Our Story

Let me introduce myself. My name is DeMetris Reed, Jr. I’m the legacy of my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents who toiled the land as agriculturalists, preached the gospel on Sunday as clergy, and perfected their art of cooking, especially Barbecue, without the formal title of Chef! Barbecue in the United States is more than a cuisine. Growing up in rural East Texas in the African-American community, it was part of our heritage. Barbecue is engrained in our DNA just as much as the chromosome that determines our eye color. As a young black kid living in the predominately black area of Dobbin, Texas, I was immersed into the teachings of Church, Gardening, and…………..BARBECUE! Life revolved around these three principles and our faith never waivered when it came down to who made the best Barbecue.

My earliest lessons on barbecuing were at the hands of my Mother and Grandfather (Papa). Both were willing to share their knowledge and secrets to the art. My Papa was the Pastor of our local church set back on the county road nestled in the East Texas pines and horse apple trees. My Mother was a nutritionist “Lunch Lady” at the local school district (her cooking was matched to none). They both took the time to teach me the way to select the meat cuts and the proper way to use the tools available to us. My granddaddy’s pit still sits in the yard; we use it most often for small family dinners. The wood came from our property trees with such varieties as Pecan, Hickory, Mesquite, and even Peach wood. It was because of them that, while in college, I Barbecued as much as possible. Whether it was with my roommates and lifelong friends or at the Prairie View A&M Homecoming Tailgate (The Best in the US). I cooked for the sincere love and to improve on my purist smoking skills.

While at The Prairie View A&M University, I met a young lady from Waco, Texas. Fast forward 10 years, two states, and 2,400 miles later, we started to “Court”. The intention was to eventually get married, so we called the courting phase “Making the Cut.” I had to make it to the engagement and wedding or be….well….. CUT! At the engagement party, I had “Making The Cut” inscribed in our cake. We were married soon after and the encouraging wife that she is said, “You should officially start your barbecue business.” On December 13, 2020 we created the Making The Cu.TX Seasoning and Smoked Meats Company.