The wait for impossibly-tender brisket and beef ribs is over, Oakland.
After months of city-permitting delays, a full-scale pandemic and setbacks due to theft and graffiti, pitmaster and barbecue savant Matt Horn is opening his first restaurant today in the former Brown Sugar Kitchen location at 2534 Mandela Parkway in West Oakland.
“There were times when it was discouraging and I felt a little deflated,” Horn explained, speaking to a small group of food writers touring the new restaurant Thursday.
His resilience and patience paid off. Horn BBQ will open for takeout and outdoor dining starting at 11 a.m., and the social media buzz around Horn’s Central Texas-inspired ‘cue — not to mention his wife Nina’s banana pudding — has spurred the Oakland fire department into action.
“They’re stepping in to help, because there are (online) groups where people are talking about traveling in from other places — Los Angeles, Arizona, New Mexico — to camp out,” he said.
Fans of Horn’s legendary pop ups, which took place down the road in an abandoned repair shop on Center Street, will recognize dishes on the small but mighty menu: beef brisket, spare ribs, beef ribs, pulled pork and turkey available by the pound ($22-$30) or as sandwiches ($15), and side dishes ($6 or $10), including the collard greens and black-eyed peas of his childhood and a new dish, Granny’s Potatoes, a casserole-style dish layered with melted sharp cheddar.
Horn will reserve the specials, like oxtails, smoked whole hog and lamb shoulder, for Sundays in the large patio on Campbell Street, which has been closed to accommodate about 18 black-and-white picnic-style tables — and a makeshift bar for Southern sweet tea.
The exterior of Horn’s BBQ, where brisket-loving folks will line up for takeout. (Jessica Yadegaran/Staff)
It’s been a long road to this moment. Horn got his start on a small vertical smoker at Fresno-area farmers market before moving to the Bay Area with Nina in 2016. They popped up at breweries and eventually found the General Repair location, where they parked Lucille, a decommissioned 500-gallon wood smoker, and gave away free beer to people who were willing to wait hours in line.
Horn describes them as 48-hour days, from buying and preparing the meat to staying up for 16 hours straight to cook it and evetually hand-slice it in front of his customers, who shared stories and made personal connections with Horn.
“The lines were this whole tailgate kind of experience,” he recalled. “I’ve had people reach out and tell me, ‘I met my wife in line at one of your pop ups.’”
He is relieved to be cooking in one spot now, instead of setting up and packing up nightly.
“It gives me that peace of mind so I can cook comfortably,” he said. “Traveling in (from the Valley), then cleaning up, getting home and then ready to do it all over again, I was always on edge. I had to scramble to get there and still greet everyone with a smile and great attitude.”
Oakland pitmaster Matt Horn and his son, Mattie, break for a fist bump atop Lucille the smoker. (Courtesy Horn BBQ)
Quarantine allowed him to recharge and spend time with his kids, Mattie and Leilani. Now, he’s ready to get back to the grind, tending to a fire until 3 or 4 a.m. to smoke his meats just right.
“The finished product is the thing that keeps me going but also being able to give it to people and see their reaction and response,” he said. “I think that’s the most important part.”
When indoor dining is allowed to resume, you’ll see the restaurant transformed from its Tanya Holland days. Glass partitions now separate the open kitchen from the bar, where the swivel stools are newly swathed in cowhide-inspired fabric. Edison-style bulbs dangle above a wooden banquette, which runs the length of the wall.
And through the glass, you can see the biggest change: A yet-to-be-named, 10,000-gallon custom smoker, handmade by Harper Barbecue in Costa Mesa, that sits under what is likely the longest hood in the Bay Area. Horn never meant to replace Lucille, but after Oakland’s Department of Transportation denied Horn an encroachment permit to house the smoker behind the restaurant, he knew he had to take his wood-smoking inside if he was ever going to open.
“That was a way of finding a solution for dealing with all the hurdles we had to go through,” he said. “I want guests to come in and see the smoker and invite them into the process of who we are and what we do. I didn’t want it to be just another barbecue joint.”
Although the Horns are not from Oakland, they have quickly found community in this corner of town, helping to feed local encampments during the pandemic and finding shelter for the unhoused. Matt has big plans for Thanksgiving meal giveaways.
“As long as we’re here and allowed to share our heart through our barbecue, we’re gonna continue to do that,” he said.
Horn BBQ’s opening hours are Thursdays to Sundays, from 11 a.m. until they sell out, at 2534 Mandela Parkway, Oakland. For more information visit www.hornbarbecue.com.
