For New Braunfels Smokehouse, located not far outside Austin, 2023 is a big year: it's the company's 78th year of service, and it's the year it received the title of food winner for Garden & Gun's Made in the South Awards after three years of competing.
The national magazine on all things Southern presented the award to New Braunfels Smokehouse based on a critique from Jason Stanhope, a James Beard Award-winning chef. He felt the smokehouse's food was "charming and delicious."
“It could have been a detriment if one of the items wasn’t amazing,” Stanhope said in his review. “Every single thing in that box was delicious.”
The box in question that Stanhope received is unique to the smokehouse, co-owner Hale Snyder said. It features a pork tenderloin, turkey tender, summer sausage with jalapeno and cheddar, a traditional sausage ring, smoked cheese, Wagyu beef jerky and artisan mustard.
"It just won them over," Snyder said. "They said we were just clearly the winners and every single item in this gift box was just delicious, and so that was super flattering."
This box, as well as other smoked meats and cheeses, are available for delivery right to customers' doorsteps. The smokehouse began this practice in the 1950s, shipping items such as smoked turkey through the U.S. Postal Service, which Snyder said was very uncommon for the time.
"Everything's just fully cooked, ready to serve right out of the box," Snyder said. "It might have to thaw out, but everything just really only needs to be served at room temperature, and it's good to go for your charcuterie board or whatever your plans are to do with it."
In addition to mailing services, the New Braunfels Smokehouse has a deli and country store located at 441 N. Guenther Ave.
For the smokehouse team, Snyder said the Made in the South win is particularly special.
"They've been putting in hard work, helping us out. Some people have been here for 30 plus years," Snyder. "It's kind of like all that work was worth it all of a sudden."