AUSTIN – If you’re looking to take a drive for award-winning barbecue, Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ in Austin will give you taste of home with their “tejano cooking.”“I have the best memories in my uncle’s backyard and my father’s backyard,”owner of Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ Miguel Vidal said. “There was always either grilling or smoking or barbecuing going on.”It was those flavors of backyard grilling that sparked Vidal’s idea to bring that concept to Austin, including homemade tortillas, brisket, ribs, pork carnitas, barbacoa, lengua and those breakfast taco favorites too. The signature must-try items:The Real Deal Holyfield : huevos rancheros topped with a slice of smoked brisket, all nestled, nicely in a made-from-scratch tortillaFideo Friday Taco: made-from scratch fideo with sliced avocado in a warm homemade tortillaPork Carnitas Taco: Pitmaster, Eiliana Gutierrez’s favorite choiceFor the full menu, click here. Fun facts about Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ:-Owner Miguel grew up near Ray Ellison and Military Drive on the south side of San Antonio-Miguel graduated from Lee High School-His aunt made tortillas at a west side restaurant in San Antonio-They’ve been featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

AUSTIN – Patience is key if you’re practicing the art of grilling and smoking Texas barbecue. For Eiliana Gutierrez, 20, of Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ, it’s all about working with the fire and “slowing down.”“Being able to control that flavor, the smoke,” Gutierrez said. “All of that comes together and then you get the perfect slice of brisket on the Holyfield taco.”Gutierrez is learning from her mentor, Miguel Vidal, owner of Valentina’s. “She came in full of spunk and energy, ready to go at it and work.”After seeing her work ethic, Vidal assured Gutierrez that he could make her the youngest female pitmaster in Texas and even the country. Spending her days living up to Miguel, Gutierrez is passionate about smoking meats and perfecting the relationship with the fire.