Will Buckman was asked to bring a dish to his company's potluck Christmas party in 2009 when he worked for AT&T. He brought the meat, and it was not long before one Christmas party turned into a career in barbecue.

"After that, all my co-workers kept asking me, 'Hey, can you cook a brisket for my daughter's birthday?'" Will said. "It got to the point where I was staying busy just barbecuing all the time."

Will and his wife, Nichole, began catering on the side. However, the business soon took off, and he was using all of his vacation and sick days cooking barbecue. The couple made barbecue their full-time job, and after a year of catering, the Buckmans opened Corkscrew BBQ in November 2011 in Spring.

"We just wanted to bring it to the public," Will said. "People loved our food."

Corkscrew BBQ has quickly earned a name for itself, finding its name listed among the best barbecue restaurants in the state and country, Will said. The restaurant sells out of meat within three or four hours of opening every day.

Although Corkscrew serves traditional barbecue fare, such as ribs, brisket, chicken and sausage, Corkscrew also offers distinctive specialty items. Will said The Whole Hog sandwich and the Poncho & Lefty are among its best-sellers. Corkscrew offers meat by the pound, family packs, baked potatoes, spinach salads and a variety of sides.

"There's nothing we've cut off the menu since we opened, because everything sells just as good as the next thing," Nichole Buckman said.

Will said his passion for barbecue goes back to the years he worked for the Reed family, who owned Reed's BBQ in Old Town Spring several years ago.

"I was raised in a barbecue restaurant," he said. "They taught me a lot about business and a lot about life."

Will takes his barbecue seriously, getting to work in the middle of the night, hours before the trailer opens, to begin the day's meat preparation, which can take 10 to 14 hours. He said the restaurant's wood-burning pit makes Corkscrew stand out among other barbecue joints in the area, offering a distinctive flavor profile.

The meats aren't the only items made fresh in the mornings, the couple said, as they also have to prepare the cobbler, sides, sauces and brines.

"Most places chop their beef, pull their pork, all that stuff beforehand," Nichole said. "Nothing's pre-sliced. Everything is done at the order so it's the freshest you can get it."

Will said he does not know where the future of the business lies, but it is unlikely Corkscrew BBQ will ever offer an indoor location, and they would need more space to consider any expansion or to provide catering services.

"We're just letting the business grow naturally," he said. "We have a business model that works, and we're just not interested in changing it at this point."

Featured menu items

• The Whole Hog: A pulled pork sandwich topped with sausage and pork ribs ($9.95)
• Poncho & Lefty: A sliced brisket sandwich topped with pico de gallo and mayonnaise ($6.25)
• Tacos: Two corn tortillas topped with choice of meat, cabbage, pico de gallo and green chile ranch ($6.25)
• Meat plates: Meat options include brisket, sausage, chopped brisket, pulled pork and turkey breast, while sides include potato salad, baked beans, cole slaw, chips or macaroni and cheese; one meat with two sides ($8.25); two meats with two sides ($10.75); three meats with two sides ($13.75). Substitute ribs for $1.50
• Baked potato: Large baked potato topped with sweat cream butter, sour cream, green onions and cheddar cheese ($5.75); stuffed baked potato with choice of meat ($8.95); Corkscrew pulled pork potato ($9.95)
• Spinach salad: Spinach leaves topped with tomato, sliced carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, feta cheese and onions, and served with choice of dressing ($5.75); add pulled pork, turkey, sausage or brisket ($3.95); Corkscrew spinach salad with jalapenos, choice of meat and green chile ranch ($9.95)

24930 Budde Road, Spring, 832-592-1184, www.corkscrewbbq.com, Hours: 11 a.m.—2 p.m. or 3 p.m. (whenever it sells out) Tue.—Sat., Closed Sun.—Mon.