Space Kat BBQ
A Central Texas barbecue joint with no brisket on the board and Akaushi tri-tip in its place.2
Why go
Tri-tip, baby back ribs, lamb chops, coppa, hot links and smoked chicken thighs, and not a brisket among them, off a Webberville Road pit that opened in 2026.2 Jack Zizzo cooks in two steps: post oak in a trailer-mounted offset, then a finish over oak coals on a grill.1 He learned the pit at la Barbecue in 2014 under John Lewis and Esaul Ramos Jr, took a first version of Space Kat to Youngstown and then to San Diego. He has had the business close on him three times, once when a faulty build set the truck alight in 2023.1 He reopened on the east side in February 2026 out of a minibus he converted into a food truck.1
Order this / avoid
- The Akaushi tri-tip, smoked to medium, sliced so you can see the marbling, then brushed with a spiced au jus. It runs $54 a pound against $34 for the choice grade.1
- Then the lamb chops, pink through, with chimichurri on the side. The chicken thighs arrive with skin the grill finish crisps like a chicharron. The chocolate mousse carries orange zest, bourbon caramel and smoked pecans.1
- Avoid: the coppa. Vaughn found it bordering on mushy with a washed-out flavor, and puts that down to a foil wrap or a long spell in the warmer.1
- Avoid: turning up for brisket. There is none, by design.2
What locals & experts say
- Daniel Vaughn, Texas Monthly's barbecue editor, May 2026:
I'm on board if the tri-tip is always this good.
1 - The same review is hard on two things. The coppa had
a texture bordering on mushy and a washed-out flavor,
and the turmeric-tinted hot link carrieda few unfortunate chunks of hard gristle
under a casing he liked.1 - Nicolai McCrary rates it 8.3 for The Infatuation:
There are very few with smoked Akaushi tri-tip tender enough to go toe to toe with any steak in town.
3 - Jack Zizzo on leaving brisket off:
I believe there's enough great brisket in Central Texas, so I think it's time for something new.
1
Good to know
- How it works: meats by the pound come with pickles, onions, pickled red onions and pickled jalapenos, and a sweet and tangy sauce on the side. Sides are potato salad, coleslaw, cowboy beans and mac and cheese.2
- Price: tri-tip is $34 a pound at choice grade and $54 at Akaushi, baby back ribs are $19 for a half rack and $38 for a full. The pimento poppers are $4 each. Those are Texas Monthly's numbers from May 2026, because the venue publishes none.1
- Hygiene: no inspection record, and the format explains it. Texas Monthly reports the kitchen is a converted minibus, and Austin's published dataset excludes mobile vendors. So the permit class is the likely reason for the gap. An absence is not a pass.4
- Getting there: Webberville Road, east of Airport Boulevard.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "New bbq place".
Verdict
should-visit — Nothing here takes a booking. Daniel Vaughn's party had the room to themselves, which is the strangest thing about a pit cooking at this level.