Episodes
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Ep. 145 - Cade Mercer CM Smokehouse
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Cade Mercer grew up in the Seguin and New Braunfels area with cooking always as a major part of his life. After working in restaurants during high school, Cade started his cooking career at Rudy’s BBQ shortly after trying college.
To grow his skills, Cade went to culinary school and then entered the fine dining world. Follow brief stints at restaurants near his hometown, a fateful call from Reid Guess, then head chef of Lambert’s, resulted in a job that would begin his path into modern barbecue.
After his time at Lambert’s, Cade helped open another Austin spot before joining Reid again, this time at Guess Family Barbecue. Cade was instrumental in helping to create the menus and produce the great food made both at Guess Family and koKo Ramen.
With dreams of starting his own business, Cade left Guess Family in November 2019 and started to work on his new spot, CM Smokehouse. Using a 500 gallon smoker built by Guess, Cade and his team have created an inventive and delicious menu that pairs well with the bar they’ve paired up with, Bouldin Acres.
With an expansive menu ranging from firebox roasted poblano queso and burgers with brisket jam to smoked then fried cauliflower and baby back “wings,” there’s something for everyone on the CM Smokehouse menu. This is a food truck that in its early days is already expanding the boundaries of creative smoked dishes.
CM Smokehouse (Located at Bouldin Acres)
2027 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, Texas 78704
CM Smokehouse hours of operation:
Sun-Wed 11a-10p
Thu-Sat 11a-12a
Instagram:
CM Smokehouse: @cm_smokehouse
Cade Mercer: @cmerc26
Bouldin Acres: @bouldinacres
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Ep.144 - Things we are thankful for
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
This year has seen more than its share of challenges for everyone, the barbecue world included. In this episode we discuss some of the good things that have happened around barbecue this year that we’re thankful for. Tune in to hear about some of the new happenings in BBQ, some menu items and restaurants that continue to wow us, and more.
Monday Nov 16, 2020
Ep. 143 - Season Two, back on the road
Monday Nov 16, 2020
Monday Nov 16, 2020
After releasing an episode nearly every week for almost three years, we were ready for a bit of a break. But what 2020 had in store was not something we could have ever planned for or wanted. After a long period of staying mostly close to home, we're starting to venture out safely for one of our favorite activities, barbecue road trips.
Monday Jun 08, 2020
Ep, 142 - A Socially Distanced BBQ Run
Monday Jun 08, 2020
Monday Jun 08, 2020
Having just completed our first BBQ road trip since the quarantine began, we discuss our experience going to four places, safety and social distancing measures we personally implemented as well as those we’ve seen at the places we’ve been to during the pandemic.
One positive to come from the coronavirus situation from a customer standpoint is it has provided opportunities to get food from places that previously had been more difficult to dine at. There are number of ways to support your favorite BBQ places, whether you feel comfortable dining in yet or not. Gift cards, merchandise, ordering to-go and order bulk meats to use in a variety of home preparations are just some of options to help these business owners.
We also discuss in this episode some changes that have been made at restaurants that may become permanent even as things open back up. Stay safe, everyone and do what you can to support your favorite spots.
Tuesday May 26, 2020
Ep. 141 - Three years of Tales
Tuesday May 26, 2020
Tuesday May 26, 2020
When we started this podcast three years ago we had no idea what the show would become or the places it would take us. We are incredibly grateful to all of the amazing people in the BBQ industry that have given us the gift of their time and their story.
Friday Mar 13, 2020
Ep. 140 - Supporting BBQ through tough times
Friday Mar 13, 2020
Friday Mar 13, 2020
The world, and more recently the United States, has begun to deal with the effects of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). As large events cancel, corporations and school districts suspend operations, and people begin to stay home in large numbers, the inevitable decline in sales that small businesses will experience is frightening for many Americans.
Monday Mar 09, 2020
Ep. 139 - Truth Barbeque Houston , scaling a barbecue business
Monday Mar 09, 2020
Monday Mar 09, 2020
In August of 2015 Leonard Botello and family opened up a tiny BBQ joint just outside of Brenham, Texas. There was no big grand opening, there was no meeting of the #BBQFam or podcasts, and no social media campaign. That is precisely how Leonard wanted to launch.
Bryan noticed the name change from "J's BBQ" (not to be confused with LJ's which was to open later) to "Truth Barbeque" as he drove back and forth from Austin to Houston. Gone were the old school rectangular pits and in their place was a large Klose pit. Curiosity prevailed and a stop there resulted in surprisingly good barbecue. Repeat visits proved it was not a fluke and the word began to spread.
By 2016 the word was out and lines began forming before open. In 2017 Truth landed a spot in the Texas Monthly top 10, cementing their name as one of the best barbecue joints in Texas. Plans were afoot to open a larger location in the heart of Houston's Heights neighborhood and by 2019 the almost impossibly small restaurant in Brenham had a big brother finally open.
The opening wasn't easy. Leonard wanted a quiet build but the location was identified and the demand for Truth Houston to open grew. Battling confusing and inconsistent health department enforcement and dialing in all new pits custom built for the Houston location while dealing with not just expanded cooking volume but additional business days took their toll. There was a lot of lost sleep and tweaking required to dial things in to where Leonard was satisfied with the quality.
A little after a year after opening Leonard is finally able to take a deep breath and step back a bit to enjoy what he, family, and team have built. We caught up with Leonard and Corey Taylor to find out what it was like to scale and transform a sleepy little barbecue joint into Truth BBQ Houston.
For additional background:
http://texasbbqtreasurehunt.com/young-gun-pit-masters-leonard-botello-of-truth-bbq/
http://texasbbqtreasurehunt.com/truth-bbq-first-impression/
Visit Truth at their original location in Brenham, Texas or at their Houston location
https://www.truthbbq.com/
https://www.instagram.com/truth_bbq/
Monday Feb 24, 2020
Ep. 138 - Five of our favorite things in BBQ February 2020
Monday Feb 24, 2020
Monday Feb 24, 2020
On our way back from a recent road trip we came up with five of our favorite things happening in BBQ right now.
We discussed the following topics:
- What's old is new again
- Breaking away from the brisket bubble
- Accessibility of great BBQ
- Expansion of quality BBQ joints
- The full meal experience
Take a listen and if you like our show please make sure to tell others, and if you visit a BBQ joint or buy a pit from someone you found out about on the show, please let them know!
Monday Feb 17, 2020
Ep. 137 - Hurtado Barbecue
Monday Feb 17, 2020
Monday Feb 17, 2020
The DFW barbecue scene is blowing up, and popups, food trailers, and brick and mortars are opening around town.
Brandon Hurtado has progressed through popups and food trailer into a retail store front, bringing his spin on Hispanic influenced Texas Barbecue to the game.
The brick and mortar retail establishment is having the grand opening Sat Feb 22, 2020 at 205 East Front Street, Arlington, TX - go check it out!
In our episode we talk about his background, what Tex Mex influence means to him, and his vision for Hurtado Barbecue
Monday Feb 10, 2020
Ep. 136 - Texas BBQ: A look back and a look forward
Monday Feb 10, 2020
Monday Feb 10, 2020
Texas BBQ has seen massive growth in the last 10 years and many of us have been lucky to witness it firsthand. The epicenter has shifted and morphed from Central Texas; top tier BBQ is available in every major city and most towns. With the popularity, the supply and demand economics of the growing world of BBQ have altered the price of a BBQ meal from a modest blue collar staple to a luxury - but is this a bad thing?
BBQ has also embraced more cultural influences of Texas, growing beyond the original German, Czech, and African-American backgrounds to encompass Mexican and Asian flavors.
Andrew and Bryan discuss these changes, reflect on the pricing shift, and talk about a few of the more recent openings and closings.