A Little Taste of Texas on the Mendocino Coast

by Esther Liner

There’s truth to the saying, “You know the food’s good when the table goes quiet.” Before we had language, we had fire, and once we had fire, we had barbecue. Academics argue over what our first words were, but I can tell you in my bones what I know to be true: they were “Mmm” and “Ahhh” uttered around a fire, through mouthfuls of wood-smoked game-meat. I suspect all other words were born of these two sounds.

Over the last few months, I’ve watched time and again as people are rendered speechless by their first bite of Sam Cook’s Smoked Out Barbecue. You can see the fuse of joy ignite at the base of their spines and the spark dance all the way up before erupting into a delighted grin. When Sam asks people how it is, at first they have no words, just reflexive, instinctual “Mmms” and “Ahhhs.”

As a food and travel writer, it’s been my job to scout the best BBQ in the country— Louisiana, Georgia, the Carolinas, Kansas, even Washington State. While each regional style has its merits, for my liking, Texas Style is where it’s at. I’d given up all hope of finding decent, let alone excellent Texas BBQ in Northern California. That is, until I met Sam Cook of Austin, Texas.

Sam arrived in Mendocino in 2013, at the age of 20. While he loved his newfound community, he missed Texas BBQ something fierce. In preparation for a 2018 Adult Kickball charity event at Friendship Park, Sam decided to try and recreate the flavors he calls home. He mined YouTube videos and cookbooks for rub-potions and sauce spells from top-tier pit masters. Sam took a pinch from here and a dash from there, ultimately creating his own style of Texas BBQ utilizing the hardwoods, meats, and produce of Northern California. He uses Valley oak for his smokes, and is looking to source dry orchard woods, like pecan, apple, and cherry, from further inland.

Encouraged by those who got their first taste of his cooking at Friendship Park, Sam is now doing weekend pop-up events. Every week he makes sure to serve both Fort Bragg and Mendocino at historic bars like Milano, Golden West, and Dick’s Place, as well as art openings and events. He uses naturally raised beef brisket and pork shoulder, his sides include locally sourced ingredients like collard greens from Wavelength Farm, potato salad dressed light and kept crisp, and home-baked organic white bread for Texas Toast.

Born in San Antonio, Sam was the third child in as many years delivered by a young mother who knew love alone was not enough to give her baby the life he deserved. Via a Methodist adoption agency, she pored over dossier after dossier of hopeful parents until she came across a letter written by Ben and Marsha Cook of Austin, Texas. “We loved Sam before we ever met him,” shares Ben. “We were looking for him and, I like to believe, he was looking for us. We were there at the moment of his birth. He was the most beautiful baby boy you’d ever seen. We took him home to Austin the next day where both his Grandmothers were waiting for him. It was love at first sight for us all.”

That love included the family’s pair of golden retrievers, Tory and Bear. His dad recalls how Sam taught Bear how to climb the ladder to his treehouse and slide down the slide. “All day, the two of them, up and down the ladder. He’d curl up on the floor with our dogs, rest his head on them, and they’d snuggle him like he was their own pup.”

One of the first friends Sam made when he landed in Mendocino was Kyle Houghton. Gregarious and kind, Kyle was unafraid to show his love to friends and strangers alike, and treated Sam like a long lost brother. Though I didn’t meet Sam until recently, I, too, met Kyle in 2013. We were both at a party when he saw me wrangling more bags of groceries than I could handle, and he swooped in to relieve me of my burden. He’d carried all six bags up a treacherous staircase before I could even catch his name or say thanks. Tragically, our community lost Kyle in August of 2020. Big, brave, gentle, blonde, a total water-dog—in essence he was the human embodiment of Bear, Sam’s Golden Retriever. His sudden death left Sam bereft of the closest person to a brother he’d ever known.

Sam is not proud of the places his grief took him after Kyle’s death, but he’s learned from his travels. If it weren’t for the unrelenting faith and unconditional love expressed by his friends and family, there’s a good chance Sam wouldn’t be here. Yet when he reflects on that difficult time, Sam shares that it all came down to a feeling—“I gotta own up. My work here isn’t done. I know leaving wouldn’t fix anything. It never does. I know I owe it to the people who believe in me to try, and that I owe it to myself.”

Sam knows that while running from his problems won’t fix a thing, other kinds of running are okay, and he’s training to run his first marathon in October. Exercise helps him overcome inertia that, unchecked, can exacerbate depression. It gives him a place to channel all that stuck energy, and a chance to spend time with Sadie, his sweet black Lab-Akita mix. After a recent jaunt up Big River, he confides, “Thank goodness Sadie needed to stop for a break, or I might have been done for.” A smile spreads across his usually serious face and lights his eyes like a crackling campfire.

Sam’s good friend Vincent Lee provides space in his wooded backyard for Sam to practice his craft. “I met Sam when things were going south for him after Kyle,” Vincent recalls. “I just kept thinking, if he can follow his passion for barbecue and feeding people, he’s gonna be all right. I mean, you’ve tasted his food right?”

On a mild afternoon I visit Sam in Vincent’s back yard as he keeps the fire. Part way through, he removes the brisket from the smoker, explaining, “This is how we do it in Texas: when it’s time, we wrap it in butcher paper before returning it to the smoker, to protect the tenderness and what-not.” The 12+ hour process takes patience and vigilance, but is not without its rewards. As Sam works the grill, he confides, “There’s nothing better than that joy you see on people’s faces when you’re feeding them. It’s the best—nothing else even comes close.”

I’ve witnessed that joy first-hand. Over the past couple of months, I’ve brought Sam’s sandwiches to servers, bartenders, and my own mother. These are people who habitually give too much of themselves to others and forget to save a piece for themselves. I’ve seen how Sam’s food brings them back into their bodies.

Sam’s good friend Nicole Beauchimin was a steadfast supporter during Sam’s darker days. “Sam is one of the most loyal, loving, and capable people I’ve ever met,” Nicole reflects. “He loves feeding people. He’s at his best when he lets that love shine through.” That love is evident in an anecdote Sam’s dad shares with me. “You know my son, when y’all lost your power, he pulled his smoker into town and offered to cook up people’s meats, so that they wouldn’t spoil without electricity. That’s who Sam is.”

The flavors in Sam Cook’s Smoked Out BBQ are an expression of his generous roots, nurtured by his family and friends. They are a love letter to where he’s from and where he is now. “I wanted to show people around here what I’m saying when I say I miss home,” Sam shares. Eating his fantastic BBQ, you’ll get a little homesick for Texas, too, even as the breeze off the Pacific cools your face outside of Dick’s Place on Mendocino’s Main Street.

You can find where he is week to week on his Instagram. Be sure to get there early enough to partake—once the word is out, perfectly smoked, expertly seasoned love-on-a-plate goes fast. In a time when people seem to be wobbling somewhat under the weight of the world, it turns out that the ideal remedy for a soul stretched thin is a little taste of Texas.

Sam Cook is at Dick’s place in Mendocino every Saturday from 3pm-until Sold Out. He is also for hire for private events. You can reach him through his IG: @smoked_out_barbeque

Esther Liner is a freelance writer and photographer who splits her time between the Mendocino Coast and the East Bay. She writes about: slow food, fast times, rad art, and the Captains who make it happen. Instagram: @esther_liner / Inquiries: estherlinerwriter@gmail.com

Cover photo is courtesy of Sam Cook. Additional photos provided by Esther Liner.