Goldee’s owner hesitantly tried blending his Lao culture into Texas BBQ. It’s been a hit.
Four hours before the doors of Goldee’s BBQ open to satisfy a long line of customers, the kitchen staff scrambles to prepare their famous brisket, beef ribs and smoked turkey breast.
While the chaos commences in the kitchen, people waiting in line outside set up their lawn chairs and patiently fight their hunger in the North Texas heat as the smell of smoked meats permeate the air. Located along Dick Price Road just south of Fort Worth, Goldee’s is a small, wooden shack that serves some of the best barbecue in the state, as ranked No. 1 by Texas Monthly in 2021.
Tucked behind the over sized pots taking up multiple burners on the stove is a small, woven bamboo basket filled with steaming sticky rice sitting on top of a steel pot with boiling water.
This basket, taking up only one burner on the stove, is called a “hwaut neung khao,” a sticky rice steamer commonly used in Laos and traditional Lao cuisine.
For Nupohn Inthanousay, 29, it was used for almost every meal his mother would make for him and his three younger siblings when they were growing up in their Laotian household.
Whether it was for large gatherings or family dinners, there was always an abundance of traditional Lao food, different kinds of drinks and lively conversations.
Now, as co-owner of Goldee’s, Inthanousay said it was important for him to bring that same kind of family-oriented camaraderie to the restaurant and introduce a part of his Lao culture to Texas barbecue.
“It was always a real fun time,” Inthanousay said. “(The dinner table) was always a place of peace, respect, and just enjoying everyone’s time.”
When they first opened in February 2020, Inthanousay said he was hesitant to introduce Lao food into the menu at Goldee’s, because he was unsure what the community reaction would be.
When he had friends over at his family home growing up, Inthanousay’s mother would refrain from making Lao food for them because of the Asian ingredients she would use, such as fish sauce.
“She was scared to cook Lao food around them because she thought I wouldn’t have friends after that,” Inthanousay said. “So I kind of had that ingrained in me, like I don’t know what they’re going to think and they might not like it.”
Despite being skeptical, Inthanousay said he was pushed by his friend and fellow co-owner Lane Milne to incorporate food from his culture into the menu.
Inthanousay said he took Milne and the other owners of Goldee’s to Nalinh Market, a Dallas-based Asian grocery store with a restaurant serving both Thai & Laotian cuisine, including Lao sausage.
“We tried Lao sausage at Nalinh and they loved it,” Inthanousay said. “So we got the idea to do our own version, but smoked.”
With the community response being positive, Inthanousay said he felt “validated” and that his fear of introducing his Lao culture to Texan barbecue enthusiasts slowly began to dissipate.
After having success with the Texan twist on the sausage, Inthanousay started to incorporate it and other traditional dishes from his background as specials for people to order when on the menu every so often, but not as a mainstay item just yet.
They began to include temporary specials on the menu such as smoked laab (a dish using ground beef and herbs); gai ping, or grilled chicken; sin savanh, which translates to heavenly beef jerky; and nam vanh, a traditional Lao dessert with coconut milk and fruit.
Another specialty popular dessert item on the menu occasionally is a sticky rice with mango and coconut milk.
Inthanousay said it means a lot for him to introduce Lao food to a community of people who have never tried it before. He intends to continue growing the Lao influence in the Goldee’s menu.
“This is the food I grew up with and it’s a part of me,” Inthanousay said. “A big part of me is being Lao, but also being Texan.
“This is basically an outlet to give myself to people, and it means a lot.”
This story was originally published July 20, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
