About a year or so ago I was cruising through YouTube videos on barbecue trends and ran across this video of a guy who opened a food truck in Austin, Texas who, oh by the way, happened to be from Cairo Egypt of all places. Now I'm thinking, what in the world does an Egyptian know about Central Texas barbecue enough to open a food truck? I mean nearly all of today's pitmasters in and around Texas, and especially Austin, have gone the same route, learned their craft from other establishments or perhaps self taught, with many having started with popups or more formalized food trucks.
Well the more I watched the more excited and intrigued I became. It's been a passion of mine for a few years now to not only cook but to discover how barbecue can truly move to it's potential next step in the pantheon of the world's cuisines and be re-imagined. Right before my eyes I'm seeing just that. Here's a native of Egypt taking Middle Eastern recipes, seasoning, techniques and flavors and marrying them to Central Texas smoking and grilling. I knew I had to seek this guy out the next time I was in Austin.
Well that time came last week during one of our semi-annual AR Meat-ups in San Marcos just south of Austin. My goal, along with both 58limited and TripleB in tow, was to visit as many of Austin's great barbecue venues as we could squeeze in that day without bursting from the meat sweats. Our second stop was to visit KG BBQ's food truck and discover what this guy was all about. We arrived at his venue which was a small food truck backed into a side alley by a local brewery. They had the obligatory outdoor picnic areas with plenty of seating. It was in the middle of the day on a Friday so literally there was only a handful of folks there.
What happened next was rather astonishing. We perused the menu and decided to try a few of the offering, for me that meant lamb which was one of their specialties. David and Dean ordered next, nothing major because again we were on a quest and decided not to eat a lot at any one place. While ordering I did my usual sales pitch which I do at every venue. I announced we were a group from the Amazing Ribs Pitmaster Club on a mission to discover the best barbecue in Austin, Texas so please wow us with your offerings.
Lo and behold, the Owner, Kareem El-Ghayesh (KG) who I recognized from the video, gets this big smile on his face. He starts to tell us that among other things like the Franklin BBQ book, he learned a lot about how to barbecue from Meathead and our website. He was almost thrilled to meet us. So after making our orders we find a picnic table and sit down to wait for our food. A few minutes later out comes Kareem with this huge tray of barbecue!! All he says is that he "included a little extra" to give us a taste of his fine cuisine. Not only that, he insisted on having us gather around and get some pictures with him before digging in. This guy was truly a great host and a super nice guy to boot.
Not only was I excited to try his riff on barbecue and come away with some ideas, I now had a variety of flavors and ideas with which to choose. Both David and I grabbed one of those lamb chops and with that first bite I knew this is what I think the direction of barbecue should be going. I love Middle Eastern seasoning and flavors, yet when combined with Central Texas smoking techniques, this was by far and away the best I have personally had. And that includes the other places we visited that are in both the Top10 or Top 50 best places in Texas.
Now Middle Eastern cuisine may not be your jam but this type of fusion cooking can be combined with many of the world's cuisines in my opinion. I mean who would think to successfully and deliciously combine za-atar seasoning and pomegranate molasses glazed sweetness with pork ribs? Well there it was on that tray and those were some of the best ribs, bar none, that I have ever tasted.
When we left I waved goodbye to him in his trailer. He immediately came out and thanked us for stopping by. I in turn told him the pleasure was all mine and that not only did I feel that was some of the best barbecue I'd eaten, but the best food as well. I for one can't wait to get back to Austin and re-visit this place and sample more of his delicious food. I wished him success and hope in the future he graduates and realizes his dream of a full blown restaurant venue. Knowing what little I do about this man's drive and passion, that day will not be in the too distant future.
If interested find an article from the Austin Chronicle giving more insight into the friendliest guy in barbecue. We hope to see you soon KG !!
Kareem El-Ghayesh Brings a Taste of Egypt to Texas Barbecue - Building Bridges with Brisket
Well the more I watched the more excited and intrigued I became. It's been a passion of mine for a few years now to not only cook but to discover how barbecue can truly move to it's potential next step in the pantheon of the world's cuisines and be re-imagined. Right before my eyes I'm seeing just that. Here's a native of Egypt taking Middle Eastern recipes, seasoning, techniques and flavors and marrying them to Central Texas smoking and grilling. I knew I had to seek this guy out the next time I was in Austin.
Well that time came last week during one of our semi-annual AR Meat-ups in San Marcos just south of Austin. My goal, along with both 58limited and TripleB in tow, was to visit as many of Austin's great barbecue venues as we could squeeze in that day without bursting from the meat sweats. Our second stop was to visit KG BBQ's food truck and discover what this guy was all about. We arrived at his venue which was a small food truck backed into a side alley by a local brewery. They had the obligatory outdoor picnic areas with plenty of seating. It was in the middle of the day on a Friday so literally there was only a handful of folks there.
What happened next was rather astonishing. We perused the menu and decided to try a few of the offering, for me that meant lamb which was one of their specialties. David and Dean ordered next, nothing major because again we were on a quest and decided not to eat a lot at any one place. While ordering I did my usual sales pitch which I do at every venue. I announced we were a group from the Amazing Ribs Pitmaster Club on a mission to discover the best barbecue in Austin, Texas so please wow us with your offerings.
Lo and behold, the Owner, Kareem El-Ghayesh (KG) who I recognized from the video, gets this big smile on his face. He starts to tell us that among other things like the Franklin BBQ book, he learned a lot about how to barbecue from Meathead and our website. He was almost thrilled to meet us. So after making our orders we find a picnic table and sit down to wait for our food. A few minutes later out comes Kareem with this huge tray of barbecue!! All he says is that he "included a little extra" to give us a taste of his fine cuisine. Not only that, he insisted on having us gather around and get some pictures with him before digging in. This guy was truly a great host and a super nice guy to boot.
Not only was I excited to try his riff on barbecue and come away with some ideas, I now had a variety of flavors and ideas with which to choose. Both David and I grabbed one of those lamb chops and with that first bite I knew this is what I think the direction of barbecue should be going. I love Middle Eastern seasoning and flavors, yet when combined with Central Texas smoking techniques, this was by far and away the best I have personally had. And that includes the other places we visited that are in both the Top10 or Top 50 best places in Texas.
Now Middle Eastern cuisine may not be your jam but this type of fusion cooking can be combined with many of the world's cuisines in my opinion. I mean who would think to successfully and deliciously combine za-atar seasoning and pomegranate molasses glazed sweetness with pork ribs? Well there it was on that tray and those were some of the best ribs, bar none, that I have ever tasted.
When we left I waved goodbye to him in his trailer. He immediately came out and thanked us for stopping by. I in turn told him the pleasure was all mine and that not only did I feel that was some of the best barbecue I'd eaten, but the best food as well. I for one can't wait to get back to Austin and re-visit this place and sample more of his delicious food. I wished him success and hope in the future he graduates and realizes his dream of a full blown restaurant venue. Knowing what little I do about this man's drive and passion, that day will not be in the too distant future.
If interested find an article from the Austin Chronicle giving more insight into the friendliest guy in barbecue. We hope to see you soon KG !!
Kareem El-Ghayesh Brings a Taste of Egypt to Texas Barbecue - Building Bridges with Brisket
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