That’s it. Decision made.
I’m getting my own smoker-equipped barbecue trailer to pull around everywhere I go.
I have no intention of going into competition with Lavy Olar and Sebastian Oana, the friendly Red Deer couple behind Longhorn Southern Barbecue, who have been a regular at Sylvan Lake’s Food Truck Thursdays.
My trailer will be for personal use only (OK, maybe the wife and kids, too, on special occasions).
After tasting Longhorn’s brisket, pork and chicken I’ve decided smoked barbecue must become part of my daily existence, and close at hand at all times.
Stuck in traffic? Long red light? Waiting for someone’s third parallel parking attempt? No worries. I’ll just zip back, grab some barbecue and restore my world to equanimity and happiness and my humours to balance.
That is the power of Longhorn.
If you don’t believe me, just ask Sylvan Lake’s Chris Wachnuk.
“I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had good beef in my life. This is one of them,” said Wachnuk, a regular customer.
“He just smokes it perfectly. It’s tender and juicy and full of flavour.”
Ditto on all points.
Lavy and Sebastian are only in their first season of the food truck business. In the oilfield trucking business, he rebuilt the trailer himself, using a trailer designed to haul race cars. There’s plenty of room for his kitchen and the beating heart of his business — the smoker.
It was crafted by Myron Nixon, the “winningest man in BBQ” according to his website and a three-time world champion and a member of the BBQ Hall of Fame. (I kid you not).
“We got started because he was watching too much TV — that BBQ Pit Masters show,” says Lavy with a chuckle, referring to the TLC reality series that focuses on BBQ teams as they compete around the U.S.
“Then he got this idea that I’m going to do this thing.”
This weekend, the couple will be at BBQ on the Bow, which will pit about four dozen teams against each other to create the best outside cooking.
Lavy, who is a legal assistant, has been moonlighting in the BBQ business this summer and been having a blast.
“It’s really fun,” she says.
Sebastian says they are considering setting up a restaurant this fall in the historic M&J Hardware building in Lacombe.
I tried out the pork butt sandwich for $10. Butts are not something I usually seek out on menus but this was unbelievable.
Apple smoked pulled pork with bread and a really top-notch coleslaw for $10.
The beef brisket sandwich is $12 and smoked chicken $10.
To mix things up and shamelessly gorge I also ordered the sliced brisket plate.
This is the most tender, dissolve-in-your-mouth beef you will ever have. For $15, the plate comes with two slabs of beef, bun, coleslaw and potato salad.
The pork and fork and smoked chicken plates are each $13. The pulled chicken is just as tender and tasty as the other meats. Can’t go without a word on the BBQ sauces. You can get Longhorn original, sweet and spicy and molasses. I really loved the sweet and spicy.
Look for them at Sylvan Lake’s Food Truck Thursdays and on Facebook under Longhorn Southern BBQ.