Brisket on the Board: How a UH Alumnus Scripted a Buc-ee’s Barbecue Revolution

Step inside a Buc-ee’s travel center and you might hear a chopping sound followed by a loud chant: “Fresh Brisket on the Board!” That signature chant heard by millions of road-travelers across the country was created by Buc-ee’s Director of Barbecue and University of Houston alumnus Randy Pauly (’09). As the pitmaster for the rapidly expanding chain, Pauly has turned a roadside convenience stop into a destination for serious barbecue purists. But while his journey began in the pits, it was his time as a Houston Cougar that gave him the blueprint to take his passion to a national scale.

Before he was the face of Texas brisket, Pauly was a kid in Houston looking for a way to climb out of despair. When he was 15, his father was killed in an automobile accident. The loss affected him profoundly. “I was a lost kid,” he said.

The smoke and the fire gave Pauly a purpose. By 1994, an unexpected opening allowed Pauly to substitute as the rodeo team’s chief cook. He seized the moment, leading the team to the finals. Before his 21st birthday, Pauly won the grand champion prize under his own team name, Holy Cow Cookers, using a borrowed pit.

But street smart and trophies only went so far. Pauly soon realized that if he wanted to build a lasting career and not just a hobby, he needed to master the academic side of the restaurant industry. That led him straight to the University of Houston.

Enrolled in the Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership, Pauly’s time at UH was a masterclass in perseverance. He studied while juggling the schedule of the hospitality program and starting a family, simultaneously working two or three jobs to keep his head above water.

That intense, shared hustle created a profound bonding experience with his fellow Coogs. He and his classmates were all grinding to survive the rigorous realities of the restaurant and hotel business. Those shared experiences created a network of friends he still relies on for opportunities and advice today.

 “That hospitality curriculum was a turning point in my world,” he explained. “I had learned how to be a barbecue specialist on the street, but UH taught me how to set myself apart from everyone else.”

The business acumen he forged at Hilton College paid off immediately. Even before graduation, Pauly’s expertise became a sought-after commodity. He consulted for the Sysco food service distributor and created barbecue programs for Kroger and the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

His ultimate test came when Buc-ee’s called. He had always considered the chain as a place for cheap gas, clean restrooms and road-trip snacks, but they needed help with yield problems in their smoked brisket.

The massive travel chain didn’t just need someone who knew how to season meat; they were facing massive corporate yield problems, losing unsustainable percentages of meat weight across their properties. Armed with the operational discipline he learned at UH, Pauly stepped into the boardroom. By the end of the first meeting, he was on a first-name basis with founder Don Wasek and was no longer just a consultant; he was Buc-ee’s “brisket guy.”

Today, Pauly manages the barbecue operations for over 59 Buc-ee’s locations, commanding the world’s largest barbecue program, serving up brisket, pulled pork and smoked turkey while blending public relations with high-level management. His competitive team, Holy Cow Cookers, is ranked #2 in the world for smoked brisket. Through it all, his Houston roots remain unshakable, from his deep history with the Houston Fire Department to his annual devotion to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

It’s a massive operation, but Pauly still approaches it with the same grit he developed while juggling night classes and multiple jobs at UH. He’s no longer just surviving the hospitality business; he’s defining it. And every time a traveler hears that famous shout ring out across a crowded Buc-ee’s floor, they hear the results of a passion born in Houston, refined at Hilton College and served up to the world.