BBQ Pitmaster Roasts the Competition

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Believe it or not, this is the first episode ever of the Lone Star Plate solely about barbecue! My guest is Leonard Botello IV, the owner of Truth BBQ, and he uncovers the secret of why barbecue in Texas is like no other.

Truth BBQ is based in Houston, and it has been recently featured as #10 in Texas Monthly's list of Top 50 barbecue places in Texas. Just to give you a quick backstory, they started as a roadside outpost in Brenham, Texas in 2015. Leonard took a used Klose pit and a small building on Highway 290 and turned it into a bbq hotspot bringing in people from Austin, Houston, Brenham, and after a while, all over Texas.

In this episode, we discuss the differences between barbecue in different states, and we get into Truth BBQ's process - what makes them so good, what it is that they do with briskets, ribs and sausages that leave the customers crave for more.

We also talk about the pandemic, how it's affected Truth BBQ and why they feel grateful for the way barbecue works and how it's consumed.

"Fire is such a delicate way of cooking. Once you figure out the temperature, you’re unstoppable" - Leonard Botello IV

Time Stamps:

1:20 - Introducing our guest.
10:50 - Truth BBQ’s new location in Houston.
13:50 - The differences between barbecue in Texas and other states.
18:08 - What is unique about Truth BBQ.
22:07 - How businesses cut corners in the bbq industry.
25:16 - The role of offset smokers in cooking.
27:00- The importance of keeping the team together in the kitchen.
32:32 - What plans Truth BBQ has for the upcoming holiday season.
34:00 - How Leonard has been handling the pandemic and why barbecue has still been working well this year.
38:35 - What makes a good sausage.
41:10 - The truth is in the sauce.

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