Texans fans going to NRG Stadium for Saturday’s preseason game against the New York Giants will notice a new barbecue vendor. Truth BBQ will occupy the former Killen’s Barbecue locations at sections 109 and 129.
Truth pitmaster-owner Leonard Botello IV tells CultureMap that he had been looking for ways to extend the restaurant’s reach without opening a third location. After all, Houston is such a large city that, even after five years of serving on Washington Avenue, the restaurant still sees new customers all the time.
Still, he wanted to preserve the specialness of visiting the restaurant. With the way Truth’s staff rallied through Covid — not only keeping the restaurant open but adding curbside pickup and, more recently, dinner service with a full bar — Botello says he became convinced that exploring an opportunity to serve at a sports stadium made sense.
“Texas, barbecue, Houston Texans — that’s where that idea started of how can we double down on Houston and reach more people while also supporting the community without taking away from the specialness of Truth on Washington,” Botello says.
Ultimately, Botello says that part of the credit for the decision to work with the Texans goes to the team’s success on the field under the leadership of coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud. He recognizes there’s a new level of excitement around the team after it won the AFC South in 2023 and is among the favorites to win the conference this season.
“After last season with the playoffs, the stands were just electric. It was wild to see. I remember going to Oilers games as a child or Rockets game with Hakeem Olajuwon. Those stadiums were nuts. To feel the Texans last season, that was a turning point for us. This could be a cool idea.”
It wouldn't be a stadium without nachos.Photo by Ben Sassani
Thankfully, the team was also interested in bringing Truth on board. Texans president Greg Grissom explains that Truth’s prominence both locally and nationally — Texas Monthly ranked it No. 3 in the state in 2021 — as well as its commitment to the community made it a good fit for the team.
“We visited the restaurant multiple times. I’m a big fan,” Grissom says. “Their jalapeno and cheese sausage might be my favorite. I’ve ordered it myself personally a number of time and am really excited to bring it to the stadium.”
To ensure that the quality of the food served at the stadium matches Truth's reputation, the same cooks who smoke the brisket, ribs, and other proteins at Truth’s location on Washington Avenue are also doing all the cooking at NRG Stadium. Botello says he got advice from New York pitmaster Billy Durney, owner of Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognized Hometown Bar-B-Que in Brooklyn, about using the stadium's J&R Manufacturing Oyler rotisserie smokers in such a way that they produce the same quality that Truth does with the barrel-style offset smokers at the restaurant. The meats are also wrapped, held, and sliced in the same way at the stadium as they are at the restaurant.
"We don’t want to jeopardize quality and consistency. That was another reason we moved pretty slowly on this," Botello says.
Truth will have three separate offerings in different parts of the stadium. On the main concourse, diners will find a chopped beef sandwich, barbecue brisket nachos, a Truth dog that uses the restaurant’s jalapeno-and-cheese sausage topped with cole slaw, and the barbecue beef and cheese, which is essentially a Philly cheesesteak made with smoked brisket instead of sliced steak. In the coming weeks, the stands will add a barbecue brisket tater tot smash using the restaurant’s signature tater tot casserole.
The barbecue brisket tater tot smash will roll out in a few weeks.Photo by Ben Sassani
Photo by Ben Sassani
Get a chopped beef sandwich at two stands on the main concourse.
On the club level, fans will have the opportunity to go through a traditional barbecue line and order plates that are sliced to order. Suite packages with the restaurant’s full menu of meat and sides rounds out the offerings. While the partnership is launching with football season, it also extends to all NRG Stadium events such as concerts and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
“Through all of our discussions with them, one thing came across loud and clear was they weren’t going to sacrifice anything that’s made them who they are,” Grissom says. “We feel very confident that the same quality you’ll experience at their restaurant you’ll experience here at NRG Stadium on gameday.”
Botello and his team got a trial run with last weekend’s Luke Combs concerts, but concert goers don’t dine with quite the same enthusiasm as 70,000 football fans. Nevertheless, they’re ready for the challenge.
“These guys love to get crushed. Barbecue is hard work, but when there’s a line out the door and smiling faces, you have no other options than to crank it out,” Botello says.
“We’re excited to feel the energy in the stadium. Seeing fans excited to eat Truth’s food. That’s what we’re ready to do. They’re all like ‘let’s f—ing go.’”
