{"id":7926,"date":"2025-10-17T05:41:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T05:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/7926\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T05:41:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T05:41:27","slug":"this-barbecue-bus-stands-out-on-the-corpus-christi-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/7926\/","title":{"rendered":"This Barbecue Bus Stands Out on the Corpus Christi Scene"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Andrew Pe\u00f1a\u2019s job as a refinery inspector in Corpus Christi was paused during COVID-19, he went looking for a smoker. He found one nearby via an online ad and hauled it back to his driveway. Pe\u00f1a had been grilling steaks and ribs since he was twelve, but smoking brisket became his new challenge. By mid-2020, he was confident enough to sell his barbecue for preorders on Facebook. Needing a name and a logo, he sketched one out for Full Send BBQ<\/a>. \u201cIt means one hundred percent. Don\u2019t take shortcuts,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhat you put into it is what you get out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pe\u00f1a started dating a woman named Desirae Hill, who happened to be a great cook. They\u2019re no longer a couple, but they became a barbecue duo serving out of their driveway. They graduated to pop-ups and serving smoked meats out of a local bar. They wanted a place of their own. \u201cInstead of driving around and pulling the pit, I needed somewhere to be stable,\u201d Pe\u00f1a said, so they found a short bus and an empty lot to lease in downtown Corpus Christi<\/a>. After bringing in a shipping container retrofitted with a restroom at one end and storage space at the other, they laid some turfgrass and opened in August 2023.<\/p>\n

I stopped in on a recent Friday at opening time, and Pe\u00f1a showed me around the pit room while Hill finished writing the day\u2019s menu on a whiteboard. Mesquite wood was stacked by one end. Pe\u00f1a wanted to use the local wood he grew up cooking with instead of Central Texas post oak. \u201cI want to be true to the area,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really respected when you can perfect [smoking with mesquite] and it\u2019s not overwhelming.\u201d The wood is prevalent in Texas but has a reputation for producing smoke<\/a> that\u2019s too strong for the long cooks required for large cuts, like brisket. Pe\u00f1a disagrees. \u201cDon\u2019t neglect [the firebox], and it will be steady,\u201d he said. \u201cOxygen is its best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pe\u00f1a then joined Hill in the trailer to prepare trays for my order. They urged me to come again on a Saturday, when they serve smoked pork belly, duck, or oxtails, or on a Sunday, when they smoke beef cheeks and beef ribs. When Pe\u00f1a finished slicing and plating the barbecue, Hill brought the trays to one of the many picnic tables on the synthetic lawn.<\/p>\n

The mesquite smoke on the brisket was perfectly balanced. The fatty slices were very juicy, and the lean slices were buttery tender. I loved the simple seasoning mix of salt, black pepper, and garlic. Pe\u00f1a used the same mixture on a huge chicken quarter that had just come off the smoker and was piping hot. The skin was crisp, but the meat could have spent some more time becoming tender on the smoker.<\/p>\n

Hill shreds some of the brisket for her dirty rice. The menu normally includes Puerto Rican rice (Hill has familial ties to the Cherokee Nation, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico), but this diversion is a success, with bold flavors that pair spectacularly well with the savory black beans. Hill also makes tart collard greens with plenty of ham hock, as well as some of the eggiest potato salad I\u2019ve had\u2014I loved it. The star side, though, was the pasta with a rich sauce made from a three-cheese blend.<\/p>\n

\"photo\"photoDesirae Hill and Andrew Pe\u00f1a.Photograph by Daniel Vaughn<\/p>\n

With all the brisket Pe\u00f1a was smoking, there was plenty of trim to be utilized. He learned to make sausage, but not enough for the business. Full Send smokes the raw sausages produced by Nathan and Josh Kolenovsky at Boarri<\/a>, a local meat market. They make a recipe using Oaxaca cheese and green chiles rather than the standard cheddar and jalape\u00f1o. The links are spectacular, with juice bursting through the snappy casings with every bite. Pe\u00f1a\u2019s spareribs are also impressive. There\u2019s a hint of sweetness in the mahogany bark but also plenty of salt and pepper. I alternated each bite of smoked meat with bites of thick, sweet strands of pickled red onion and tart pickled cucumbers\u2014both made in-house\u2014as crunchy palate cleansers. (The only item Pe\u00f1a and Hill don\u2019t make themselves is the white bread.)<\/p>\n

I noticed a few other details at Full Send that made the experience more memorable. Hill doesn\u2019t leave the music to some algorithm to choose. She carefully curates an eclectic playlist that hums through the outdoor speakers on the lot. I love a Robert Earl Keen<\/a> tune, so when \u201cCorpus Christi Bay\u201d came on as I waited for my order just a few blocks from said body of water, I felt like I was in the right place. Some R&B, alternative, and classic-rock tunes were also sprinkled in. When another Keen song, \u201cBarbeque,\u201d hit twenty minutes later, I was mid-bite into that brisket, and everything felt right with the world.<\/p>\n

I asked Pe\u00f1a if his job at the refinery ever became available again after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. \u201cI can always go back,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I\u2019m in too deep.\u201d He and Hill are on a mission to serve the best barbecue in Corpus Christi, and they\u2019ve got to keep the mesquite fires burning. \u201cEven though the money\u2019s way better\u201d at his old job, Pe\u00f1a said, \u201cI\u2019d rather be happy doing what I love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Correction: This article has been updated to clarify the relationship between the business partners and to include the name of the sausage supplier.<\/p>\n

Full Send BBQ<\/a>
411 Taylor, Corpus Christi<\/a>
Hours:\u00a0Friday\u2013Saturday 11\u20132, Sunday 11\u20133
Phone:\u00a0361-371-2015
Pitmaster:\u00a0Andrew Pe\u00f1a
Method:\u00a0Mesquite in an offset smoker
Year opened:\u00a02023<\/p>\n

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