8 January 2019 |
FEaTurE
Waimea chef Noah Hester cooks up Texas BBQ
or nine years, Chef Noah Hester was at
the helm of the Blue Dragon restaurant
in Kawaihae, where his culinary craft
attracted patrons from across the
Big Island. Currently, the Kamuela
kama‘aina is cooking up a whole new deal that’s
decidedly downhome—paniolo style.
“I’ve always had a love for BBQ and slow cooking
over an open fi re,” said Noah, whose family roots
are from Texas, although he’s lived in Waimea
for 33 years. “A few years ago, I was in Texas and
cooked Christmas dinner on this wood-fi red
smoker. To sit around the fi re with my dad using
only wood, there’s an art to it. It felt so natural. I
wanted to do something like that here.”
On Thursdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to
4 p.m., Noah can be found across the street from
Kamuela Liquor Store at his custom-built smoker
he imported from Dallas. He smokes his brisket for
16 hours beginning the night before. He sources
his products from Waimea Butcher Shop, including
ribs that get smoked for eight hours.
“We start fresh every day and the goal is to sell out,”
he said. “A lot of our repeat customers say it’s the
best BBQ they’ve had on the island. People can also
buy a whole brisket or slab of ribs to take home with
them or take to the beach. Just stop by.”
Chef Noah serves brisket or rib plates with sides of cole
slaw, white bread, sweet pickles and cowboy beans
in a wood-fi red smoker
Full-service
barbecue dinners
take place in a
vintage barn at
anna ranch.