So, a reporter and a photographer walk into a BBQ joint…
The smell of smoked brisket permeates the air as country music blasts from an unknown place above. A guy stands behind the bar mixing “Katy’s best frozen margarita.” Kids break off from their parents, entranced by the plethora of games awaiting them: giant Jenga, connect four, checkers and more. Behind the counter, patrons are greeted by a smiling face behind the register and the sounds of a knife hitting the cutting board in a comforting rhythm. But more than the sum of its parts, laughter fills the space as regulars greet one another, and the wooden walls welcome customers home.
This is the world Managing Partner Jaqueline Herrera and titular jack of all trades Brett Jackson have created: Brett’s BBQ. And it’s better than any punchline.
Jackson’s journey with barbecue has been a long and “crazy” journey that began far before the existence of the Brett’s BBQ patrons enjoy today. Jackson had what he called “learning experiences” at locations in east Downtown Houston and Midtown, before taking a step back from the barbecue world. A move that would forever change his future.
“I worked for a catering company for a while, which is where I met Jacqueline,” Jackson said. “We were doing different things, but working for the same people, and that’s when we decided to start a thing called Freedom barbecue, which was a pop-up, and we did that for about a year and a half.”
Herrera laughed at the story, having forgotten that part of the story over time. Wanting to return to his home industry, Jackson began the search for an investor. With little in the way of luck, Jackson said he took the leap and purchased a place on Mason Road.
“I could afford the rent and get a start where we’re actually in a building, at brick and mortar,” Jackson said. “Jacqueline said she’d come help for a couple weeks to help get everything started, and six years later, we’re still here.”
Herrera’s story is a little different. Moving to Texas in 2016 from Boston, her background consisted mostly of full-service restaurants and fine dining. Herrera said barbecue, specifically Texas barbecue, was so different from anything she’d ever done.
“My intention was not to ever work in barbecue,” Herrera said. “I was just super excited that this guy [Jackson] was going to do this, and I knew he’s going to need help with the business side of things. So, I’ll get a foundation in place, get some people hired and then get him off to the races, so to speak, right? And obviously I never left.”
What sucked Herrera in? The people, the food and the combination of the two.
The smoking science Herrera referred to is more than a phrase; there is an academic skill set that accompanies barbecuing between an in depth understanding of how fats break down to temperature and wrap decisions. The hardest part? There is no one way to do it.
“You’ll hear the question, fat side out or fat side down,” Herrera said. “If that question is asked in a certain room full of people, people will fight. It’s crazy. That’s Texas barbecue.”
But more than the technicality, for professionals like Jackson, work is a combination of hard labor and delicate decision making. From trimming the meat, hours of smoking, and chopping and stacking wood to the choice of the kind of wood and how it affects the meat. Even the slightest change can result in a completely different smoke — hickory or mesquite or oak. So, how does Brett’s BBQ keep their meat consistent with so many variables? Well, that’s a tale as old as time.
“We have our rotisserie, the beauty,” Jackson said. “It’s great for everything, but I don’t like brisket on it. Our beast is about a 50-year-old pit that I inherited from the place that I took over on Mason Road. It’s the most inefficient, wood guzzling, expensive pit, but I can’t get rid of it, it would have been sacrilege. And it cooks briskets better than anything I’ve ever cooked briskets on before.”
The heart of Brett’s BBQ is more than its beast, it exists firmly in the staff and customers who fill the building with life. The staff in question is quite small; Herrera said it is the tiniest staff in the area to her knowledge. But why keep it so minimal even in the face of need? Herrera had one answer: consistency.
“The same faces are here every single day, and you have to be giving that consistent customer service experience along with that consistent barbecue,” Herrera said. “We’ve been so successful with this model, even in this giant new place, by keeping a small staff that we don’t turn over. I mean, the girl on the register that you can order from, we hired her the summer before we opened. Summer of 2022 we hired her, and we opened in January of 2023. She waited to work here and she’s been here since.”
However, a small team in a large establishment does have its drawbacks. In order to meet the needs of the business and the customers, the intimacy Herrera and Jackson had enjoyed at their smaller location has taken a hit.
“We were always out,” Jackson said about their time at the old location. “I was on the block, she was on the register, and even if one of us weren’t there, there was nowhere you could go in that place where you weren’t next to somebody. So, I do miss that.
“We try and instill it here, and I think we do a good job for how big this is. It’s just that Cheers atmosphere. I like to get behind the bar sometimes because I’m not out front with people and that gives me the opportunity to mingle with a guest.”
Barbecue originated as a community, often congregated after church on Sundays, Jackson said, and Texas goes out of their way to instill that in the culture of barbecue.
“I mean, look around,” Herrera said. “There’s games everywhere. We want families. We want people to come, put their tablet down, get a margarita, go sit and they do. Long after they’re done eating, they’re still here drinking and playing games.”
Beyond the atmosphere, what makes Brett’s BBQ who they are, is their innovative dishes that step outside of the traditional barbecue plate. From hot chicken to asian inspired dishes to TexMex, Brett’s BBQ tackles them all.
“We realized we were going to be here a million hours a week,” Herrera said. “Where are you going to be going to eat all of the stuff that we like to eat? So, we just might as well start doing it here.”
In the words of Herrera, the only thing Brett’s BBQ worries about being consistent, is the meat. Everything else relies on flexibility and can be changed at the drop of a hat if it stops working or the team loses passion for it.
“The creation, the art side of cooking, that is what continues to drive me to want to do more things,” Jackson said. “We’ll never stop learning. It’s impossible to ever stop learning.”
With a week’s menu flipping between dollar wings, brisket enchiladas, gochujang pork ribs, pork belly bao buns, cheeseburgers and more, Brett’s BBQ prides itself on being approachable for any family regardless of preference.
“Barbecue these days is so high in cost that people can’t just go out and eat barbecue all the time,” Jackson said. “So, having different options on the menu at different price points that appeals to a much broader audience is what we’ve been trying to do.”
The future of Brett’s? Expansion into new concepts, Jackson said, this way the barbecue stays consistent and the team is free to pursue new passions like a pizza parlor. But first, tacos.
“Taco Tuesday starting October 1, here,” Herrera said. “No barbecue, just a taco menu. When you walk in, there’s going to be Spanish music, looking like Mexico, margaritas, and there’s going to be a michelada bar. It’s going to be amazing. Nine to three on Tuesdays. We’re going to do it for five Tuesdays in October.”
And hopefully, Herrera and Jackson said, the project will turn into its own place where they can build a whole new community with the same culture and passion as Brett’s BBQ.
