John Brotherton, an influential pitmaster who helped usher in the Texas craft barbecue movement, died Jan. 15 after a brief illness. He was 49.
Raised in Liberty, east of Houston, he moved to Austin in 1995 and worked in laser printer sales until 2015. In 2010, he started cooking barbecue for friends in his backyard, which led to catering jobs and several barbecue trailer ventures that gained a cult following on social media. Working out of his house, his popularity often resulted in lines of 300 people waiting to eat his barbecue.
To help with the volume, he contacted his friends Russell and Misty Roegels of Roegels Barbecue Co. in Houston, who provided additional pit space with their own Bewley cabinet smokers.
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In 2017, he opened Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue in Pflugerville with a focus on Central Texas-style barbecue incorporated into a range of classic sandwiches. During this time, he also became a regular presenter at Texas A&M University’s Camp Brisket and Barbecue Summer Camp........