"South BBQ & Kitchen opened this summer in a gray building with a prominent Texas flag mural down the road from two of the city’s World Heritage sites, Mission San Jose and Mission Concepcion. Owner Andrew Samia took the love and knowledge of smoked meats he earned while opening his previous restaurant, Dignowity Meats, and dove headfirst into the world of barbecue. But the largely Hispanic south side of the city demands a different flavor profile. 'San Antonio is my culture, but I’m not Hispanic. This is just what I’ve grown up with,' says Samia, a native Texan who’s lived in San Antonio for 13 years. That realization means he works with kitchen manager Manuel Nava to deliver bold flavors. Samia adds mesquite and pecan wood, local to the area and a favorite in South Texas, to their ten-foot oak-filled pit, and Nava takes creative freedoms with familiar sides. They make a tender brisket with a formidable bark, pulled pork, and peppery chicken quarters, all of which are drawing early fans who pack into the small shop to order one of everything. The sides don’t sleep either: Enter more borracho beans, Spanish rice, and creamed corn that’s more elote preparado with a hearty cream cheese base and a dusting of Cotija cheese and cayenne powder on top. There’s smoked jalapeños, beet-soaked pickled red onions with a touch of oregano (a family recipe from one of his employees), and pit-grilled lightly charred green onions. Barbecue con un twist." - ByJess Elizarraras
