{"id":311958,"date":"2026-05-28T05:31:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T05:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/311958\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T05:31:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T05:31:23","slug":"the-austin-barbecue-joint-that-dares-not-to-serve-brisket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/311958\/","title":{"rendered":"The Austin Barbecue Joint That Dares Not to Serve Brisket"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jack Zizzo\u2019s barbecue journey has tested him. His Austin joint, Space Kat Barbecue<\/a>, has closed three times due to forces outside his control. One of those times was in 2023, when his new food truck was stationed in San Diego. A fire sparked in the joint because of faulty assembly, and the business was out of commission for months. \u201cIf there is a higher power, it is literally telling me to not do this with my life,\u201d Zizzo said. Call him the Odysseus of barbecue, who followed a siren\u2019s song back to Texas.<\/p>\n

Zizzo started working in the pit room of La Barbecue<\/a> in 2014 under the tutelage of John Lewis<\/a> and Esaul Ramos<\/a> Jr. He worked there for a year and half before briefly opening his own pop-up, Birdhouse BBQ. Zizzo soon found a home in the Barley Swine<\/a> kitchen, which is where he met his current business partners, Lance Brase and Justin Payton. In 2017, he left Austin for good, he thought, to return to his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, where he made waves with his first iteration of Space Kat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was making so much money in Youngstown,\u201d he said. \u201cMy costs were so low, and I was the only barbecue in town.\u201d After the COVID-19 pandemic, he was looking for a fresh start and to be closer to the ocean. Business was good on the West Coast too, but after the fire, his debts mounted. Then he developed two extruding discs in his back. \u201cI could barely walk some days,\u201d Zizzo said. He sold the truck, the smokers, and most of his other equipment. He thought his barbecue journey was over.<\/p>\n

Zizzo received treatment for his back, and his condition improved. He worked as a private chef, which was a bit easier on his body than being a pitmaster, but it wasn\u2019t as rewarding. He missed the smoke. \u201c[Barbecue is] the only thing that makes me completely happy when I\u2019m doing it, and it\u2019s the only thing I\u2019m truly good at that makes money,\u201d he said. He got a loan and found a minibus he could turn into a food truck. \u201cI knew I couldn\u2019t run it in San Diego anymore, and I was looking for the best place for the business,\u201d he said. His old home of Austin made the most sense because of the city\u2019s deep appreciation for smoked meat, so he moved back and reopened Space Kat on the East Side in February.<\/p>\n

\"Space\"SpaceYou won\u2019t find brisket on this tray, but you will find ribs (pork and lamb) and tri-tip.Photograph by Daniel Vaughn<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering why there\u2019s no brisket on the menu, \u201cThis is not Texas barbecue,\u201d Zizzo told me on a recent Friday while touring his setup. Instead, the main cut of beef you\u2019ll find is two grades of tri-tip. A choice-grade version sells for $34 per pound, while the better-marbled Akaushi is $54 per pound. I tried the latter, which was smoked in a trailer-mounted offset with post oak until medium, then finished on a grill fueled with oak coals. It\u2019s brushed with a spiced-up au jus and served sliced, so you could see the fine marbling in the cross sections. It was tender and had a good char. \u201cI believe there\u2019s enough great brisket in Central Texas, so I think it\u2019s time for something new,\u201d Zizzo said. I\u2019m on board if the tri-tip is always this good.<\/p>\n

He makes a less successful swap by replacing pulled pork<\/a> with a portion of pork butt known as the \u201cmoney muscle.\u201d He calls it \u201ccoppa,\u201d although it doesn\u2019t exactly resemble the Italian cured meat, because it\u2019s sliced about as thick as a pork steak. Mine had a texture bordering on mushy and a washed-out flavor from either a foil wrap or being kept too long in a warmer. This is an example where embracing a lesser-used Texas cut like the pork steak<\/a> may have been better.<\/p>\n

Other than the coppa, every protein is smoked, then finished on the grill. \u201cA touch of carbonization is okay with me,\u201d Zizzo said. That worried me when it came to the baby back ribs (available as a half or full rack at $19 and $38, respectively), served uncut. My half rack had an alarmingly dark bark, but it didn\u2019t taste burnt. Although I\u2019d prefer not to have to separate the ribs myself, I loved the intense flavor mixture of salty, sweet, smoky, and a little spicy. The lamb chops were another favorite, due to their perfectly pink interior and juiciness and the chimichurri served on the side for dipping. To make them even better, they could have used some char on the fat cap.<\/p>\n

Zizzo practiced his sausage making at La Barbecue and Barley Swine along with Payton, his fellow Space Kat pitmaster and partner, who takes the lead here. The yellow tint in the hot link comes from turmeric, and though well-seasoned, it needed some more spice to match the name. Its juicy blend of ground beef and pork had a few unfortunate chunks of hard gristle, but the casing had a great snap.<\/p>\n

The skin-on chicken thighs best exemplified the power of Zizzo\u2019s two-step cooking process. The meat was tender and smoky, and the skin was so crisp it was like a chicharron. I also enjoyed the pimento poppers, jalape\u00f1os stuffed with pimento cheese and a bit of brisket, then wrapped in thick-sliced bacon. They\u2019re a hearty appetizer at $4 each.<\/p>\n

The sides are more mainstream. The creamy mac and cheese is satisfying, as is the crunchy slaw with mayo-based dressing. The potato salad needed more seasoning and less celery. I preferred the savory pinto beans in a rich broth. The sole dessert, however, is anything but basic: Chocolate mousse gets some pop from orange zest, and the sea salt bourbon caramel and smoked pecans take it over the top.<\/p>\n

Zizzo was right: Austin is barbecue central<\/a>, and it doesn\u2019t need another option for brisket. Sadly, though, Space Kat is having a hard time gaining traction, even with its unique take on barbecue. We were the only customers during our meal, though I was happy to see it had sold out of meat this past Sunday. \u201cWe\u2019re being patient,\u201d Zizzo said. \u201cIt\u2019s part of the growing pains.\u201d If there\u2019s anything that Zizzo\u2019s proven, it\u2019s that a little struggle won\u2019t keep him down.<\/p>\n

Space Kat Barbecue<\/a>\u00a0
2431 Webberville Road, Austin<\/a>
Hours: Thursday\u2013Sunday 11\u20135
Phone: 737-418-8508
Pitmasters: Lance Brase, Justin Payton, and Jack Zizzo
Method: Oak in an offset smoker and a grill
Year opened: 2026<\/p>\n

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