Austin-made documentary For the Love of Meat is a celebration of the grand tradition of Texas-style barbecue. But for Producer Brandon Gonzales, it’s also a tribute, a time capsule, and reminder of eating far, far too much meat.
The documentary gets a special screening this weekend at the Texas Spirit Theater at the Bullock Texas State History Museum, to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The screening will be followed by a special Q&A with the filmmakers and pitmasters Tom Micklethwait (Micklethwait Barbecue), Wayne Mueller (Louie Mueller Barbecue), and Kelli Nevarez (LaVaca BBQ), moderated by Texas Monthly Barbecue Editor Daniel Vaughn. The special reunion will kick off a three-month residency for the film, with screenings every Saturday and Sunday through the end of May.
However, the story of the movie started in 2009 when Gonzales and his buddy, Jeff Jones, decided to do something creative before Jones moved to New York. Gonzales recalled, “We decided to make a film, and we settled on barbecue as a subject because it would be a fun trip.”
While he may be best known as the bassist for a succession of local bands including How to Build a Rocketship, the Blitzens, and the Lonesome Heroes, as well as backing up Dickie Lee Erwin, Anna Ford Larson, and Johnny Fury, this wasn’t Gonzales’ first experience of filmmaking. “I’d been working in film on sound and boom recording since ’05, ’06. … I had my foot in the game a little bit, enough to know what I was doing. If I have a producer credit it’s because I chipped in ideas, but we all wore multiple hats.”
So they grabbed another couple of friends, Matthew Johnson and Matthew Wallis, jumped in the van, and spent the next few weeks eating an unholy amount of barbecue. Gonzales said, “We took it pretty seriously, but it was also just a blast to travel round Texas and meet these people and make friends with them.”
And, of course, eat a crazy amount of barbecue. “Oh my god,” Gonzales said. “Jeff and I decided to weigh ourselves before and after, and he and I both gained seven pounds in the course of 10 days. It was pretty gross.” It didn’t help that just about every pit and barbecue joint refused to take their money and just loaded them up with their finest meats and sides for free. “I think I ate vegetarian for about six months after that.”
“We made the movie when barbecue wasn’t quite bougie yet.”
For Gonzales, it’s less about a changing of the guard and more about appreciating all kinds of smoked meats. He said, “I really have a sweet sport for Mueller’s up in Taylor, and his ribs and his brisket if you’re up there early enough. It’s classic, because his grandfather was doing this in the ’40s, and I love that old-school method. But now there’s Frankin’s, obviously, and Micklethwaite’s. His game is ridiculous now. He’s on another level. Everything you consume, he’s touched. He doesn’t raise the cows, but he makes tortillas and the bread and the desserts. There’s nothing from a can in that place.”
The fun road trip with friends soon evolved into an examination of the strange and demanding world of barbecue. All restaurants are hard work, but there are peculiarities about life over the pit – the smoke, the grime, the early starts, and the unreliability of staying open until you’re sold out. Gonzales said, “We went out to see Tootsie’s two weeks ago in Lexington. I think she’s 90 now and she’s still out there, moving that coal around, and she still works her day job in Giddings as a janitor. It’s a special breed of person that wants to do this.”
Straight talk: If Gonzales can only get one cut on his plate, what’s his first choice? There’s no delay in his answer. “Moist brisket, for sure.” Well, no delay, but there’s a clarification. “In Central Texas. If you go out east, to the Carolinas and Tennessee, I’ve made the mistake of ordering brisket and this is not what they do best. But they’re not trying to do what we do.”
For the Love of Meat 10th anniversary screening, Saturday, March 1, Texas Spirit Theater. Tickets available at thestoryoftexas.com.
Tickets for regular weekend screenings available at here.
This article appears in February 28 • 2025.
