I am Iron Jacket BBQ, a small craft barbecue operation in Southeast Kansas. For the last 8 years, I have been practicing the art of smoking meat in the style of the Texas Hill Country where I lived for many years.

You might ask what that’s supposed to mean– ain’t barbecue just BBQ? Well, while there are a lot of ways to enjoy good barbecue, what I learned in Texas (practiced by guys like Aaron Franklin and the late John Mueller, who I really looked up to) was that a carefully tended, real wood fire, offset smoke rolling gently for hours, and the potential of prime grade brisket create a unique flavor that’s tough to create any other way and tougher still to top!

That’s the other special thing about ‘Texas’ bbq (and believe me, I know people get tired of how extraordinary Texans think everything about their state is)– it’s the only region in the country in which beef is allowed to reign supreme.

I like pork as much as the next guy (and I’ll be cooking plenty of it), but it’s hard to find beef on a bbq menu that’s really been given the time and care to make it taste great. I’m hoping the people of the Wichita area in Kansas will come to appreciate that style as much as I do!

I’ll be doing some pop-ups here in Mulvane to start and see what the future can bring.