The secret behind the “legendary” barbecue of Coop and how he survived the pandemic

Last March, the barbecue of Coop West Texas in Lemon Grove almost closed, but the owner Bradrick Cooper offered a new business plan to survive post-pandemic.

A little over 14 years ago, Cooper, better known as Coop, entered the barbecue joint of the former Fargo.

“And when I saw these pits, I said to myself:” It’s on! “” Remember Coop.

There is a lot of history in these pits.

“These pits must be almost 40 years old because the person who built them came from the Fargo family, who had a barbecue place that was in the 80s,” added Coop. “These pits, they are very unique. Not many of them in the United States, end. You can no longer do these pits. They are accessible to acceleration, and I am lucky to have one. I would not exchange it for nothing. Even if I cannot cook as much meat as possible on a roasted smoker, the quality that comes out of these pits cannot be beaten.”

The pits are brick ovens burn wood a few meters below where the meat cooked. There is an art to use them and a real danger of fire if you use them incorrectly. But Coop has mastered them and appreciates what they do that other equipment cannot.

“You get a process of grill and smoking at the same time,” said Coop. “I think it gives our meat a little more flavor. You will taste the difference, not only in the seasonings that we use here at Coop, but you will taste the difference in meat because each wood gives a distinct flavor to meat. When I can get rid of Pacan, I am in a paradise. A brick fossa every day, and I will face anyone.”

And he would probably win on the basis of what I tasted – the chest melted in the mouth, the perfectly spicy Texas sausage and smoked turkey legs with sauce that is loaded with flavor but which does not have the impression that this will get your arteries. Coop is preparing satisfactory food for the soul on these cavities almost every day since 2010, serving what he calls the “legendary barbecue” at Coop. It was the barbecue did the way his father taught him in Texas.

“It’s true, an authentic barbecue, a Texas style barbecue,” proudly proclaimed Coop.

This means using a dry friction and serving the sauce on the side so you can really taste the meat and judge Coop’s skills as a pitmaster. But Coop had never planned to manage a restaurant. He worked as a nurse authorized for 12 years but was still cooked.

“During these moments, every weekend, I made plates, about 50 years old, put them in a cooler, and I headed for the Mesa beauty stores to Chula Vista, to all beauty stores belonging to blacks and hair salons,” recalls Coop.

Then in 2010, he opened Coop’s as a window. One of his first customers encouraged him to list his business on Yelp so that he and his friends can write criticism.

“I didn’t even know what Yelp was,” said Coop laughing. “They gave me five -star reviews. Before you know, this place was full of whites.”

But as with many companies, Coop faced challenges during the COVVI-19 pandemic.

“I guess people who have crossed the great depression, they will never forget it,” said Coop. “Covid, I believe that for our generation, it is one of those things that will never be forgotten. We stayed open. We felt like heroes, as if we wear capes when we were here every day and people arrived and took food.”

The most difficult part, however, was after the pandemic. Not only has the cost of goods increased, but gas prices too.

“Coop has always been considered a barbecue destination,” said Coop. “People from all over southern California, in the Northern County, in the South. They come from everywhere.”

But higher gas prices have led people to search for barbecue closer to their home.

Coop recalled: “2023 was the worst year of all time. I mean, it was like a ghost city here.

But when he posted that he would close, people suddenly aligned themselves in the block.

“And so I look into it, I made tears that came out of my eyes,” said Coop, his catching voice. “When I came, I said to myself:” Where were you? “And everyone is starting to laugh.

But this support inspired Coop to experiment with a new business plan.

“I’m going to do it like a Texas barbecue articulation,” said Coop. “I’m going to open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, on Sunday, use the barbecue guys, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or when we sell. I hope we sell every weekend. But San Diego is different. It is a different beast. We have people who love the barbecue here. In Texas, they love it. There, we have people waiting to eat barbecue at 6 am to open.”

Coop is fortunate to have a support owner.

“I thank God for him because if it was not for him, Coop would never have opened,” said Coop.

He won it with a food plate.

“I had prepared a chest and ribs like my father for me,” recalls Coop. “And I think that Yams and Collard Greens candies. I made two plates, one for him and one for his wife. I said:” I want you to try this. If you help me do it, I promise to reimburse you in the six months. “He brought food home and reminded me.

This support began the barbecue of West Texas of Coop and helped to keep it alive. And although the lines have not extended again into the block, Coop was able to be kept and its employees of three people who work hard.

“It was a blessing that our doors were always open,” said Coop. “We are not yet out of red, but we are always open. And I thank God for that. As long as he gives me the energy, the desire, the passion I have for this, I will continue to do it.”

So, if you drive on avenue Lemon Grove, look for smoke out of the big smoke from Coop’s mouth in the parking lot.

“We call these Texas stop panels,” said Coop with a smile. “Whenever there is smoke that comes out of a metal container, you assume that it is barbecue and you cannot help watching and wanting to come and check it or come to see what the person cooks.”

Coop always cooks classics such as chest and ribs, but he also experiences his own creations, such as beef tails, smoked chicken chicken pie or barbecue spaghetti, where the sauce is smoked in the pits. I hope you throw your appetite – the excuses that you cannot taste or feel what comes out of these brick ovens.

The barbecue of Coop West Texas Cuisine since 2010 in Lemon Grove. It is open from Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until exhaustion. Coop is also addressed and recently made pop-ups in places like the Grove College parking lot. The best way to discover what is on the menu or where it could be used is to follow the coop on Instagram.