VERA'S BACKYARD BARBECUE TO BE HONORED IN BARBECUE FESTIVAL AT MARKET SQUARE OCTOBER 17

by Julian Resendez, valleycental.com

Texas Monthly announced its lineup for the next Barbecue Festival Roundup Edition.

The festival is making a stop in Brownsville, Tyler, and Lubbock according to their website.  Local restaurants are scheduled to be featured on October 17, 2021, at Brownsville's Market Square.

Armando Vera

Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que is one of the local restaurants selected and owner Armando Vera said he is honored to be selected.

“My biggest thing that I’m proud of is coming from this area, which is the southmost area,” said Vera.

He shared that his family started the business in 1955 and their current location has been in operation since 1957.

He said the business was his childhood home and family business.

Vera said the restaurant is well known in the Brownsville community and across the nation, as he has been featured in multiple stories on television, in books, and in magazines.

Adelita Vera

“It’s grown throughout the years and we’ve been blessed, super blessed, we’re known throughout the nation,” said Vera.

Vera’s food is widely known for its unique method of cooking in an underground pit.

He explained that the underground pit has been used since they opened in 1957 and the cooking process takes 10 to 12 hours.

Once his food is ready to sell, people start lining up inside the restaurant and at their drive-thru, for their chance to get some barbacoa and other items, before it sells out.

“The food is just simply the best, I like the barbacoa on Sundays, it’s kind of like a tradition,” said Brownsville resident, Charles Peña.

Vera said he appreciates his customers from the community and across the nation that visit his restaurant, making it a destination restaurant.