Last March, Coop’s West Texas BBQ in Lemon Grove almost closed its doors, but owner Bradrick Cooper came up with a new business plan to survive post-pandemic.
Just over 14 years ago, Cooper, better known as Coop, walked into the old Fargo’s BBQ joint.
"And when I saw these pits, I was just like, 'It's on!'" Coop recalled.
There’s a lot of history in those pits.
"These pits have got to be almost 40 years old because the person that built them was from the Fargo family, which had a barbecue spot that was in the '80s," Coop added. "These pits, they're very unique. Not very many of them in the United States, period. You can't make these pits anymore. They’re grandfathered in, and I'm fortunate to have one of these. I wouldn't trade it for nothing. Even if I can't cook as much meat as I could on a rotisserie smoker, the quality that comes out of these pits can't be beat."
The pits are brick ovens that burn wood a few feet below where the meat cooks. There's an art to using them and a real danger of fires if you use them incorrectly. But Coop has mastered them and appreciates what they do that other equipment can't.
"You're getting a process of grilling and smoking at the same time," Coop explained. "I think it gives our meat a little bit more flavor. You'll taste the difference, not only in the seasonings that we use here at Coop's, but you will taste the difference in the meat because every wood gives a distinct flavor to meat. When I can get pecan, I'm in heaven. So anybody out there that's got a pecan tree that you want to get rid of, let me know. And depending on the type of wood you use, the meat is also going to have a different color on it when it cooks too. Give me a brick oven pit any day, and I'll go up against anybody."
And he’d probably win based on what I’ve tasted — melt-in-your-mouth brisket, perfectly spiced Texas sausage and smoked turkey legs with gravy that's loaded with flavor but doesn't feel like it will clog your arteries. Coop has been cooking soul-satisfying food on these pits almost every day since 2010, serving up what he calls “legendary barbecue” at Coop’s. It’s barbecue made the way his father taught him in Texas.
"It is true, authentic barbecue, Texas-style barbecue," Coop proudly proclaimed.
That means using a dry rub and serving the sauce on the side so you can really taste the meat and judge Coop’s skill as a pitmaster. But Coop never planned to run a restaurant. He worked as a registered nurse for 12 years but was always cooking.
"During those times, every weekend, I would pack up plates, around 50, put them in a cooler, and I would ride around to beauty shops from La Mesa all the way down to Chula Vista, to all the Black-owned beauty shops and barbershops," Coop recalled.
Then in 2010, he opened Coop’s as a storefront. One of his first customers encouraged him to list his business on Yelp so he and his friends could write reviews.
"I didn't even know what Yelp was," Coop said with a laugh. "They gave me five-star reviews. Before I knew it, this place was full of white folks."
But as with a lot of businesses, Coop’s faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I guess people who went through the Great Depression, they'll never forget it," Coop said. "COVID, I believe for our generation, that's one of those things that will never be forgotten. We stayed open. We felt like heroes, like we were wearing capes when we were here every day and people are coming in and getting the food."
The toughest part, though, was after the pandemic. Not only did the cost of goods go up, but so did gas prices.
"Coop’s has always been considered a barbecue destination," Coop stated. "People coming from all over Southern California, North County, down south. They're coming from everywhere."
But higher gas prices led people to seek barbecue closer to home.
Coop recalled, "2023 was the worst year ever. I mean, it was like a ghost town right here. Pretty much getting ready to close our doors in March of 2024."
But when he posted that he would be closing, people suddenly lined up down the block.
"And so I'm bending over, got tears coming out of my eyes," Coop said, his voice catching. "When I come up, I was like, 'Where you guys been?' And everybody starts laughing. And I was like, no, I mean, as funny as it sounds, I said, 'I'm serious. We've been kicking out all this wonderful food, and nobody's been coming to eat it. It's disheartening."
But that support inspired Coop to experiment with a new business plan.
"I'm going to do it like a Texas barbecue joint," Coop said. "I'm going to open up Friday, Saturday, Sunday, serving you guys fresh barbecue, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or when we sell out. Hopefully, we sell out every weekend. But San Diego is different. It's a different beast. We have people who like barbecue here. In Texas, they love it. There, we have people waiting to eat barbecue at 6 in the morning waiting for a spot to open."
Coop is fortunate to have a supportive landlord.
"I thank God for him because if it wasn't for him, Coop's would never have opened," Coop said.
He won him over with a plate of food.
"I had prepared some brisket and some ribs like my dad did for me," Coop recalled. "And I believe some candy yams and collard greens. I made two plates, one for him and one for his wife. I said, 'I want you to try this. If you help me get it going, I promise I'll pay you back within six months.' He took the food home, and he called me back. He said, 'I must tell you, that was quite the best barbecue I've ever tasted. What do you need?'"
That support got Coop's West Texas BBQ started and has helped keep it alive. And while the lines haven’t stretched down the block again, Coop has been able to keep himself and his hard-working three-person staff employed.
"It's been a blessing that our doors are still open," Coop said. "We're not out of the red yet, but we're still open. And I thank God for that. As long as He gives me the energy, the desire, the passion that I have for doing this, I'm going to keep doing it."
So if you are driving down Lemon Grove Avenue, look for smoke coming out of Coop’s Big Mouth smoker in the parking lot.
"We call those Texas stop signs," Coop said with a smile. "Anytime there's smoke coming out of a metal container, you're assuming that it's barbecue and you can't help but look and want to come check it out or come see what the person is cooking."
Coop is always cooking classics like brisket and ribs, but he also experiments with his own creations, like oxtails, smoked chicken enchilada pie or barbecue spaghetti, where the sauce is smoked in the pits. Hope that whets your appetite — apologies that you can’t taste or smell what’s coming out of those brick ovens.
Coop's West Texas BBQ has been cooking since 2010 in Lemon Grove. It's open Friday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until sold out. Coop also caters and has recently been doing pop-ups in places like the College Grove parking lot. The best way to find out what's on the menu or where he might be serving is to follow Coop's on Instagram.
