Robbie Shoults Talks Texas BBQ And Being A Judge On Beat Bobby Flay - Exclusive Interview

Smoked turkey may be what put the Shoults family and Bear Creek Smokehouse on the map in the 1940s, but Robbie Shoults — the third generation to run the operation — hasn't stopped there. In its more than 80 years of operation, Bear Creek Smokehouse has expanded to feature holiday staples like smoked ham, cookout favorites like sausages, and fresh and succulent Texas-style barbecue that draws visitors from around the world to the company's Pit Room in Marshall, Texas.

But that's not Shoults' only claim to fame. His expertise has landed him a spot as a judge on "Beat Bobby Flay" not one, not two, but five times. That experience gives Shoults real insight into how it all goes down.

Robbie Shoults took some time out of his busy schedule — he's got a new restaurant opening in March of 2024 — to give us an exclusive interview talking about all things Texas barbecue and what it's really like in the ring at "Beat Bobby Flay."

That was before they started smoking turkeys?

Yes, that was early years. And then a couple of years later they started smoking and they just added on and added on. Every year they became more popular and before you know it, we were shipping turkeys all over the country. And so it's just kind of evolved year to year. It didn't happen overnight. Last year was our 80th anniversary, so it's been a great business.

Talk to me about having your kids involved. Now that you're the one stewarding the next generation, what's that like?

It's great being able to work with family. They grew up in the business, so they have a background knowledge of it. And Hunter ... He is the plant manager and he oversees the day-to-day operations of the plant. And we do a lot more than just smoking over there. Smoked meats, people are looking for those for the holidays. We have a lot of everyday customers, but hams and turkeys are pretty seasonal. So we do a lot of business with grocery stores all over the country. We sell them cured salt pork and it's used for seasoning beans and vegetables, all that kind of stuff. So we sell probably close to two million pounds of that product a year. It goes to places like Walmart and Publix over on the East Coast, Kroger, just really all over. So I know our distribution to Walmart is up to about 3,300 stores now. It's become a big deal for us, it helps keep the lights burning during the off-season when turkeys aren't selling.

Krista is running the new store in Marshall now ... and she still does some marketing. She still does some Facebook and that sort of thing. And then we have another daughter, Sadie, who is doing some Facebook for Bear Creek.

You also have a store and restaurant on-site. When did that come about?

I lost my dad in [November of] 2017 ... it was a tough time for everybody. And after the holiday, hustle and bustle, I was kind of like, "I need a project. This is not good." And Dad and I had talked about building a new store. I decided in the spring of 2018 that we were going to get started on it. And we built it and I'll tell you what, it has been a rodeo ever since.

The original footprint of the store was about 10,000 square feet and we were actually trying to serve food out of here, do events and sell general merchandise — gifts and tabletop, all that stuff. And we rocked on there for about a year and a half and I told my wife, "We're killing ourselves with all this. We thought this would be more space than we ever needed for the rest of our lives. We need to add on." We added another about 6,600 square feet onto the back of the existing store. And when we did, we built a pit room where we have a big 20-foot pit and that's where we smoke all of our brisket and chicken and sausage and all that great stuff that we use in the restaurant up here at the store.

Speaking of beef, do you have any tips for making barbecue at home?

The biggest thing to me that I would tell anybody that's going to try to barbecue or smoke or whatever it is, please don't get in a hurry. Have the time dedicated to go low and slow and to stick with the product all the way through from start to finish. You can't rush barbecue.

What about the smoke? Can you over-smoke barbecue? How do you balance the smoke with the flavor?

We use a combination of post oak, hickory, and pecan, and I don't think there's any magic [ratio] or anything. Because sometimes I know we'll use more of one wood than we do the other.

I know [over-smoking] can be done. If your wood is too green, it could be a reason for maybe getting the smoke flavor too strong. Another thing, if people are having problems maybe over-smoking, is to pull the product out before it's completely done and wrap it in some paper, then put it back on. And that prevents any more smoke from penetrating and it'll get the benefit of the heat but not the smoke.

We all hope every bite of barbecue we eat is perfect, but that isn't always the case. How do you know if the barbecue is bad?

Well, if you've got your fork and your knife and you're trying to cut it and it cuts like boot leather, you probably know you're at a bad spot. If you rush barbecue, you can mess it up pretty quickly. Like I said, the key to it is to just take your time, enjoy yourself, and just have the time dedicated to it. And start with the best cuts of meat that you can find and you'll wind up with a better end product.

Smoked turkey is not a thing that you see in every barbecue region. What is it about smoked turkey that's special?

It's a lighter alternative. Brisket is probably the fattiest cut of meat there is. It's also probably the toughest cut of meat [to cook], but if you do it right, the combination of the fat-to-lean ratio can turn out really good. But you've got people that are just health conscious and I think turkey is just a great alternative to the brisket and ribs and those sort of things. It's become a staple at a lot of barbecue joints nowadays just because it's so popular. A lot of people love a turkey sandwich just because it's light and it's not quite as heavy as other barbecue.

Did you have an idea of which was Bobby's dish beforehand?

I've always thought I could guess, but I've been wrong before, so I just quit trying. But [Bobby] does style his dishes really well. Well put together and everything. So I have hunches sometimes, but there's never a dead giveaway. There are some other great chefs who have gone up against him. Kudos to them for even making it that far.

You've judged five very different dishes (cheesesteak, chicken phở, carne asada, Juicy Lucy, and barbecue chicken wings). Do you have a favorite?

You get to taste some stuff that you probably would never get to taste again, especially a boy from East Texas like me.

The chicken wings were really good. But I'm telling you, neither guy had enough time to get those chicken wings done completely where they pull off the bone. But I think one guy made some blueberry barbecue sauce or something, best I remember, and it was good. The carne asada was good too. Now, some of the others, Juicy Lucy, we don't have those in Texas. It was great.

The "Beat Bobby Flay" set is pretty unique. What is it like being in front of the cameras and the audience?

It is almost like a pit because the audience is elevated. There's a railing around and they're lined up around that, and so it's just down in that taste pit where the judges are and Bobby and whoever his opponent is are cooking. I'll tell you what, I've never seen so much kitchen equipment, but I always think the cameras outnumber the kitchen equipment because they're trying to get every angle they can on everybody and the food and everything. But it is just a great experience.

Once you have tasted the dish, how does judging work? How do you pick a winner?

When we're in that blind tasting room, it is the three judges and the producer, and she'll go through and ask us each different things, what we think about the dish, and she's taking notes on her computer. And so we pretty much in the tasting room have in mind who we're going to pick. And then when we get out there on set, [each judge] comments on it. And then if I said something in the tasting room that maybe I didn't think to say [on camera], the producer will come on and say, "Now, Robbie, what were you thinking about this aspect of it? What did you think about this flavor or whatever?" And then that just kind of jogs your memory and you can spit it out.

Usually everybody is pretty much on the same page [about who wins]. It is pretty cut and dried. I mean, when Bobby lost, he lost fair and square. The other cook just did a better job. But like I say, it is completely blind. Sometimes I would speculate, "this looks really fancy, and I know Bobby likes to use peppers a lot," and I'm thinking this may be his, and I've been wrong before.