Roegels diversifying its barbecue portfolio
The current economic circumstances brought about by the pandemic have required many barbecue joints to reinvent their menus beyond the standard trinity of brisket, pork ribs and sausage.
“We’re just trying to spark some interest and bring in new customers,” says Russell Roegels of Roegels Barbecue Co., referring to his rotating menu of daily specials that is one of the most creative in Houston barbecue.
Roegels and wife Misty are inveterate tinkerers when it comes to developing dishes. Theirs was one of the first Houston barbecue joints to add pastrami to the menu and recently started cooking Carolina-style whole hog.
On Thursdays, pastrami anchors the current list of weekly specials in the form of a Reuben-style sandwich that continues to be one of Roegels’ most popular new-school barbecue dishes. (Get there early if you want one; they sell out fast.)
Russell also came up with a smoked-meat version of the Cuban sandwich (the “Bar-BCuban”) featuring a baguettestyle bread loaf from the local French Riviera Bakery topped with mustard, Swiss cheese, pickles, ham and pulled pork. After assembly, the whole sandwich is compressed on a flat-top grill so the bread gets crisp and the cheese is melted.
From there, Roegels turned to his assistant pitmasters to help develop other menu items. Longtime assistant Alfredo Tapia came up with the Wednesday special featuring pork belly burnt ends. On Fridays, Tapia serves carnitas tacos assembled with smoked pork shoulder that is braised in pork fat and spices and served with house-made red and green sauces, cilantro and onions.
For Mondays, assistant Fletcher Sheridan came up with a smoked turkey Katsu sandwich. “Katsu” refers to a breaded-and-fried cutlet; in this case, Roegels’ smoked turkey is cut into two thick slices, covered in panko bread crumbs and then flash-fried to create a crunchy outer envelope. It’s served on a toasted challah bun with spicy mayonnaise, pickles and coleslaw.
After repurposing pork and turkey for new menu items, Roegels turned to the king of Texas barbecue — beef — for its own makeover. Roegels and Sheridan initially began cooking beef cheek, a trendy cut of beef that is flavorful and tender and is the perfect taco filling.
In Mexican and Tejano cooking, beef cheek, or “cachete,” is a delicacy of the barbacoa cooking technique in which a whole cow’s head is wrapped in maguey leaves and cooked underground in a coal pit. Nowadays, most barbacoa you find on restaurant menus is steamed or smoked in above-ground ovens or barbecue pits.
After cooking the beef cheeks, Roegels and Sheridan decided to go “whole head” and started smoking whole cow heads on their barbecue pits. Roegels smokes the cow heads
directly on the pit for about six hours, giving the meat a deeply smoky flavor, after which they are wrapped in maguey leaves and aluminum foil and returned to the smoker for a few hours to ensure a silky, almost buttery texture to the meat.
Roegels strips the meat from the cow heads — including the prized “cachete” — and mixes it all together, then serves it by the pound or as a plate with two tacos and a side of beans.
Other dishes that are occasionally rotated into the daily specials include chopped whole hog, smoked burgers and oxtails. Of course, the classic menu of brisket, pork ribs, sausage, turkey and chicken is still available daily, as well as Misty’s superb sides, such as Texas caviar (a spicy bean salad with black-eyed peas, black beans and corn) and collard greens.
It’s certainly a team effort when it comes to diversifying the barbecue menu at Roegels. If success is measured by the continued patronage of loyal customers as well as new diners coming to check out the latest barbecue creations, Roegels is on track to weather any challenges that may persist in the coming months.