For Brandon Mohon — outside of his 9-to-5 gig and raising his daughter with his wife — that creative outlet in his spare time is spent amid the smell of smoke and the seasoning of meat.
Mohon and his wife, Lisa, run Mohon Barbecue in Dallas. The meat is good, the dishes are creative and people drive from all around to taste the brisket, wherever the Mohons may be serving.
There’s no permanent brick-and-mortar home, so the business operates as a pop-up around town. And that’s just the way they want it.
Brandon Mohon’s brisket is why you must make your way to the next pop-up. He keeps it simple, just as good brisket should be.
Taylor Adams
He’s adopted the pop-up lifestyle about once a month because it feeds his creative outlet — one others can benefit from. And he's not the only part-time meat-slinger operating that way.
Mohon’s customers — loyal followers and new tasters alike — visited Oak Cliff Brewing Co. on Sept. 15 for some brisket and banh mi. While the brisket is pretty much a mainstay for these pop-ups, the banh mi was this month’s specialty, offering bacon burnt ends, julienne vegetables and Lisa Mohon’s house-made pickles.
“Everybody can go get brisket, ribs and sausage,” Brandon Mohon says. “I kind of wanted to start doing some creative things with the meats. Lisa adds the talent. She’s trained, so we have some chef capabilities there.”
Lisa Mohon professionally caters for events and has worked at Neiman Marcus and the Kessler Theater.
The brisket — available by the half-pound or pound in a sandwich — is done well. If the taste seems a bit familiar, it’s because Mohon has followed in the footsteps of Austin’s Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue.
“I was obsessive with [his] videos,” Mohon says, adding that he was eager when Franklin’s book, Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto, was released so he could stop navigating through a video for every detail.
The banh mi is promising. The bacon burnt ends were perfect for this Vietnamese sandwich, and those pickles were good enough to inhale by the handful. The only downside was the bread, which was on the verge of stale.
Mohon’s banh mi featured bacon burnt ends. Where you would normally find the likes of pork and pate, you get bites of savory smoked meat in this one.
Taylor Adams
At the end of a pop-up, the profit means they’re working for about minimum wage, so it’s not just a creative outlet, but a true labor of love. At the Oak Cliff Brewing event, they sold out in two-and-a-half hours, making most of their sales in the first hour. (Hint: When you go to this pop-up, plan to arrive at its start.)
As of now, the next event isn’t yet scheduled.
To keep up with what the Mohons are cooking and where they’re serving, follow them on Facebook or Instagram.
