BBQ 036: Legendary 82-year-old Snow's Texas BBQ Pitmaster Tootsie

82-year-old Texas BBQ pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz is the guest this week on the Best BBQ Show. Tootsie helps run the pits at one of the best BBQ places in the world, Snow's BBQ in Lexington, Texas.

You've heard about Snow's Barbecue before on the show, but this is the first time the great Tootsie has sat down to chat with the Meat Men. In the interview Tootsie talks about being world famous while still working as a janitor for a local school district and more fun stories.

When Kerry Bexley opened Snow's in 2003 he knew immediately he wanted Tootsie as his star. When Kerry was young he remembered her Central Texas meat market and her legendary ham sandwiches. When Snow's was named the best bbq in Texas by Texas Monthly in 2008, the state (and then the world) began to notice the magic made there every Saturday.

Thanks for listening! Shoutout to #meatman Clay Cowgill from Snow's for making such amazing bark, too. Enjoy our talk with a true icon of the BBQ scene.

As always, find us online at www.bestbarbecueshow.com and message us at contact@bestbarbecueshow.com.

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Here's some more info on Snow's from their website:

How Did This World Famous Texas BBQ Get Started?

Kerry Bexley, owner of Snow’s BBQ, knew there was a demand for good BBQ in the small town of Lexington with a population of only 1100 people. Lexington has always been known for its Saturday BBQ. It’s just a tradition! Kerry and Ms. Tootsie Tomanetz, pit boss, discussed the possibilities in the late 90’s of opening a BBQ joint, but took no action until several years later.

In November of 2002, Kerry stopped to visit with Ms. Tootsie, kicked the ashes around, and discussed again the opening of this joint. She told Kerry that if he was serious, they better sit down and have a real “heart to heart”. They did just that, and Kerry immediately started building the BBQ pits. March 1, 2003, was the first day of business… and Kerry’s intuition was right. Good BBQ, good service, and friendly people has helped to keep the fire burning, maintaining a steady and consistent business for the last five years. Along with Ms. Tootsie and Kerry, his daughters help out each Saturday morning learning the importance of responsibility and dealing with the public.

he fire almost got out of control in May 2008 when Texas Monthly magazine named Snow’s BBQ as the best in Texas! Since that time, the entire staff at Snow’s BBQ has been doing everything possible to keep up with the demand and most important, maintain the quality. It looks like a long road ahead, but it is a challenge everyone is ready for.