When it comes to barbecue, there is no reinventing the wheel, only improving upon recipes and methods created by the original drivers of the craft. Those who stretch the playing field with something different shouldn’t be treated as a risk to old-school ways, more as an ode to the origins. Sometimes, better can be a byproduct of different.
The boys of Goldee’s BBQ, a heralded joint in a low-profiled fire engine-red building in Kennedale, know this concept all too well. For these reasons, with the assistance of James Beard-winning author Lisa Fain, they decided to bestow their story upon fans, friends, and strangers with a self-titled cookbook published by UT Press.
Their journey isn’t one of special circumstances but more of a reflection of lifelong friendship molded by determination and sheer grit — all of which can be reinforced by going through hefty obstacles together and celebrating tiny victories along the way. That journey ultimately led Goldee’s to a No. 1 ranking by Texas Monthly in 2021.
“It was always something in the back of our minds, and when we met Lisa, it suddenly felt realistic,” said co-owner Lane Milne. “Our goal was to get it done as soon as we could but without compromising quality. Lisa spent about a year with us working hands-on and learning the processes and then about another year writing the book.”
For grade-school friends Milne, Dylan Taylor, Jonny White, Jalen Heard, and Nupohn Inthanousy, their dream of rock ’n’ roll stardom took them to the most obvious city in our state — Austin. Then something happened one day when they were hungry. They discovered quality barbecue that coincided with the need for jobs. This epiphany launched a different dream: to become stars in the barbecue world.
The cookbook is playful in describing their story, from using hand-me-down grills to jury-rigging various cooking apparatuses as a base for learning in their shared Austin backyard during off time. This didn’t come without a few misfires from local pop-ups, but these setbacks provided more motivation than determent. Employment at the now-shuttered Freedmen’s BBQ under the guidance of Evan LeRoy; La BBQ, led by the late LeAnn Mueller and wife Ali Clem, who now carries on; and Micklethwait BBQ, created by Tom Micklethwait, helped sharpen the friends’ skills as each of these establishments brings a different personality to their barbecue approach.
Feeling that Austin was too cramped with barbecue options, the guys’ return home to North Texas became cemented when a former barbecue restaurant on Dick Price Road became available. The guys snatched it up and went to work, outfitting it for their needs. Named in homage to Taylor’s old truck, Goldee’s opened February 2020 with a line to show for the anticipation. All was well in the world — until the world shut down due to the pandemic. Curbside service became the business practice for a year before the dining room reopened.
Although the Goldee’s guys spent years defining their craft, which is a constantly shifting scale of tinkering, they have managed to break down their education into this cookbook as a masterclass in what not to do, giving the novice reader a feasible chance to produce stellar smoked meats. The bottom line they emphasize here is to just have fun while learning.
Taylor departed early on to, uh, greener pastures in Colorado, and White opened Ribbee’s before selling his shares to apprentice and former Sabar BBQ owner Zain Shafi (we are glad he’s part of the fold), while Milne, Heard, and Inthanousy still hold it all down. And if you’ve spent time with them, their voices shine through via Fain’s writing.
Recurring themes that keep the reader grounded are self-assurance and patience. Both are necessary when there are hits and misses and perfection won’t be obtained during the first cook or 10th (their term for the entire cooking process, not an individual chef).
Another theme is that there are no secrets. The guys want to maintain transparency with their recipes and processes because, again, processes can and will shift depending on who the pitmaster is and conditions such as wood, fire, and weather, so being flexible is key.
The reader will find the hows and whys for each stage of the process — starting with the book’s 10 steps for cooking barbecue. Tools, meat selection, and seasoning are found in the beginning, and preparation follows, covering the more hands-on elements like learning your smoker, along with cook time and temperature range.
When asked his opinion about the single most important item of the cook, without hesitation Milne replied, “In a restaurant setting, it’s hard to pick just one part. We and the crew try to do everything to the best of our ability.”
Heard piggybacked on Milne’s answer: “If anything, in Texas, brisket is judged the hardest. It’s also the most time-consuming and labor-intensive item on the menu. Every part — from trimming, pit placement, temperature control, pulling, resting, slicing — is equally important to getting the final product where we shoot for.”
They speak on their tips for what is best, which often dispute standing myths. For instance, spritzing meats with apple-cider vinegar has long been a standard for maintaining moisture, but the Goldee’s guys are satisfied with water. And it’s free! Another is taking a knife to remove the thin membrane attached to the back of ribs, which the guys opt to leave intact due to the membrane’s assistance in keeping the rack’s integrity during smoking.
One trick taught is the biscuit test for gauging your smoker’s hot spots. This requires layering a pan with raw dough, then placing it inside your smoker. Which biscuits become burned will show you where your smoker is burning hottest.
Between chapters, each pitmaster is afforded a profile. Lane is described as the mad scientist when it comes to flavor; Jonny as the engineer-minded one who relies on roll-up-your-sleeves ingenuity; Jalen as the steady and quiet presence, adding soul to the team; and Nupohn as the brains behind their Laotian influence, which is a personal favorite of mine.
“Barbecue, as a cuisine, is an awesome way to showcase personality and uniqueness in food,” Milne said. “We shoot for a tray of meat and sides that complement each other and are balanced as a whole versus just a single dish, which makes it fun to experiment and constantly adapt.”
The Goldee’s crew’s recipes are extensive, and it’s imperative for the reader to make no attempt in swapping steps for technique. The crawl-before-you-walk method is the way. They’re even generous with all their scene-stealing sides and dessert recipes. Though they are listed to be made in large quantities, simple math can assist the reader in dialing it down. Even better, each recipe offers a “short version,” which yields smaller portions. As the guys often say, they want you to be the best and spread the gospel of Goldee’s. They didn’t reinvent the barbecue wheel, but the Goldee’s cookbook now puts you in the driver’s seat.
