The Oakland Grill Master Bridging the Gap Between Barbecue and Mexican Food | Eater SF

"At weekly driveway pop-ups and takeout events in Deep East Oakland, I found MexiQ to be a focused expression of Mexican-style barbecue rooted in Aaron Stewart’s East Oakland upbringing: meaty ribs “thick like bricks” with a tangy-sweet tamarind glaze, brisket sliced thick after a 20-hour smoke and coated in a dark, sweet barbecue sauce that carries a whiff of tequila, a mustardy, wonderfully balanced potato salad, jalapeño corn muffins, and tubs of Mexican rice. Stewart uses his father’s time-weathered 100-gallon drum smoker, leans into fusion rather than simple mash-ups, and prepares smoked boneless chicken thighs two ways (chopped and tossed in barbecue sauce for burritos or shredded in a chipotle-tomato, chicken-tinga–style sauce), while serving tacos and tostadas with classic onion, cilantro, and salsa toppings when feasible; over three years he’s grown MexiQ from a driveway taco stand into a catering business and La Cocina incubator participant and now a weekly takeout staple with ambitions for a brick-and-mortar Oakland restaurant." - Luke Tsai