Georgetown Edition | June 2023

DINING FEATURE

BY GRANT CRAWFORD

SLOW COOKING

Over the years, Hello Sweetie BBQ owner Al Shankle has developed his own process for preparing brisket. It includes using a recipe he has never written down in the 11 years he has owned the Georgetown restaurant.

Hand-selects his own cut and trims the brisket, leaving a quarter inch of fat

Brisket ($22.95 per pound) is one of the most popular menu items at Hello Sweetie BBQ.

COURTESY HELLO SWEETIE BBQ

Applies his own seasoning rub and places the brisket in the smoker for 12-13 hours

Removes the brisket from the smoker and wraps it in paper and foil

Hello Sweetie BBQ owner Al Shankle has been serving barbecue, which he said is selected and prepared with care, to Georgetown residents for 11 years.

The barbecue sandwich combo ($16.95) comes with two sides like collard greens and potato salad.

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Places the brisket in the oven at a low temperature for around six hours

Hello Sweetie BBQ Georgetown barbecue joint combines customer care with careful cooking D escribed as “a hole in the wall” by owner Al Shankle, Hello Sweetie BBQ has

Slices and serves

said. “It’s all by touch and feel ... but usually I’m pretty consistent. I think if I wrote it down, I’d mess it up.” The menu at Hello Sweetie BBQ includes pulled pork, chicken, sausage and ribs. However, there’s one item that garners the most attention from Shankle and his customers. “This is Texas,” he said. “It’s always the brisket.” Shankle purchases his meat from local grocery stores so he has a chance to hand-pick the meat. The process to cook the meat begins by trimming most of the fat o the brisket, leaving enough to keep it moist while also allowing the smoke to penetrate the center.

After applying his own spice rub, Shankle puts it in the smoker for 12-13 hours. He frequently stops by his place overnight to ensure every- thing is going smoothly. Then, it’s wrapped and placed in the oven for another six hours or so. “Brisket takes forever and a day to get it tender,” Shankle said. Shankle said he works to ensure every customer receives individual attention. It starts with greeting them, “Hello sweetie.” If a guest stops short of an empty plate, Shankle will ask if he can whip them up a substitute—even if the customer is full. “That’s just what we do,” he said. “We try to go above and beyond for the customer.”

Hello Sweetie BBQ 2200 S. Austin Ave., Ste. 101, Georgetown 512-869-3304 www.hellosweetiebbq.com Hours: Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., closed Sun.-Mon.

oered a menu of Southern home cooking made spontaneously but diligently for 11 years. The restaurant often goes unnoticed, Shankle said. So when a customer walks in, he asks himself, “What can we do to keep them here and keep them coming back?” Serving up barbecue and sides, Shankle pays meticulous attention to the type of meat he throws on his smoker and the ingredients he uses in his side dishes. However, the formula for his food won’t be found anywhere but in his head. “I don’t have any recipes or anything written down,” Shankle

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GEORGETOWN EDITION • JUNE 2023