Longtime friends, co-owners and pitmasters James McFarland and Michael Michna opened Reveille Barbecue Co. in May on FM 1774. McFarland and Michna met through mutual friends nearly 13 years ago and now operate the eatery on weekends while working full-time elsewhere during the week, Michna said.

McFarland previously worked at The Pit Room in Montrose and Tejas Chocolate and Barbecue in Tomball, which have both ranked in Texas Monthly’s Top 50 Barbecue Joints, Michna said. Michna serves as a firefighter for the Houston Fire Department, often cooking and serving for his crew, he said.

The two brought Wade Elkins on as a third pitmaster and co-owner in late February. Elkins worked at Feges BBQ in Houston after starting his own catering and cooking business, he said.

“I don’t have so much of the restaurant background, but [I have] the service background,” Michna said. "[McFarland and Elkins] have the restaurant background, so it’s a little bit of a mixture of all of us coming together to bring [Reveille] to what it is.”

The eatery operates primarily out of a food truck with covered outdoor seating, Michna said, and everything on the menu—from the brisket, ribs, turkey and sausages to the sides, barbecue sauce and pickles—is house-made, which sets them apart from other barbecue restaurants, Michna said.

Having three pitmasters is also not typical, he said.

“All three of us are owners and pitmasters, so you’re getting our vision on every single plate, which means a lot,” Michna said. “It’s hard to train somebody else to do exactly what you want them to do.”

Michna, who grew up in Magnolia, said he wanted to provide quality barbecue for his hometown.

“We want to become a destination for the Magnolia community, where you want to come back [and] bring your friends, too, and eat our barbecue,” he said. “We wanted to bring something to Magnolia that hasn’t been here before.”

Reveille Barbecue Co.
37421 FM 1774, Magnolia
281-857-4338
www.reveillebbq.com
Hours: Fri. 4-8 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m. until sold out, closed Mon.-Thu.