July 29, 2008 1:34 PM
Barbecue Meets Beijing
They never ask about the A&M helmet on the wall. They never talk about the University of Texas national championship banner, or the horns hanging up near the bar. They never mention the photo of Tom Landry, or the light-up Texaco sign above the stairs.No, there's only one thing any Beijinger ever asks when they walk into Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q in downtown Beijing.
"George Bush and cowboys, that's how they pair it," said Tim Hilbert, a Seguin, Texas, native and the owner of the self-named restaurant, which opened about 18 months ago.
Still, Hilbert said that he doesn't mind associating himself with that state of such mythical proportions, at least to the Chinese. It's certainly a strange time to be an American abroad, and even a stranger one to be from the current President's home state and operating a restaurant that's a tribute to that state, but Hilbert's said he's not afraid to hide his roots.
Take the wait staff at Tim's. John -- pictured above -- wears a Texas state flag shirt, an oversized belt buckle and cowboy boots each day at work. Other employees greet customers with a Mandarin-tinged "Howdy." They've even been taught to engage the customers in conversation and to provide frequent drink refills - both rarities in Beijing.
For the many Chinese customers, Hilbert -- pictured at left -- thinks of his restaurant as an ambassador, an informal introduction to Texas and the West. He wants to make sure that he's leaving a positive impression, no matter what barbecue first-timers might have heard about Texas before.Setting up an authentic place wasn't easy. Two years ago, Hilbert was all set to return to Texas. He'd been working as an executive at a global IT firm for a dozen years in Australia, China and Singapore. He'd enjoyed his three years in Beijing, but he wanted to return home to be closer to his three daughters and his friends.
Some 48 hours before his flight, Hilbert had a change of heart. He wasn't ready to leave Asia just yet, and he also didn't want to continue in the corporate world. He made a quick decision: he'd open a restaurant.
"Foods are the things I really miss about home," he said. He craved two in particular: barbecue and Tex-Mex.
But getting everything set up in a foreign country took some time. He decided to open a barbecue restaurant, but he didn't have any background in opening restaurants or cooking barbecue. So he took to the Internet and put an ad on Craigslist, hoping to find an American chef who was looking for some adventure. Tim Teal, a chef from Austin, Texas, caught his eye, and Hilbert had him fly out to Beijing. Together, they started using local ingredients to make barbecue rubs and sauces. They tested several Chinese woods for the giant barbecue oven that Hilbert had air mailed out to Beijing (apple and date wood, which are commonly used to make Beijing's famous Peking duck, were their favorites). They even went to work with their semi-English-speaking chefs, teaching them the secrets of good Texas barbecue.
But Hilbert still had one major problem: finding the right meat. The Chinese wouldn't allow him to ship in American beef, and he wasn't able to get Australian meat imported. So Hilbert and Teal located a Chinese supplier in the nearby province of Hebei.
Getting the perfect cut of meat was another matter. By his own admission, Hilbert only speaks "taxicab Mandarin," which meant that translators -- who'd neither eaten nor seen barbecue before -- had to come along to the factory.
That only caused more trouble. When Hilbert asked to see the supplier's cut of brisket and ribs, "they looked at me like I was from Mars." Apparently, some meats don't translate easily into Chinese.
Three trips to the factory later, the supplier still hadn't gotten the cut of brisket right. So Hilbert turned to a second company -- this one based in Inner Mongolia -- for his beef. They too couldn't get the meat right on their first two tries, so Hilbert requested that the company actually bring part of a cow to his restaurant. There, Teal sliced up the brisket to show them what they wanted.
When the supplier in Hebei came calling a week later, Hilbert told them that he'd already found another company for his meats. But behind his back, Hilbert's Chinese staffers handed the Hebei company an entire cut of the brisket to copy for the Americans. Finally, the supplier was able to slice the brisket correctly, and to this day, Hilbert still uses Hebei cows for all of his meats.
The food at Tim's is -- at least in your correspondent's humble opinion -- pretty impressive. (Full disclosure for the BBQ lovers out there: I'm partial to Kansas City barbecue, especially Arthur Bryant's.) I'm not barbecue savvy enough to fully analyze the effects of the date wood instead of hickory on the meat, but I do know that the brisket was easy to slice through (of note: Tim's is one of the few restaurants in town that has Western utensils; I can't imagine taking chopsticks to brisket). I didn't leave anything but bone on the pork ribs. The sauce tasted just as good as it does in the Midwest. All of those are good signs.One thing on the menu which I didn't try: Tim's offers a chopped beef sandwich that's steamed inside of a dumpling. The Chinese word for it is baozi, and Hilbert's willing to bet that it's the only one like it in the city. He said that he's been reluctant to fully incorporate other Chinese items into his barbecue, though. He's fond of the local food, particularly the duck, and he said that he does not want to offend residents by tossing their famous bird into his smoker and then topping it with barbecue sauce.
Hilbert said that he's very pleased with business so far. He also owns another restaurant in town, called Tim's Texas Roadhouse, which serves Tex-Mex. He's expecting both places to be packed during these Olympics Games.
He's also thrilled to be catering a major event on Aug. 8, the day of the Opening Ceremonies. That day, the new U.S. Embassy will open in town, and they've requested Tim's barbecue at the ribbon cutting. No, he admits, it probably doesn't hurt that President Bush, in town for the Games, will be attending the grand opening.
What might a real Texas cowboy - well, at least if you ask the Chinese - think of a Beijing barbecue joint? Hilbert's just hoping for a Presidential thumbs up.
"It should be one for the scrapbook," he said.
---
Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q
14 Dongdaqiao Lu (Silk Street No. 2), Chaoyang District, Beijing
?阳区东大桥路14?贵?大厦正北200米
+86 010 6591 9161
August 23, 2008
2:17 PM
tlewis writes:
Great idea, how is it that you can own a business in China? is it fully owned by Tim or a partnership with the government?
August 23, 2008
7:14 PM
Dan Oshinsky
writes:
Owning your own business in China a remarkably complicated process. As for Tim's, the short version is, yes, Hilbert owns the restaurant.
May 9, 2009
3:35 PM
Lou Rosgen writes:
I have planned a similar business Western China for several years but never got too serious.Have BBQ'd for many years and have worked in the food business, but never ran my own business I spent several years in China and am married to a Chinese woman. I would want to start out on a smaller scale maybe 50 seats at the most. Any advice will be greatly appreciated
May 14, 2009
12:00 PM
david teal writes:
how do i find tim teal,s location in china now
February 4, 2010
3:38 AM
Dyan Reyome writes:
My husband turned me onto you after I expressed an interest in these issues. It's not everyday I agree with him, but he sure was right about your blog. Keep the posts coming!
February 24, 2010
7:29 PM
link writes:
MMMMMM -- sorry for the curt response but, that's it! MMM!
March 8, 2010
2:22 PM
Israel Kramper writes:
I visit this blog pretty frequently, although I rarely comment, and located this article terribly interesting. Thanks.
March 22, 2010
9:41 PM
Marielle Talsky writes:
I normally jump all over the internet because I have the tendancy to read often (which isn't always a good thing because most sites just copy from each other) but I have to say that yours contains some real substance! Thanks for stopping the trend of just being another copycat site! ;-)
July 16, 2010
11:55 AM
Clyde Bernstock writes:
MJ Kelly is a fraud and a jackass. He should be faraway from Talk Radio for good....
August 14, 2010
6:19 AM
Stock Picks writes:
Any way,,,my play all week has been with yrcw...I didnt sell her like everyone did when they panick or when the little ones i call them trying to make there lil profits off of the short selling and never letting the stock grow to where you can make more money..THey are like little crabs just pinching this and that...I have lost around 4k in the last couple of days but i never sold her,,,,Now looks like she is coming back up,,,and i pray that the news is good and does what is predicted so i can laugh at all of the short sellers who made nothing compared to the big prize...
September 14, 2010
6:05 PM
Cricut Cartridges writes:
I agreed with Clyde. MJ Kelly is a huge, huge fraud. I wouldn't really say he's a jackass, but whatever. To each his own.
September 15, 2010
11:07 AM
Wifi Book Reader writes:
I'm not startled by the market growth of eReaders considering the new players in the market. I remember only a short time back that everybody was speaking about the Sony eReader but since then we now have seen the likes of Amazon introduce Kindle devices and swiftly followed by the ipad from apple. To my mind, the expansion of these devices is caused by the provision of the end product alone, high quality e-books worth reading. I finished up purchasing a Kindle machine considering the price of the apple ipads at present are beyond reach, like i said previously, Amazon have grabbed this market by way of the neck and dramatically decreased their price tags in order to be competitive, we as shoppers need to take advantage don't we!
September 26, 2010
11:17 PM
ms writes:
greetings partner appreciate your finding the time to talk about this kind of, I feel strongly about that in addition to enjoy studying more on this matter. If possible, since you obtain knowledge, could you mind changing your own website to comprehend info as well as ,I can see that you're an expert your discipline! We are launching a site before long, plus your facts are going to be invaluable in my opinion.
September 30, 2010
8:01 AM
helena beer writes:
Kudos from one genius to yet another.
October 3, 2010
7:45 AM
lasagna baking dish writes:
Very useful, thank you. I’ve been blogging on and off for almost 3 years, but have never had much of a focus – I lean to just write about whatever is on my mind when I feel like writing. Cheers!
October 11, 2010
4:47 PM
Stephanie Stueckrath writes:
I'm a college student as well, and I own the Kindle, so let me give you some of my opinions. It is a great device, and I've to say I love it! I think I've read over 30 books with my Kindle, no glitches so far! And since Kindle books are cheaper than actual books, I think I've saved around $120 on buying books already. I got a few textbooks on my Kindle as well, and it does save me some heavy weight and money.
April 27, 2011
8:30 AM
Prezent na Dzień Mamy writes:
Great job with the blog, I’ve been stopping by here for quite some time, just wanted to let you know!
April 27, 2011
3:46 PM
Frank Stalvey writes:
I think other web-site proprietors should take this website as an model, very clean and excellent user genial style and design, let alone the content. You're an expert in this topic!
May 10, 2011
10:16 AM
Warhammer Online Gold writes:
While we don't agree on everything in your submit, I do tend to
get a refreshing view every time I read a single of your posts.
Here's a associated comment from a post that I recently published?-
The Federal republic of Germany is essentially the most influential country of Europe. It has witnessed essentially the most controversial facts of history like Nazism, Holy Roman Empire and the building and demolition of the Berlin wall. With numerous magnificent castles it has wealth of art and culture. German is the widely spoken language in German, but outsiders can find many English speaking locals especially in the typical tourist destinations.
If you'd like to read and comment on that statement, examine out
the full web site publish and get in touch.
http://6203.com.cn /
Thanks!
May 24, 2011
10:04 AM
pellegrino water writes:
I Tried s pellegrino water It's Great and i like it.
May 30, 2011
3:50 AM
Hauk IT writes:
Dieser Beitrag war sehr informativ! Danke
June 1, 2011
12:01 AM
Self Catering In Fife writes:
I can honestly state that we didn't get it.
September 15, 2011
1:12 AM
Albert Smith writes:
Great post, as usual.
September 20, 2011
3:03 PM
Markus writes:
Klasse Artikel, ich bin immer gern hier zum lesen ;-
September 29, 2011
12:49 PM
roman names writes:
Amazing! You did a great job. You should write a lot!
October 5, 2011
10:00 AM
ökostromanbieter test verivox writes:
Je eine größere Anzahl Ökostrom Anbieter es gibt desto mehr darüber hinaus größer fällt der Angebot aus im Übrigen umso schwieriger wird dieser Auswahl.
November 3, 2011
3:36 PM
Lucilla Lubahn writes:
This comment brings out many interesting thoughts, but in the wake of the recent mid term elections and what will be the outcome? I believe that there will be a total disconnection between the House of Representatives and the Senate? Obama is already backtracking and trying to position himself to the public that he is wanting to work with Republicans. This is currently being viewed as a joke on his part. The people of the United States have had enough of his rhetoric and they are wanting a change. The proof is in the pudding, the results of the mid term election prove to all that “We The People” are tired of it. We are just about 50% there and the best way to look at it is: “We only have 2 more years to go”! http://strategybasedprofits.com/category/economy/ ”>Click Here
November 10, 2011
1:59 AM
Cheap/Discounts Jordan shoes,Nike air max,Moncler Jackets,UGG Boots,LV,Coach handbags,Armani,Gucci,E writes:
Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I’m impressed! Very helpful info particularly the last part I care for such info a lot. I was seeking this particular information for a long time. I will keep the attention of your blog. Thank you and have a nice day.
November 19, 2011
1:43 AM
How To Stop Smoking Weed everyday writes:
Dead written content material, appreciate it for selective information. "Life is God's novel. Let him write it." by Isaac Bashevis Singer.
November 25, 2011
5:07 AM
Floaters writes:
That work out was tough! I edited it to be 50 reps 40 reps 30 reps 20 reps 10 reps. Definitely a good sweat going!
November 28, 2011
3:02 AM
Mia Hosea writes:
love the theme ure using
December 1, 2011
1:48 AM
Bradford Gariety writes:
When you're nevertheless to the fence: grab your favored earphones, mind lower to your Very best Acquire and request to plug them right into a Zune then an iPod and see which 1 appears to be better for you, and which interface makes you smile extra. Then you definately'll know which is correct available for you.
December 12, 2011
1:59 AM
500 rubles writes:
Hi there, i just thought i would publish and now let you know your sites style is genuinely smudged within the K-Melon browser. Anyhow preserve inside the very very good work.
December 13, 2011
2:11 AM
garrett at pro review writes:
The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one.I mean, I know it was my choice to read, but I actually thought youd have something interesting to say.All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could fix if you werent too busy looking for attention.
December 13, 2011
2:13 AM
jewellery on models writes:
The trade show calendar and exhibition directory lists India trade events and sourcing fairs. Find India trade fairs, India trade shows, India trading events, India ... Details on http://www.indiantradeshows.com
December 19, 2011
2:17 AM
motoryzacja writes:
Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your site is very cool. I am impressed by the details that you have on this web site. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the info I already searched everywhere and simply couldn't come across. What a perfect web-site.
December 20, 2011
7:27 AM
adultfriendfinder.com writes:
My friend tried to claim with us on that. This will make her stop. I do hope you will not mind more supporters on Fb.
December 22, 2011
1:58 AM
Ellamae Hutmacher writes:
I like it, cheap ugg boots.
December 27, 2011
2:11 AM
obbergton writes:
With the doggone climate we’ve got acquired of late I am caught up in the house, luckily you will find the net, thank you for giving me personally a thing to try and do.
January 10, 2012
2:10 AM
accounting washintgton dc writes:
Thanks for taking the time to share this, I feel strongly about it and love reading more on this topic. If possible, as you gain knowledge, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful for me.
January 14, 2012
2:02 AM
HYIP writes:
Wow, wonderful blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is magnificent, let alone the content!. Thanks For Your article about Barbecue Meets Beijing : 2008 Summer Olympics blog
: Rocky Mountain News .
January 14, 2012
2:02 AM
invest liberty reserve writes:
Wow, marvelous blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is fantastic, as well as the content!. Thanks For Your article about Barbecue Meets Beijing : 2008 Summer Olympics blog
: Rocky Mountain News .
January 14, 2012
2:02 AM
top 10 minecraft skins writes:
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is great, let alone the content!. Thanks For Your article about Barbecue Meets Beijing : 2008 Summer Olympics blog
: Rocky Mountain News .
January 16, 2012
1:58 AM
Meridel writes:
you've an amazing weblog right here! would you wish to make some invite posts on my weblog?
January 17, 2012
1:26 AM
minecraft skins writes:
Magnificent goods from you, man. Barbecue Meets Beijing : 2008 Summer Olympics blog
: Rocky Mountain News I've understand your stuff previous to and you are just too great. I actually like what you've acquired here, really like what you're saying and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it wise. I can not wait to read much more from you. This is actually a terrific Barbecue Meets Beijing : 2008 Summer Olympics blog
: Rocky Mountain News informations.
January 30, 2012
2:10 AM
android market writes:
Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of Barbecue Meets Beijing : 2008 Summer Olympics blog
: Rocky Mountain News . Thanks for the post. I will definitely comeback.
February 7, 2012
7:59 PM
Kai Wiesens writes:
Über Geschmack lässt sich ja bekanntlich streiten..