New Grill Masters BBQ in Clovis does a smokin’ business

A version of this story was published originally on Aug. 8, 2012.

The owners of the new Grill Masters BBQ in Clovis still seem surprised to find themselves running a busy restaurant.

Jesse and Maribel Cortez opened the restaurant about a month ago, serving tri-tip sandwiches and other barbecue at Clovis and Gettysburg avenues, near Valley Rod & Gun.

"It's just so funny how everything fell into place," says Maribel Cortez.

A small catering job about a year ago got the ball rolling. Jesse Cortez made some food for an event at his wife's workplace, an oral surgeon's office in Fresno. He impressed people and they started calling him for orders.

And it was a good thing, because B&L Quality Meats where he had barbecued for more than six years moved to Visalia and a short stint at a sandpaper manufacturer ended in a layoff.

Barbecuing became Cortez's full-time gig. The couple took over the concession stand at Fig Garden Loop park's youth baseball, selling their sandwiches, along with candy and soda. The catering business was taking off.

One day Cortez was driving back from Pappy's Fine Foods – the restaurant uses its seasonings – when he saw someone tugging on the locked door of the former Dave's Smokin' BBQ and realized it had closed. He told his wife he wanted to open a restaurant there.

She thought it was just another one of her husband's crazy ideas. Only now they're here, serving tri-tip and ribs and cowboy-style chili beans. Cortez calls his food "Fresno-style barbecue."

The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with nearby workers making for a busy lunch hour.

The tri-tip sandwich is the most popular item. He cooks the tri-tip in a smoker that burns almond wood from Bella Frutta, leaving behind a smoky flavor. The tri-tip is cut thin and stored in au jus before it's served on the bread.

For details, check out their Facebook page.

This story was originally published August 8, 2012 at 10:25 AM with the headline "New Grill Masters BBQ in Clovis does a smokin’ business."