“The longer I’ve done it, I’ve noticed if you shift certain aspects of the technique, you’ll get a better and more consistent result,” Hutchins said. “Cooking time, rack time, how long to season before putting on the pit, what temperature you build it up to ... we tinker with different things on that level.”
Another change he implemented was serving a higher-quality product, which was a decision based in part on what he saw his competitors doing.
“We’re in the golden age of barbecue,” he said. “It has changed tremendously from 15 years ago. ... Other guys started moving their products to prime brisket [and] prime meats. I was on that curve as far as bettering the product.”
Because business was doing so well, Hutchins started looking for a separate location that would be used solely to fill catering orders. In 2014, he opened a location in Frisco to meet that need and was open only 12 hours a week to the public. Now, it is open every day from 11 a.m.-9 p.m., just like the McKinney location.
Hutchins’ brother Trey Hutchins was the general manager of the Frisco location, and now the brothers co-own both locations.
“[The Frisco] store has grown organically. It started as mainly our catering store; now it’s our busiest store by a long shot,” Hutchins said. “Both stores are doing an amazing business. ...We’re really blessed.”
Hutchins describes the staff as the heart of the store.
“You can have the best pits in the world [and] the best product. You can bring all that fancy meat in, but if you don’t have the staff producing it, it’s useless,” he said.
Hutchins BBQ
1301 N. Tennessee St., McKinney
972-548-2629
www.hutchinsbbq.com
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
