A Bay Area Restaurant Concept that Focuses on the Texas BBQ Style
Armadillo Willy’s
By Ellen
Walsh
|
Owner
John Berwald with Executive Chef Andrew Waterhouse |
Meet John Berwald,
owner of Armadillo Willy’s.
“All
our meats at Armadillo Willy’s are slow cooked — up
to 18 hours — using only the heat and smoke of a real oak
and hickory wood fire. No gas. No electricity. No hurry. We take
our time to get it right.“
In
fact, no kidding, the aroma of slow cooking meats wafting out
of the 7 foot tall and very deep J&R Manufacturing Smoker
Oven Pit was almost too much to take. We had to photograph every
dish on the menu before we got to dive in and taste the fare.
That
just makes John laugh. A relaxed, seasoned and successful restaurant
owner, John began his career in the restaurant industry with a
lot of trial and error. His first restaurant, started in 1977
in Silicon Valley, grasped for what would take hold with his local
constituency. He experimented with locations, hours, menu items,
you name it. When he discovered that down home, slow cooking,
Texas Style barbecue was his sure fire winner every time, he then
went on a search to outfit his restaurant with the best smoker
equipment that money could buy.
|
ABOUT
THE SMOKER
1300E 67"W x 120"D x 88"H Holds 1800 lbs
For more details on this smoker manufactured by J&R
Manufacturing |
His
trip to Texas and state wide tour of Texas BBQ joints eventually
led him to the lobby of J&R Manufacturing Company, the manufacturer
and designer of the most effective, well made smokers in the business.
“70% of my business comes from this smoker,” says
John Berwald. “ And as I went from one restaurant to 13
restaurants, I had to make sure I had the equipment that gave
me consistent results every time.”
“I love this thing,” says John. “I load it with
oak wood, put the meat in, and go away. It won’t go below
145 degrees ever, and it stays at 200 degrees, which is where
I need it. I use all angus beef, and if I do say so myself, I
make the best barbecue sauce in the business.” The winner
of numerous awards throughout the Bay Area, John bastes the meats
in the smoker with his winning formula barbecue sauce, only adding
to the overwhelming appetite driven atmosphere that wafts through
the air.
Executive Chef Andrew Waterhouse was on hand to prepare the restaurant’s
favorite fare.
|