This previous week Jesuit’s BBQ Club, the Barbeque Smokies, had many events that helped the Smokies to learn more cooking and build community both within the club and in the entire Jesuit family. They first went to Hurtado BBQ, then returned and held a crawfish boil, finishing up with selling food at the district track meet.
Hurtado BBQ
First, on Wednesday, April 6, the Jesuit Dallas BBQ Club, went on a field trip to Hurtado BBQ to learn more about making great barbeque, experience some of the best barbeque in Texas, as well as to have a good time building community and brotherhood.
The Barbeque Club left right after the second prayer service on Wednesday. They loaded up the bus and left to go to Hurtado BBQ in Arlington, Texas. The BBQ Club arrived a few minutes before opening, but they were already a crowd of people standing outside of the restaurant to get their hands on some amazing food. They hopped out of the bus and went to the back of the restaurant to view the Hurtado barbeque pit. The Smokies were amazed at the size and capability of the pits, and they got to look inside and view all the components of them. After discussing their different pits and the pros and cons and capabilities of each, the people at Hurtado were kind enough to answer the club’s numerous questions for a very long time. The club learned about how to choose wood, different rubs and spices, and various techniques to improve the quality of their cook, They also learned how to get involved in barbeque as a career, and the inspiring story of Hurtado BBQ.
After the great lesson on how they make their delicious barbeque, the club then feasted on Hurtado’s fine cuisine. They were willing to stand in a line outside the door just to taste the wonderful food. One of the more popular menu items that people ordered was the “El Jefe,” a huge $40 barbeque platter with brisket, pork spare ribs, pork belly burnt ends, pulled pork, turkey breast, and two sides of their choice.
Some people ordered this just for themselves and it was so good they ate it all. By far the crowd favorite was the “Texas Twinkie,” a brisket and pimento cheese stuffed jalapeno wrapped in bacon. They enjoyed the food over great conversation building brotherhood and memories A few people went back in line to get food in a to-go box, so they can take some food home and catch a few last-minute lessons from Hurtado’s generous staff as they started cooking new dishes for the day. After a few quick group pictures, the club loaded back on the bus.
The club next went shopping for food and supplies for a crawfish boil on Friday so they could learn the different aspects of planning a big cook, including organizing the details, shopping for the food that they want, budgeting, and more, a job previously done by the advisors that are now getting handed over to the club’s senior leadership.
After they got their supplies, the club headed back to Jesuit and arrived just as the school day was ending. They then prepared and seasoned some pork shoulder so they can sell pulled pork sandwiches on Saturday. Once they cleaned all the dishes, the club headed home to tell stories about their day.
I asked various members of the club about their experiences, this is what they said:
“We ate so much half the bus was catching z’s by the time we pulled out of the parking lot.” -Charlie Borowczak ’22
“The food was so good I got in a half-hour line just to get more barbeque.” -Christian Argenbright ’24
“I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the field trip to Hurtado BBQ. The food was amazing, but more than that, the people at Hurtado were so generous. They let us tour their bbq pits, ask questions, learn how they prepare their various meats, and choose the firewood- all of it. Ralph and Jeremy, the guys that taught us, were amazing. I literally watched our guys make notes…voluntarily. Plus just spending time with the guys in the club was a blast on the bus ride there and back. It was a great day, a great experience, and I am so thankful that Jesuit has a club like this.” -Mr. Profitt
Crawfish Boil
During the Smokies field trip, they discussed the possibility of holding a crawfish boil for the Jesuit community. On the bus rides, they discussed what they could serve along with the crawfish, as well as the flavor profile they wanted to make. Since it was many of the members’ first time doing a crawfish boil, they decided to go simple with it. Club member Liam Rainey ’24 often holds crawfish boils with his family, as they are from Louisiana. He helped guide the club through the thought process of planning this.
During lunch on Friday, the club members ate quickly and then went in front of the football stadium to prepare for the boil. They chopped and prepared food and added seasonings to the boil. They also set up for serving.
During community time the crawfish was ready. Many members of the student body came down to enjoy the Smokie’s delicious food. The community struggled to eat the crawfish at first, as many are unfamiliar with how to eat it, but once they got the hang of breaking it open and eating it, they really enjoyed it.
District Track Meet
On Friday the Smokies also prepared shredded pork to serve during the district track meet on Saturday. The smokies got there early Saturday morning to finish up the meat. In addition to the pulled pork sandwiches, they also prepared steak fajitas, smoked salmon, and chicken to sell during the event. The club got great reviews from customers and learned a ton about how to serve customers well and salesmanship skills.
If you are interested in joining the Barbeque Smokies, contact Mr. Profitt or Mr. Aquino.
Stay tuned to The Roundup for more BBQ Smokies news!
