Beaumont is house to both equally the oldest and youngest traditions in Texas barbecue.
Beaumont-design and style barbecue originated in the early 1900s, combining East Texas-design barbecue with the Cajun and Creole traditions in this southeast corner of the condition. Patillo’s Bar-B-Q, recognized in 1912, is still heading solid serving the all-beef sausage inbound links for which it is well-known.
Much more a short while ago, the initial accurate Central Texas-style craft barbecue joint opened with 1701 Barbecue, garnering high praise, extensive lines — and a Texas Month to month Major 50 nod after only staying open up for a 12 months.
The barbecue scene in Beaumont carries on to increase with a new trailer, James & Jon Barbeque, creating some of the city’s most imaginative smoked-meat dishes. Helmed by James Filipich and his son-in-legislation Jon Couzens, it is a basic tale of Texas barbecue business people subsequent their passions.
Jon Couzens grew up in Southern California and joined the Military ideal out of significant college, in response to the September 11 assaults in New York and Washington DC. After staying wounded in Iraq, he was stationed in Germany exactly where he turned recognised for cooking American ease and comfort foods for his fellow soldiers, applying methods and recipes he uncovered cooking with his mother and grandmother.
Returning stateside, he and his spouse Eryn at some point settled in Sugar Land where by he attained a culinary degree from the Artwork Institute of Houston working with funds from the G.I. Invoice.
890 N. 11th, Beaumont 409-203-6332
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They designed frequent visits to Beaumont, where by Eryn’s family members lived. Through people visits, Jon began teaching her father, James, how to cook. In 2016, they acquired a pair of David Klose offset smokers and began experimenting.
“We fell down the rabbit-gap of Texas cooking and smoking and grilling,” says Jon.
When in Sugar Land, Jon frequented Harlem Highway Texas BBQ in close by Richmond, where by he became mates with and solicited guidance from owner and pitmaster Ara Malekian, who is also a classically educated chef.
Soon after James retired from the health care field, they made the decision to crew up on a commercial barbecue endeavor, producing a enterprise system in 2019 and getting a trailer in 2020. They opened James & Jon Barbeque in 2021 in the parking great deal of an aged car maintenance business on a active intersection in central Beaumont.
Central Texas-type barbecue was comparatively new to the city, so Jon made the decision they wanted a market to draw in publicity and customers. He was a lover of the breakfast tacos at Pappas Bar-B-Q in Houston, so determined that could be a exclusive menu merchandise to element.
These days they are open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday. Jon stays in Beaumont all through the 7 days to do the job at the trailer and heads back to Sugar Land on the weekend to be with Eryn and their daughter.
On a recent visit, I sampled the breakfast taco offerings, such as both equally the brisket and pork belly variations. These are some of the most effective barbecue breakfast tacos this side of Austin, and replicate Jon’s culinary training and James’ pitmaster capabilities.
A aromatic flour tortilla envelops a generous part of buttery, very well-seasoned scrambled eggs, melted cheese and chopped brisket for one taco and a crispy slab of pork belly for the other.
For lunch there’s a choice of inventive sandwiches which includes a brisket grilled cheese possibility as nicely as traditional chopped beef and pulled pork versions (get in touch with ahead for day by day capabilities). Sides contain campfire-model beans and a creamy mac ’n’ cheese.
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