What's Eric Eating Episodes 347 and 348

Powerhouse Texas pitmaster and prolific photographer dish on award-winning Burnt BBQ joint

Photographer Robert Jacob Lerma and chef Ernest Servantes are this week's guests.

Courtesy of Robert Jacob Lerma

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Ernest Servantes and Robert Jacob Lerma join CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler in a free-flowing conversation about barbecue, whiskey, and more. Servantes is the chef-owner of Burnt Bean Company, a barbecue restaurant in Seguin, and Lerma is an award-winning photographer whose work has appeared in publications across the country.

The two men began their friendship when Servantes was rising up the ranks of the competition barbecue circuit and Lerma was establishing his reputation as a photographer. They’ve traveled across the United States and beyond eating barbecue and teaching it to others. All of those experiences fueled Servantes’s desire to open a restaurant.

Since Burnt Bean opened in late 2020, it has earned wide acclaim, including being ranked the fourth best barbecue joint in the state by Texas Monthly and earning a 2023 James Beard Award finalist nomination in the category of Best Chef: Texas for Servantes and his business partner David Kirkland.

What sets Burnt Bean apart is the way Servantes blends traditional meats with sides inspired by his Mexican heritage and childhood in Uvalde, Texas. The restaurant has become known for its Sunday brunch service that features different specials every week.

“Basically what I’m doing is inviting you to my house growing up on a Sunday morning after church. I took my grandparents' and parents' recipes and tweaked them,” Servantes says. “I gave you what I wanted you to eat. We get a lot of people who ask ‘hey, can I get [somethine else]?’ No, there’s no substitutions, other than if a kid under five wants a scrambled egg. Other than that, you’re gonna eat what I want to serve you, because you’re invited to my house.”

“It’s Mexican soul food. It’s super loud and crazy. We call it the Mexican Waffle House. You’ve got short order cooking and the music blaring in the background. You’re eating the cuisine I was raised with. You’re eating the tacos, the huevos Rancheros. I get to do it once a week where I can really spread my culinary wings.”

Listen to the full episode to hear the two friends discuss the current state of Texas barbecue, Servantes’ thoughts on being nominated for a James Beard Award, and Lerma’s take on the current state of Texas whiskey. The two men also share memories of John Brotherton, the popular Austin-area pitmaster who passed away last month.

In this week’s other episode, Felice Sloan joins Sandler to discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: the 11 Houston-area chefs and restaurants who earned semifinalist nominations for the James Beard Awards; the sudden closure of Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company; and restaurateur Claire Smith’s plans to close Alice Blue at the end of February.

In the restaurant of the week segment, they visit Tavola, the new Italian fine dining restaurant from Berg Hospitality. Listen to hear their thoughts on its transformation from La Table and which dishes they’d order again.

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Goldee's and Barbs Go North

2 Michelin-recognized pitmasters cooking up Texas barbecue joint in NYC

Photo by Will Milne

Kirbee's will stay true to the menus at the two barbecue joints that came before it. (Pictured: A tray at Goldee's Bar-B-Q)

Two important restaurants in the Texas barbecue scene have spawned a new project in a less-expected locale: New York City. Barbs B Q owner Chuck Charnichart and former Goldee's Bar-B-Q partner Jonny White will open Kirbee's, a restaurant combining classic dishes from both of its progenitors, at 55 McGuinness Blvd. South in Greenpoint (a neighborhood in Brooklyn) in about four to five months, White says.

Both White and Charnichart have led two of Texas's most well-regarded barbecue joints. Located in Fort Worth, Goldee's ranked No. 1 on Texas Monthly's list of the state's 50 best barbecue restaurants in 2021 and ranked No. 3 on the 2025 list. Charnichart, who worked at Goldee's, opened Barbs B Q in Lockhart in 2023. Earlier this week, Barbs earned an impressive three-star review in the New York Times. Both restaurants hold Bib Gourmand designations in the Michelin Guide.

Eater New York broke the news on February 24, and White caught CultureMap up with some additional written details.

As Eater points out, Charnichart brings creative dishes from her Lockhart restaurant like pork ribs with lime zest, Mexican-spiced brisket, and the famous "green spaghett" made with poblanos and cilantro. White brings lauded barbecue from Fort Worth that's more fit for purists, including smoked turkey, brisket, and classic sides.

For many, Barbs B Q represents the Texas barbecue vanguard. Now New Yorkers will be in on it, too.Photo by Bryce Gilbertson

White further tells CultureMap that the menu will probably be organized into plates and trays so that guests can sample one barbecue joint or the other.

White has been in New York for seven months after selling his shares of Goldee's. He's secured a building and is working with contractors to convert it for barbecue greatness. The two pitmasters will get to work together physically soon — although White doesn't spill the beans about whether Charnichart plans to move there or just visit.

Kirbee's exterior New York Kirbee's will take over this cheerful space.Photo by Jonny White

"Chuck is one of my best friends and an amazing chef," White says. "I’m super excited for us to be working together again and we are excited to be in New York!"

One of the adjustments the duo had to make to thrive in the Big Apple is to make do with a smaller smoker setup. Instead of traditional offset smokers — the large barrels Texas foodies are used to seeing out back at their favorite barbecue joints — Kirbee's will use smoker ovens. White confirms the decision was about space, but he's hopeful the more consistent cooking process will actually be better than the Texas norm. "I think it will be interesting for people to compare," he says.

The real question for barbecue-lovers who are in it for the culture: How will New Yorkers deal with the lines?

"I think they’re used to long lines and being served to order because of Katz," White says, referring to Katz's Delicatessen, an ultra-famous New York deli since 1888 that's known for its gigantic pastrami sandwiches. But if it's not the brisket that transports Yankees to the Southwest, the Texas pitmaster looks forward to introducing them to Waco's own Big Red.

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