In the never-ending list of good barbecue joints and food trucks that are located in the Odessa-Midland area, one in particular has risen in popularity over the last three years.
Brantley Creek BBQ, which is owned and operated out of a food truck by Brandon McPherson and his wife Ashley McPherson, is currently located at the parking lot of Odessa Camera at 4400 Tanglewood.
Brantley Creek BBQ has been in business since 2017 but it was in 2019 when Brandon decided to open it up full-time after his previous employer Flint Energy closed.
“We already had the trailer and had competed at barbecue competitions and we were already catering so we figured why not go full-time,” Brandon said.
While it was a slow start at first, Brandon says business has slowly picked up recently.
His business was featured in Texas Monthly back in April, which has helped put his business on the map.
“Just to be mentioned and reviewed by Texas Monthly was a big accomplishment for myself,” Brandon said. “It was a milestone.”
His wife talked about how business has increased since then.
“Ever since all that happened, business has picked up,” Ashley said. “It was a breath of fresh air. The word finally got out and around. We’re finally getting some steady business.”
Brantley Creek BBQ was named after their 8-year-old son Brantley. Brandon says “creek” was added as a joke since there are hardly any creeks in West Texas.
The added exposure has helped Brantley Creek BBQ and Brandon says they will soon be building a permanent location at Faudree Road near Eastridge.
“Right now, we’re waiting on permits to be approved,” Brandon said. “All the land is cleared off. They’re going to start on the parking lot in a few weeks.”
Brandon says the new restaurant will be on an acre of land and that he expects there to be about 55 parking spots.
For now, the food truck is open only from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays. Brandon says they also cater.
“That’s all we can handle because we cook on a offset smoker and it takes a lot of time,” Brandon said. “The only time we close is if we have a big catering and we can’t handle both.”
Brandon hopes to add more employees when the time comes to open the new restaurant but currently his staff includes a grand total of four, including himself and Ashley.
The other two employees include their niece and nephew Kylea and Colby Johnson.
Brandon anticipates hiring more employees when the new restaurant is built.
“We’ll have to hire bartenders and people in the smokehouse and catering and cooks,” Brandon said. “I’m going to keep my trailer so I’ll have to find a crew to help run it.”
Since he first opened his barbecue food truck, Brandon’s mission has been to build a craft barbecue business focused on taking meats that are imperfect and creating something close to perfection.
The menu includes prime brisket, pork ribs, jalapeno sausage, turkey, rack of pork ribs as well as brisket tacos, brisket nachos and plenty of sandwiches and sides along with desserts.
“The menus have been pretty much the same ever since 2019,” Brandon said. “When we get to the restaurant, we’ll be adding new things.”
A customer favorite is usually the two-meat plate and the ribs.
Brandon is looking at making his own sausage and adding it to the menu.
“Personal favorite for me just recently is that I learned to make my own sausage.” Brandon said. “It’s not being sold yet. I’ll sell it at the restaurant because it’s a three-day process. But that’s my favorite and I’m proud of it.”
Less than a year after Brandon focused on Brantley Creek BBQ full-time, the pandemic began.
While Brandon was nervous about the impact of the pandemic affecting his business, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
While brick and mortar restaurants closed to in-person dining because of the pandemic, being a food truck helped Brantley Creek BBQ to survive.
“That first week in March 2020, when everything went down, he got really scared and was worried about this and that,” Ashley said. “But the next week, when restaurants started closing, it boomed for us. We had good, long lines.”
Brandon knows his business was lucky to survive when others didn’t make it during the pandemic.
“Man, I still can’t figure out how we’ve been able to make it,” Brandon said. “Things just kind of worked out. We’re not making tons of money. We’ve been breaking even. We’re just now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
As a kid growing up, he says his grandfather David helped inspire his love of barbecue.
“My grandfather got me into barbecuing,” Brandon said. “He’d do it all the time and I guess that planted the seed. I remember his backyard smoking all the time. I could hear the crackle of the wood.”
Brandon and Ashley both graduated from high school in Odessa in 2004. It’s a split house as Brandon graduated from Odessa High while Ashley graduated from crosstown rival Permian.
For Brandon, the business has been great but nothing beats the peace he’s at while cooking.
“I love barbecuing,” Brandon said. “It puts me at peace while I’m cooking even though there’s a lot going on. It still gives me a peace and I love people’s reactions.”
His wife has been excited for the business to take off.
“This is his dream,” Ashley said. “Even when we started this two and a half years ago, he was already looking for land. It’s exciting for him because now all the visions and dreams he’s had, he can now finally do it.”
