Barbecue Truck Kerlin BBQ Is Reopening With $5,000 Worth of Free Ribs

There has been a brisket kolache-shaped void in the Austin restaurant scene since March, but, finally, barbecue truck Kerlin BBQ is reopening on Friday, September 4. Sweetening the deal, charcoal company Kingsford Charcoal is sponsoring the East Sixth trailer’s opening day by setting up a $5,000 tab for ribs.

Kerlin BBQ is known for brisket kolaches (the subject of a love letter from Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn), but it also serves standard and stellar Texas barbecue fare like brisket, ribs, hot links, and sides. The reopening date also happens to be the trailer’s seven-year anniversary.

Specifically, the Kingsford tab provides one order of ribs per person, until the end of the day or until the total hits $5,000 (Kerlin also has free beer from Houston brewery St. Arnold’s). The opening day tab from Kingsford is part of a nationwide donation of $250,000 to 25 different pitmasters (Daddy Duncan’s in Katy also had a tab in late August). Kerlin also shared its ribs recipe on the Kingsford website.

Co-owners Bill and Amelis Kerlin opened the barbecue truck on East Cesar Chavez in 2013, and was named some of the best barbecue in the country in 2015. It moved down the street in 2019. It has been temporarily closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kerlin is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or until sold out.

• All Coverage of Kerlin BBQ [EATX]