Dining Guide
Vincek’s Smokehouse
Gary Vincek seems to do it all. He doesn’t run a just a barbecue joint, a sausage factory, a meat market, a processing facility, or a bakery. As owner and pitmaster at Vincek’s Smokehouse, he and his crew provide the Southeast Texas town of East Bernard with all of those things. In one place.
In our collective rush to ogle over the latest slice of fatty, prime-grade brisket at a big-city barbecue joint, we sometimes forget the role that small-town barbecue joints provide in their communities. Take, for instance, a visit to Vincek’s on a recent Friday. The most popular order of the day was fried catfish, an option for those who observe Lent. Not only was it a thoughtful addition to the menu—one with the community in mind—the dish was flat-out good. The salty, crispy fish played nicely as the surf to the turf of pecan-smoked barbecue (I was not observing Lent).
City: East Bernard
Cuisine: Barbecue
Method: Pecan, oak, and charcoal in a wood-fired smoker
Pitmaster: Gary Vincek
Price: $$
Address: 139 S. Dill St., East Bernard, TX, 77435
Hours: Tue-Sat 7-6, Sun 8-3
Phone: (979) 335-7921
Website: www.vincekssmokehouseinc.com
Year Opened: 1985
Last updated: May 3, 2013
Reviews
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Vincek’s Smokehouse
Gary Vincek seems to do it all. He doesn’t run a just a barbecue joint, a sausage factory, a meat market, a processing facility, or a bakery. As owner and pitmaster at Vincek’s Smokehouse, he and his crew provide the Southeast Texas town of East Bernard with all of those things. In one place. In our …
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Vincek’s Smokehouse
Between the deer processing, sausage making and meat smoking, Gary Vincek is a busy man. He is also a great host who showed us around the entire operation at this gem of a barbecue joint southwest of Houston. A couple of skinned deer legs peeking out of the boxes in the back of a truck …
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Vincek’s Smokehouse
The deer-processing guidelines and Future Farmers of America trophies make one thing clear: Vincek’s loves meat. The brisket, pork ribs, and sausage verified the impression. In a sense, so did the irrelevant, too-sweet sauce. Arrive before noon for homemade bread and kolaches. Stay late for conversation with the regulars.