Briskets line racks in a smoker at Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q on Tuesday.

While the name Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q has been echoed around the world as some of the best, most people have never heard the name Spencer Carl — the man behind the meat.

A culinary coined term, a “pitmaster” is considered an artist of barbecuing and a skilled craftsman of smoked meat.

A real pitmaster understands the ins and outs of culinary terms and exhibits a solid well-rounded foundation of cuisine knowledge, according to the August Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. “In turn, this allows smoke maestros to experiment with custom flavor profiles, push grilling boundaries, innovate, and ultimately, become a trailblazer within this very tight-knit community,” the school’s website states.

Carl, who has been mastering the grill for Stanley’s since September 2019, said his day starts around 4:45 in the morning and doesn’t stop until the work is done.

“My normal day is about 10 hours; it’s supposed to end after 10 hours but that’s not always the case,” he said. “When you cook barbecue you kind of accept that you are here for as long as takes. Not to mention, you are at the mercy of the weather, and whatever that entails to be there making good food for people.”

“I get here about 4:45 in the morning to light fires; after the pits get hot I’ll throw ribs on. We’ll cook ribs for about four and half to five hours; pull those off and then it’s time to get brisket going for the next day,” Carl said. “So, we’ll trim the briskets, rub them, throw them on the pit – they’ll run all night long for about 20 to 22 hours which is our average cook time for our briskets. We’ll cool those off and then start all over again.”

Making great meat isn’t Carl’s only task. He is responsible for all pit functions which include cooking, preparation and maintenance of quality standards, sanitation and cleanliness, training of employees in cooking methods, preparation, portion, and cost control.

In addition to the daily line out the door, Stanley’s also caters on a regular basis.

“We just recently did a catering job which included 4,000 sandwiches which was just over 900 pounds of meat,” he said. “In the next couple days we will be doing a catering job twice as a large which will require approximately 2,000 pounds of meat.”

In the month of June, Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q has cooked over 6,700 pounds of brisket alone.

The Longview native said it didn’t take long for him to realize barbecuing was a passion and something he wanted to pursue and take to the next level.

Prior to starting at Stanley’s, Carl trained under Pitmaster Jordan Jackson, who was Stanley’s previous pitmaster, at Bodacious Bar-B-Q in Longview.

Jackson had left Stanley’s to reopen Bodacious Bar-B-Q on Mobberly and is currently pitmaster at the place often considered the best in the world, Franklin BBQ in Austin.

“Pitmaster Jordan Jackson had always spoken highly of Stanley’s and owner Nick,” he said. “After parting ways with Bodacious on Mobberly, I reached out to Nick about going to work for him.”

Carl said most people don’t know just how much you can experiment and get creative with different methods of barbecuing.

“Something I have found is just how much you can tinker or fabricate and alter on pits that people might have been using for decades,” he said.

Carl went on to say despite standing in the heat all day over fire and smoke, the long hours and early mornings, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s hot; it is long hours and early mornings but I absolutely love it. It is 100 percent a labor of love,” he said.

Carl said it is a big responsibility to be in charge of creating great barbecue at a world famous barbecue joint and he is proud to be part of the team.

“It brings a great deal of pride and responsibility; it is something I think about almost daily. Stanley’s has been around for a long time and has a great many fans,” he said. “I’m happy and thankful to be a part of the team at Stanley’s.”

Stanley’s has been family owned and operated since 1958 and is the oldest operating mom and pop barbecue restaurant in Tyler, serving up pit-smoked brisket, ribs and more.

The barbecue joint has been a regular on the Texas Monthly Magazine Top 50 list since making its first appearance in 2008.

As if Carl’s skills behind the grill weren’t enough to make Stanley’s your next stop for barbecue, the restaurant is continuously giving back to community; showing as much love as they get.

This past year, the restaurant began its Round Up program, with proceeds going to a different local charity each month.

The program allows patrons to “round up” any purchase to the next dollar. Each month, the restaurant collects all of the change from the program and presents a check to that month’s chosen organization with Stanley’s also matching the total raised.

If you are one of the few who have yet to taste the greatness of Stanley’s barbecue, run – don’t walk, to experience for yourself what the hype is all about.

Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q is located at 525 South Beckham Avenue and can be reached at 903-593-0311.

For more information, visit www.stanleysfamous.com.

To see more photos, click here.