He was a telephone lineman. She was a homemaker. But Will and Nichole Buckman shared a passion for cooking and an appreciation for barbecue.

Summoning their collective courage and using their savings, they took a leap in opening CorkScrew BBQ in Spring in 2011. They developed a devoted fan base and fame followed: In 2013 CorkScrew made Texas Monthly's 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas list; by 2017 they were in the elite Top 10 (No. 7, to be precise).

The Buckmans credit their team for helping them achieve the most difficult of all restaurant operations to manage: consistency. CorkScrew serves unfaltering barbecue smoked over red oak. But it's the Buckmans' own perseverance and partnership as a husband-and-wife barbecue team that makes CorkScrew special. They both contribute daily to what has become one of the state's premier barbecue joints.

On this week's episode of BBQ State of Mind, the Buckmans tell Chronicle barbecue columnist J.C. Reid and food editor Greg Morago how they do it.

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