Earlier this week when the bone-chilling, wintery blast crippled the Lone Star State, it left millions without power and heat. That's when Benny Jaramillo and his son Damon stepped up in a big way to give back. After seeing so many neighbors on social media share their experiences with the weather emergency, they knew they needed to help out in the best way they could, through a warm cooked meal.
"When I started looking at the community posts on Facebook, we started noticing the pipes busting, people didn't have what we had," Damon said. "We knew we had this big pit and it could be used for something."
Damon with his father Benny started their own barbecue business last year. Smokin' Revolver BBQ caters to locals, serving everything from brisket to pulled pork. Right now, it's a smaller operation that runs on weekends. Benny has been grilling and smoking for quite some time, but it was the advice from his son and family that pushed him to turn his passion into a side hustle.
"I've been cooking barbecue for about 25 years for family and friends. They always told me to do catering or try to sell it. My son, when he came home from college, he said hey dad let's try to sell. It started off small and grew from there," Benny said.
All week, the Jaramillos have been sharing their barbecue with neighbors, postal workers, the League City Police Department and more. They said roughly 100 residents have stopped by each day. On Feb. 16, they paid for the meats and ingredients from their own pockets. Since then, others have stepped up with donations, including Stone Cold Meats who provided brisket and chicken for today's menu.
Even though the Jaramillos experienced no power and a pipe burst of their own, it didn't stop them from doing what's right: making sure their neighbors had a warm cooked meal to enjoy, during one of the coldest times that many Texans have ever experienced.
The duo will not be able to cook and serve food themselves Feb. 19 but provided information about an alternate free barbecue site in Santa Fe on their Facebook page.
