Get in-depth coverage of news, reviews and conversations about Texas barbecue. It's basically Christmas every day for barbecue-lovers.

When Brandon Cruz finally found the potential smoker for his future restaurant, back in 2007, it was on one of the worst days of his life. Driving by the Jack in the Box in Wharton, he spotted a truck and trailer loaded with old propane tanks. Cruz offered the driver $175 cash for a sleek 380-gallon tank he could turn into a smoker. The driver refused, saying it could fetch $300 at the scrapyard. Just then, the driver noticed a flat tire on his trailer and asked Cruz if he had a jack big enough to help. “For a hundred and twenty-five dollars I have a jack,” Cruz told him, and the driver agreed to part with the tank at Cruz’s reduced price.Cruz was elated,…

The post After Scraping By, This Small-Town Pitmaster Is Ready to Make People Notice His BBQ appeared first on Texas Monthly.

Thank you for reading!