When I was a kid growing up in a family of nine, we took only one or two vacations. I’ll never forget them. The billboards alerting travelers of upcoming Stuckey’s were always a welcome sight, and the signature pecan log a special treat. Maybe the owners of Buc-ee’s have the same fond memories of road trips that included Stuckey’s. Fast forward to the 21st century, and we have Buc-ee’s! Yes, both sell gas and both have interesting things inside to offer a break from the car, but wow! Stuckey's was a brief stop on the way to the vacation, but Buc-ee's could be the vacation. Stuckey’s arrived on the scene in 1937, before gas could be paid outside. The whole family went inside to see trinkets and other merch (in the days before the slang “merch” arrived on the scene.)
Over the weekend I had my first visit inside a Buc-ee’s. I was craving a little road trip. We’ve been talking about Buc-ee’s on the radio show even though I had never been. I refused to go when we saw them in Texas, because I was repulsed by the size of it. The ultimate expression of American excess. But The Food Show producer Patty had talked it up so much I became curious enough to have the brisket man on the radio show. And that conversation, instead of satisfying my curiosity, only made me more curious. And yesterday’s visit only heightened my curiosity all the more about the place.
Stuckey’s on steroids is hardly worth considering. This place is another world, or maybe just a natural progression in nearly a century. Still…wow! It’s bright and airy and packed with people. Now, this one in Pass Christian is brand new, so it had to be all those things. It’s a wonder it took so long for it to come to this area. With all the packed cars heading to condos in Alabama and Florida in the summer, those travelers need Buc-ee’s! The walls and walls of snacks are dazzling, but it’s the “action stations” in the center of the place that are defining.
Fresh-faced and hard-working employees furiously chop brisket with a mezzaluna-type device. Others take the brisket and mix it with barbecue sauce and put it on buns for sandwiches.
I was grateful to see the meat available by the pound and in smaller sliced versions without the sauce. This hot food area is large and round, and food is placed for grabbing from the entire perimeter.
There is another back wall section for barbecue by the pound and jerky of all varieties, as well as fried chicken and baked goods. It’s all an astonishing sight.
There’s a smaller section of merchandise circa 2025. While Stuckey’s offered trinkets of the time, here are glamorous housewares mixed with modern day kitsch, like a cactus cheese grater, and Buc-ee’s-embossed everything.
We hit the Beaver Chips hard, because housecut chips are irresistible to us.
And we got some plain smoked sliced brisket, which was not as good as the glorified reports of it, but the quality of the meat was good, the fat was minimal, the slicing was perfect, and the smoke flavor was all Texas. It's not Gonzo, or Central City, or Franklin in Texas, but it certainly doesn't need to be here at this roadside gas station. It was much better than I expected, and I liked it very well.
Also in the basket were some extra-crunchy chicken tenders with surprisingly good fries. The tenders were so thick and crispy they separated from the meat, but they were just fine, and the fries were hard to stop eating. Somewhat larger in circumference, they were battered and hot, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. I am rarely that enamored of fries served like this, but there was something about them. Maybe the Buc-ee's mystique?
We added to the basket some candied nuts in a paper cone. Not as good as the ones at the Kentucky Derby, but I'm pretty sure I was the only one here who could compare them.
From the walls of snacks we got some chocolate pecans, beef jerky, and a pecan roll that just happened to be near the register.
Because who doesn’t love to reconnect with sweet memories?
