Hill Barbecue - Lubbock, Texas - 10th Small Town Texas BBQ Review

". . .somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue and the 

dreams that you dare to dream really do come true. . ." 

Lyrics from the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Sometimes ideas are difficult to implement. There can be any number of factors that don't always make things work and the restaurant business is no different. Sometimes you have the business sense but you don't have the money or maybe you are a great cook but you just don't know how to go about making things happen with the number crunching part of it.  Maybe it is something altogether different though: what if your location doesn't work well?  For Andrew Hill and many other folks in the restaurant business location is everything.  In driving around I noticed quite a few different restaurants with big names that were closed down in Lubbock.  They had name recognition, great buildings, and were even located in great places right along roads with tons of free-flowing traffic.  Hill Barbecue takes a little bit of driving to get to if you don't know your way around very well in Lubbock but once you are there it is the location of locations. Situated in the Lubbock Arts District with all kinds of cool murals and soothing nooks and crannies this place has such a laid back vibe.  Did I mention that Hill Barbecue does popups?  This isn't a brick and mortar location.  It is just a few people that are passionate about BBQ doing a two-day popup right on 5th street at one of the best locations in Lubbock, Texas.  This "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" location is perfect for Hill Barbecue and the customers that they serve!

Things weren't always like that for Mr. Hill.  Some time back he and his wife Jewel were located in Levelland selling Texas BBQ that came out of the reverse flow smoker that Andrew's dad built.  A black behemoth of a pit it isn't the same as a lot of smokers you see out there. A big rectangular firebox with a warmer that sits right atop that makes you do a double take the first time you see it. The stack is tall and the opening wide for smoke to come through. Although it was loaded up with wood (burning at that) and food, the smoke was coming out in clean wisps. Levelland wasn't as good of a place to have the popups.  It wasn't that they were necessarily doing badly there but there was much more opportunity for growth in Lubbock. I discovered the motivation to move as I spoke with Andrew. "Lubbock's changing really fast.  All these buildings down here, downtown are being renovated. . . and. . .that's why we currently chose to sell down here. . .'cause we want to grow in this area." With everything cool going on in this area it was a smart business decision to bring some Texas Craft BBQ to the artsiest place in the city. 

It was still cool the morning that I got to the Hill Barbecue popup.  Andrew, Jewel, and Emily were busily getting things ready for the day and things seemed to be going well.  The area is not only artsy but very functional.  Quite a few wooden tables are right under a gas station pump awning that doesn't really block a lot of wind but might keep folks from getting wet rain came up quickly.  The atmosphere is very laid back and the line for BBQ stacks up quickly.  While I was there I watched intently as they did their work in putting final touches on food. They got some cheesy potatoes together as well as pulled out some sausage and some briskets still wrapped in butcher paper right from the pit.  They had plenty of food in the warmer waiting to be pulled when needed.  I mentioned that in my own little town (which shall remain nameless) that it is so difficult to get something started because it seems like the city fathers (and muthas) want to over regulate ever aspect of what food trucks or trailers do.  Here Andrew said that the city has almost bent over backwards to have him right here in this location. There were more rules and regulations in his previous location in a smaller town.  Here in Lubbock it seems like they want businesses to succeed and made it a little easier to do so by not overtaxing or putting so many regulations in place that it isn't cost effective to work with them.  This means that people in Lubbock will continue to have the great food that Andrew and his family offer at these popups. 

As the line was forming I noticed all manner of folks lining up to get BBQ. White Collar and Blue Collar, African Americans and Caucasian Americans, Men, Women, Children of differing political persuasions (Trump and Beto supporters in the same line - GASP!) There were even musicians in the line (I'm a sax player and I heard some gents talking about the music they play as they sat and ate) and I wondered WHO LET THOSE GUYS IN THE LINE!  No matter who was there BBQ was bringing them together.  I spoke to some ladies who were from various locations in the state and we got into a conversation about BBQ because one of them had mentioned that the line hadn't moved far. Towering a foot higher than them I let them know it was because a gentleman was getting two huge pans of BBQ and it was taking awhile to fulfill the order.  It seemed like he must have gotten five pounds of everything from Hill. As we continued to wait we conversed about BBQ in Texas around the state and talked about our BBQ travels and how far I go to find good BBQ. One of the ladies mentioned that she was from Bryan College Station and when she mentioned the place I knew that I could count on her for good BBQ conversation.  

The line got moving again and when I finally got to the front I ordered my typical Texas Trinity (Brisket, Sausage, and Pork Ribs) and I noticed the sign said: "SORRY no beef ribs."  I didn't curse I just ordered some Turkey instead and tried one of their specialities the Cheesy Potatoes.  If I'm not mistaken these potatoes have a bit of chopped up brisket in them with a shredded bit of cheddar in them. The melted goodness is so tasty!  I also had some pinto beans with some cilantro and a Mexican cheese - Cotija as far as I could tell.  The flavor profiles on all the food were well done and the meat was very tender and juicy despite the fact that I had almost missed out on the food because I waited so long to get in the line!  The spices are clearly visible on the brisket and ribs.  The turkey and sausage are also very flavorful and everything has taken on just the right amount of smoke.  

It isn't always easy to find great BBQ in many of the places we live in.  In Lubbock and the surrounding area along with Hill Barbecue you find places like Rejino BBQ in Olton and Pitforks and Smokerings in Slaton along with Evie Mae's in Wolfforth.  Andrew has a running text some of the guys from those BBQ joints.  The BBQ family is something that transcends background, race, class, social media status and a number of other things.  The encouragement from the other folks means a lot to Andrew and I'm sure to the other people that are up well before dawn putting love and dedication in to their craft.  As I travel I see this more and more and it is something that the world could use more of. This isn't something that is an over the rainbow kind of thing as evidenced by Andrew's confession of the encouragement he receives from the other folks in his circle.  We can definitely learn from them. I felt a true sense of camaraderie with them as Andrew told me how glad he was that I was doing what I do in sharing my love and passion for Texas BBQ with others. 

Hill Barbecue is open most Thursdays and Saturdays from 11 am until they are sold out or until 5 pm. Go out and see what the BBQ Fam is all about!

See Hill Barbecue and other great videos at my YouTube Channel here: Small Town Texas BBQ YouTube Channel