A new barbecue joint is ready to introduce itself to Houstonians. Let’s meet the four men behind Eastbound Barbecue.
Partners Ryan Penn, Ryan Powell, Luis Lopez, and Jake Granville all worked in senior roles for Ronnie Killen at his various restaurants across Houston. Lopez was the executive chef of Killen’s Steakhouse in The Woodlands, and Granville rose through the ranks from pitmaster of Killen’s Barbecue in Cypress to overseeing operations for the other two locations. Powell is a front of house specialist, and Penn was Killen’s most trusted lieutenant, overseeing operations and maintaining standards company-wide.
Together, they’ve leased the former East End Backyard space (1105 Sampson Street) for Eastbound’s brick-and-mortar outpost. They’ll begin introducing themselves to the neighborhood with a pop-up this Sunday, August 31 from noon until sold out.
For Penn, leaving the Killen’s organization after almost 20 years was a difficult decision, but one he felt he had to make. “I could have worked for [Killen] forever and been happy. It was more along the lines of, if I don’t do this now, I don’t want to be 70 and wish that I had,” he says.
He asked Powell, the best man at his wedding, to jon the project. Together, they recruited Lopez and Granville for their culinary skills.
“It was a no-brainer for me,” Lopez says. “Barbecue is something I’ve had my hands in for a bit. It’s the four of us cooking what we want. Working with these guys has been a fun challenge.”
While they contemplated finding beginning their collaboration with a fine dining restaurant, the East End Backyard space lended itself to showcasing their skills with Texas barbecue. Once the group receives all the necessary permits, they’ll close in the bar’s covered patio to have climate-controlled seating. Rather than build a kitchen from the ground up, they’re installing converted shipping containers to give Eastbound a place to serve people. A separate enclosure will be built to house two, 1,000-gallon offset smokers and two rotisserie smokers. The property’s small bar will continue to serve cocktails and be the focus of plans to operate into the evening.
These choices are designed to allow Eastbound to open as soon as October or November. Until then, look for them to do more pop-ups both onsite and in the neighborhood.
Eastbound’s Barbecue
The obvious question for this quartet is — how do they create barbecue that tastes different from what they served while working for chef Killen? The answer is different seasonings that bring a fresh perspective to the Texas trinity of beef brisket, sausage, and pork ribs.
Eastbound’s brisket uses rosemary salt in its rub for a herbal flavor that’s distinct from traditional Texas ‘cue. Similarly, the chefs decided to smoke baby back ribs rather than pork spare ribs and glazes them with a miso-caramel sauce for a sweet and savory bite.
“It’s a smaller rib, so we’re able to give guests a couple more ribs per order. At the very least, it looks like more on the plate,” Lopez says.
“One rib on a three meat plate is a problem we’re trying to avoid,” Granville quips.
Instead of a traditional Carolina-style vinegar sauce, Eastbound’s pulled pork takes inspiration from Cuban-style mojo pork with a citrus component that’s bright and fresh. Instead of jalapeno-cheddar sauce, the team looks to Italy for with mozzarella and Calabrian chiles.
A three-meat plate from Eastbound’s first pop-up.Photo by Eric Sandler
The sides are similarly distinct — herbed potato salad, stewed beans with Spanish chorizo, and a hatch chile lasagna that seems poised to become as essential to Eastbound’s identity as creamed corn is to Killen’s.
For Sunday’s pop-up, they’re adding a beef cheek cheesesteak that occupies a space between the classic Philly favorite and a Mexican torta.
After a successful trial run at Winnie’s, word about Eastbound is already spreading. They’ve picked up some catering jobs and are expecting a good crowd for Sunday. Since the restaurant is still in development, the quartet has had an opportunity to learn more about some of the bars and restaurants that have helped make EaDo and the East End a rising culinary destination.
“I’d like to mention how excited we are to be part of East Downtown,” Lopez says. “Neil’s Bahr is down the road. We come here to work. When it’s time to go, we’re getting to know our neighbors. Nickel City and Eight Row are the main two.”