Get To Know Evan LeRoy
Evan LeRoy grew up in South Austin, where he first learned his way around a grill from his dad in the family backyard. After studying English in college, he planned to build a career in food publishing. But while working as a line cook to pay the bills, he realized the kitchen was where he belonged. Evan sharpened his skills at Hill Country Barbecue in New York City before returning to Austin, where he developed the ideas that would help him carve his own path in the barbecue world.
Today, Evan and his partners are making what they call “New School Barbecue” at LeRoy and Lewis, blending traditional smoking techniques with inventive dishes and locally sourced ingredients. We recently featured Evan in a Southern Living story about The Next Barbecue Legends, and I can tell you first hand that his beef cheeks alone are worth a serious detour.
The good news is that Evan isn’t keeping all his barbecue secrets to himself—he’s sharing them in a new book called New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling. Not only is it full of great recipes, it’s also full of characters from Evan’s incredible barbecue journey.
What Evan LeRoy Talks About On This Episode
- How “New School Barbecue” combines traditional Texas smoking techniques with local sourcing and creative butchery.
- Growing up in South Austin and learning to cook alongside his father.
- Family Christmas tamale-making traditions
- Why storytelling and his English degree still influence his work today.
- The challenges and sacrifices involved in launching a food truck and building LeRoy and Lewis.
- The origins of the restaurant’s famous smoked beef cheeks and L&L Burger.
- Creating a barbecue restaurant experience that feels both modern and deeply rooted in Texas tradition.
- Pitmasters around the country whose work inspires him.
- Recipes from his new cookbook that home cooks can master, from smoked chicken to reverse-seared steaks.
Quotes
“I saw barbecue becoming really popular. I saw this farm-to-table local sourcing movement become really popular, but I didn’t see anybody doing both at the same time. I started to question, what if we branched out on flavor profiles? What if we sourced locally? What if we started smoking all these different cuts? Those are the tenets of New School Barbecue.” – Evan LeRoy…