El Pobre serves Tex-Mex barbecue comfort food
The story of how the El Pobre Tex Mex BBQ food trailer got started is a classic tale of necessity being the mother of invention.
In 2017, Alfredo Martinez got laid off from his job as an electronics salesman. He had the choice of getting another job in sales or doing something he really loved — barbecue.
The latter offered more potential but was more of a challenge. He didn’t have any startup funds. But he did have some experience in the restaurant business and a willingness to work hard.
Like many who pursue the dream of owning their own barbecue business, the inspiration started early. Martinez grew up in the Spring Branch area, attending Northbrook
High School. One of his earliest barbecue memories is patronizing the Beef & Bun barbecue joint (now closed) on Long Point.
“We didn’t have a lot of money, so we went there because we got a lot of food for five bucks,” Martinez says. “It was either barbecue or Dairy Queen.”
Later, Martinez learned he had a knack for cooking while helping out at his uncle’s taqueria. He also began cooking barbecue in his backyard using techniques he learned from his mom, Teresa, and eventually becoming the go-to cook for friends and family at get-togethers and parties.
That led to him being invited to events and festivals, mostly in Houston’s East End neighborhood. On weekends, he would partner with East End breweries to provide food for their customers, setting up a tent and a table and gaining even more of a following for his Tex-Mex-infused barbecue.
One of those partnerships was with Sigma Brewing Co., and that became one of his regular stops when he decided to go full time in barbecue after being laid off in 2017.
In 2018, Teresa also got laid off from her job, and she joined her son full time in the barbecue business.
By late 2020, Sigma rebranded as Equal Parts Brewing, and owners Matt Pederson and Nick Sorensen brought on the Martinezes as their exclusive weekend food provider. Alfredo purchased a food trailer, and El Pobre Tex Mex BBQ finally had a semi-permanent home.
Befitting their location at a brewery, Alfredo and Teresa serve a menu of classic comfort food infused with barbecue and Tex-Mex influences. Perhaps as a gesture to his own experience growing up, Martinez serves large portions at reasonable prices. Most of the menu items will easily serve two people.
On the day I visited, the menu featured three main dishes — quesadillas, a grilled cheese sandwich and a giant taco — that could be mixed and matched with four different meats: beef brisket, pork or chicken carnitas and al pastorstyle pork.
At Martinez’s suggestion, I ordered brisket quesadillas, a pork carnitas grilled cheese sandwich and a chicken carnitas taco. Fried onion rings and two elotes cups were added as side dishes. Though there were only two of us, this spread could easily have served four people with food left over.
The grilled cheese sandwich, in particular, is the epitome of comfort food. Thick slices of Texas toast are slathered in butter and layered with slabs of melted cheese that envelop the tender, smoky and flavorful chunks of pork shoulder. Teresa’s handmade salsas — a darkgreen version made from roasted jalapeños and a red one made from chile pequin — were drizzled and dipped with every bite of the sandwich.
Martinez’s barbecue-and-TexMex comfort food pairs well with the extensive and eclectic beer offerings at Equal Parts, including a robust triple IPA (India Pale Ale) as well as fruited sour ales. Mixing and matching Martinez’s smoked meats with his Tex-Mex dishes and then pairing those with Equal Parts’ beers is a delicious puzzle to be played on weekends in the East End.