Bodacious BBQ's Reott family in it for the long haul

June 7, 2007
By Bill Sontag
Feature Writer

It’s a true family operation with pride that flavors everything, even the name. “Trey and Kim’s Bodacious BBQ” honors the kids, not the parents, Ted and Dina. The whole tribe puts heart, soul and daunting hours of work into the successful venture, eight miles north of Del Rio.

For hundreds of Del Rioans, the drive to the little red hut on the west side of U.S. Highway 90 West is worth the trip as well as the modest prices for succulent pork ribs, brisket, sausage, and pulled pork. Considering Texans’ taste for barbecue and smoked meats, there are surprisingly few restaurants in the region that cater to the carnivorous appetite. Bodacious BBQ stands tall in that narrow niche market.

The Reott family moved to Del Rio and set up a smokin’ meat diner with other relatives, Dec. 11, 2004, but Ted, Dina, Trey, 15, and Kim, 12, have recently sharpened their culinary skills among the immediate family. This is hand-made barbecue at its best, leaving almost no room on the menu for anything “store bought” except slices of white bread, a traditional southern barbecue accompaniment.

“I do not want to sell anything I didn’t cook myself,” asserted Ted Reott, Thursday (May 10). As implausible as the boast may sound, considering the volume of smoked meats, salads and pinto beans that fly out the doors of Bodacious BBQ nearly every day, Reott is as meticulous as a French chef about who prepared it and how they did it. When it comes to the tempting meats, beans, and piquant sauces, it’s all about him, and he offers no apologies.

Fortunately for Bodacious’ customers – and Ted – the cole slaw and potato salad are crafted by Dina with equal care and comparable results. Can anyone imagine Texas barbecue without cole slaw? Dina’s is crisp, crunchy and moderately sweet, the perfect complement to the smoked, falling-off-the-bone morsels of pork and beef.

Only three years ago, Ted completed his novitiate among the clergy of Texas barbecue mavens. “Before I started this business, I never cooked a brisket before in my life,” Reott said with a chuckle. He can laugh now, with success under his belt and more expected as Bodacious BBQ grows.

As with many barbecue joints, Bodacious BBQ’s menu features a maximum of sampling options and a minimum of confusion. Most popular are the two-, three-, and four-meat combination plates, with choices among beef brisket, tender pork ribs, pulled pork, and smoked sausage. All come with a pair of side orders. I recommend the slaw and “Trey’s Blow Torch Beans,” very spicy with slices of jalapeños throughout. But for stomachs that need a little more TLC, “Kim’s Sissy-Style Pinto Beans” are a great, tasty choice, too.

But the meat of the matter is the consistently satisfying flavor and texture of Ted’s prized meats. After all, isn’t that why anyone goes to a barbecue eatery? Since my youth in East Texas, fifty years ago and more, it was evident that barbecue could be offered up – such as at the Cellar Door in Houston – surrounded by spiffy décor, wagon wheel chandeliers, naughahyde upholstery, amber wall lights, linen tablecloths and heavy silverware.

But in Jasper, Woodville, Livingston, Richmond-Rosenberg, and College Station, a table covering of butcher paper under a bare light bulb did nothing to detract from the experience. To non-Texans, the rusticity was a tonic. Add to that a slab of yellow cheese, freshly-sliced onions, monster dill pickles, and the barbecue bonanza was complete.

Ted Reott’s meats are palate-pleasers. The tiny dining room is not lifted from the pages of Architectural Digest, but hungry customers can enjoy his tender, moist pulled pork, very lean brisket, and savory smoked sausage, and focus on the reason for the visit. And Reott’s ribs are simply memorable. My notes, from a late lunch at Bodacious BBQ, Thursday (May 10), say, “moist, tender, fabulous, no exaggeration.”

Reott’s sauces – spicy hot in the red squeeze bottle, mild in the brown bottle – are a blend of ingredients Ted won’t even discuss. Those ribs were not diminished by the sauce, but it just wasn’t necessary. “And that’s what I like to hear,” shot back Reott, jabbing the air with a forefinger.

Any disappointments were minor, by comparison. The iced tea could have steeped longer, and the potato salad was somewhat sweet, needing more egg and crunchy veggies. The peach cobbler dessert boasted great flavor of spices and fruit, but the dough was not firm and crisp as one might prefer.

Business is brisk, at times chaotic. During the first Citgo Bassmasters Elite Tournament on Lake Amistad, fishermen got a taste of Reott’s barbecue, and so did airmen, employees and families from Laughlin Air Force Base. “After than tournament, I sold 75 pounds of smoked meats a week, delivered out to Laughlin … For Laughlin, I’ll do anything for those people. I’ll kiss their butts,” Reott said, laughing.

He says long haul truckers now call ahead to be sure he’s open and ready to serve, but Reott recalls, with a wince, the most daunting order on record for his modest, but growing business.

“The biggest one we had was for two events going on at the Del Rio Civic Center at the same time. The combined order for a quinceañera [traditional girl’s 15th birthday party] and the Winter Visitors party was for 400 pounds of brisket and sausage. I slept here on a cot in the dining room the night before to get that cooked all night long and the next day,” Reott said.

With growth of demand, Reott has growth of facility and service on the drawing boards. He’s adding property to a cumulative total of 1.74 acres, “in the next few weeks,” and expanding dining room seating from 36 to 72. Even sooner, his menu will feature a new item, requested often: Smoked turkey breast will be available on Friday and Saturday menus.

Trey and Kim’s Bodacious BBQ is now open Wednesday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed on Tuesdays. Telephone orders may be placed for takeout, including meats by the pound, by calling 830-774-1019.