would still get married in a hot air balloon, you’d be right. You’d also be right if you think an odds-battling guy like Steele could learn to prepare barbecue in the style of the most revered smokedmeat purveyor in Texas.
That barbecue star just referenced is Aaron Franklin, founder of Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas — an operation so famous that Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain made high-profile visits to it. Here’s something else about Aaron Franklin: Guest lectures he gave years ago at the University of Texas at Austin lit a flame — a smoldering, “low and slow” flame — under fellow Texan Akil Steele.
Fast-forward through Steele moving to Columbus and, for more than a dozen years, experiencing highs and lows that have nothing to do with hot air balloons or thermometers and a lot to do with fast-food jobs.
Fast-forward again to a recent Saturday evening as Steele hands me brisket I ordered from his 2020-launched Texas Steele BBQ food trailer. The enticingly smoked, prime rib-like beef ($30 per pound) bore a thick and peppery, Franklin-esque dark “bark.” The meat beneath the bark essentially melted in my mouth despite the frosty night air.
This happened outside Grain + Grape — a cozy, food-truck-friendly, wine and beer shop/bar in Bexley — during an “away” gig for Steele, who generally serves lunch several days a week from his home base at 1060 King Ave. in the Grandview Heights area.
Steele’s brisket wasn’t quite as succulent on a different visit — variability isn’t uncommon among most barbecue vendors in my experience — but it tasted great. Ditto for his locally uncommon beef ribs ($28 a pound).
Steele’s delicious pulled pork ($16 per pound) was extremely tender and juicy on the two occasions I tried it, possibly because the pork is steamed after being smoked with white oak, Steele’s mainstay fuel. I was also impressed with the juicy, tender and flavorful smoked turkey breast ($18 a pound), which had a peppery, dark bark like the brisket.
Two terrific sausages are offered ($15 a pound). Produced for Steele by The Butcher & Grocer, both the pork-andbeef Texas garlic sausage and the pork boudin — a peppery, herb-scented Louisiana-style link lightened with rice — arrived appealingly smoke-scented and with seared, snappy casings. I’d eagerly eat either again, but boudin is more rare.
Meats arrive unsauced; Four zippy
proprietary sauces are available for customizing. If you enjoy aggressive flavors (guilty), try dribbles of the “sweet-andspicy” and “Carolina Twist.”
Bargains abound and you needn’t buy meats by the pound. The “priciest” sandwich on the small menu is only $11, and it has brisket, sausage, coleslaw, pickles and cheese. The “4 corner sampler” is a meat-only $15 “Tex Plate” grand slam with brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey and beef ribs.
Other Tex Plates are meal-deals that partner meats with a slice of Texassized white bread plus two house sides. A single-meat plate is $14; doubles are $16; three meats are $18 (an excellent value).
The uniformly good sides include (a la carte prices are provided): tangysweet baked beans strewn with meat and sometimes, peppers ($3); creamy coleslaw distinguished by garlic notes ($3); hard-to-stop-eating potato salad brightened with tart-sweet pickle juice ($3); highly recommended smoked mac and cheese ($4).
Whatever you order — including an irresistible, honey-glazed cornbread biscuit ($2) and “Coca-cola chocolate cake” ($4) — expect food that tastes great in any weather.
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