By early 2013, barbecue pop-ups were flourishing in cities like Austin, Houston and Dallas.
Inspired by the wild success of Franklin Barbecue in Austin, aspiring backyard and competition pitmasters began serving smoked meats from small tents along busy roads and in parking lots outside late-night bars.
Against that backdrop, it would have been easy to miss a modest pop-up that appeared just off Sixth Street in Austin in January of that year. San Antonio native Miguel Vidal and his wife, Modesty, quietly launched Valentina’s Tex-Mex BBQ, offering a soulful mash-up of craft barbecue and Tex-Mex staples…