The seed of SkippyP’s was planted in the winter of 1995…

My new wife Jennifer and I found ourselves with nothing good in our apartment to eat and the beginnings of a winter storm front pushing our way. With the roads already icing we braved the incline of Cincinnati's Queen City Blvd. to get baby back ribs from the local meat market. Being an avid BBQ’er already, that evening we enjoyed some terrific ribs. Somewhere in our family archives is a picture of me with those ribs cooking outside in 15” of driving snow.

As the saying goes, “We got to Texas as quick as we could.”

Two years later we arrived in Houston and the BBQ learning curve was steep. Our neighbor Raymond had a stick burner and let me experience smoking with all wood. That old pit had too small of a firebox and no baffles, so we rotated that meat for hours. With the great company and terrific smell, no one was the wiser when 12 hours later our tiny little brisket was done.

Immersed in smoke one emerges a different person.

It’s hard to describe how BBQ, for me, blends the smell of wood fires from winters back home with good eats and camaraderie. You only need to find your way to a local BBQ competition and see the teams to know this feeling. For me it is an addiction that began while cooking with my father in Ohio and the mountains of Tennessee, and has culminated in what can only be called an obsession.

But I digress…

Serious time and interest in SkippyP’s BBQ began at lunchtime in the halls of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. In an effort to improve my Q I began bringing in lunch on Mondays to my friend Ken. Ken has that type of palate that seems to discern flavor combinations and nuances that the average Joe ignores. For me it was an opportunity to find that balance of smoke and spice that had broader appeal (it also helped eliminate wasted leftovers!).

If you smoke it, they will come.

Within a month I had passersby in the hall asking what it would take to get some of what Ken was getting. And so I brought it. Some weeks later it was evident that what my friends and coworkers wanted was going to be more than we had in leftovers… and so I cooked extra. And with the additional cost to my family was born the business end of the buggy whip- and the birth of the BARF (BBQ Request Form). That’s right, we took BBQ online and it still resides there for those who desire a Monday lunch delivered to the NASA JSC community.

And so it goes…

If you’re still reading this, then you can guess how things evolved. Like many small businesses, word of mouth referrals have grown SkippyP’s BBQ Catering. Our insistence on the highest quality ingredients and personal attention to flavor has staked our spot in the market. And not just our BBQ’d meats! SkippyP’s BBQ Sauces, Seasonings, Bread & Butter Jalapenos, Fire Relish, and Original Salsa have been taking the small retail store route to success, too.

One interesting note: the business name is SkippyP’s BBQ & Catering. So many people have asked us where our restaurant is that we are starting to refer to ourselves as SkippyP’s BBQ Catering to eliminate confusion. We hope one day to have our own place, but until then just look for the truck and cooking trailer that bear the name SkippyP’s BBQ Catering.

Enjoy good BBQ with friends and family.

Scott Weinstein
a.k.a. SkippyP