Brickyard BBQ expanding after only two months in San Antonio's Medical Center San Antonio’s South Texas Medical Center area has Brickyard BBQ, a new barbecue restaurant, bar to come

A three-meat barbecue plate from Brickyard BBQ that includes baby back ribs, smoked chicken, brisket, baked beans and coleslaw. A three-meat barbecue plate from Brickyard BBQ that includes baby back ribs, smoked chicken, brisket, baked beans and coleslaw. Photo: Chuck Blount /Staff Photo: Chuck Blount /Staff Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Brickyard BBQ expanding after only two months in San Antonio's Medical Center 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

The Brickyard BBQ just started serving up barbecue in February in the South Texas Medical Center, but already owners are expanding to build a bar.

Construction has just begun on an outdoor bar and patio space that will go by the name Urban Yard. Co-owner Kevin Horton said that the Paul family, which he married into with his wife Sherylin, also owns a Montessori school next door that they plan to tear down to build a boutique hotel.

“The ultimate goal is to make this one big entertainment area called The Yard,” said Horton, the former majority owner of the Broadway 50/50. “I don’t think we’ll need more than three months or so to get the bar up and running, so we are shooting for a mid-August opening.”

There’s nothing wrong with the barbecue that’s there right now, though. The menu should be familiar to any card-carrying Texan: brisket, sausage, chicken, pulled pork and baby back pork ribs. Sides include coleslaw, potato salad, pinto beans, cream corn and baked potatoes.

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For customers looking for a big sandwich challenge, The Brick ($15) is a hoagie that stretches from elbow to fingertips and is loaded with brisket, sausage and pulled pork topped with pickled onions, cabbage, lettuce, pickles and tomato.

Pitmaster Shane Paul uses a pair of Helotes Pits smokers in his backyard cooking space, and he doesn’t subscribe to any set cooking times.

“It’s got to have the right temperature and the right look,” Paul said. “Every piece of meat won’t act the same on you, so we treat it all with special care.”

Brickyard got its name from a wall of bricks inside the restaurant. Those bricks were recovered from the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, a tragedy that destroyed more than 3 square miles of the city and displaced more than 100,000 residents. Many still are coated with blackened char from the blaze.

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Sisters Sherylin (Paul) Horton and Sheron Paul make all of the sides daily from scratch.

“It’s surrounded by chain restaurants, and there there is a lack of entertainment in the area surrounding the Medical Center,” co-owner Sheahan Paul said. “Once everything is up and running, we think this can be something special.”

Brickyard BBQ, 8222 Wurzbach Road, 210-600-3227. Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Online: brickyardbbqtx.com

cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver

Chuck Blount is a food writer and columnist covering all things grilled and smoked in the San Antonio area. Find his Chuck's Food Shack columns on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com, or read his other coverage on our free site, mySA.com. | cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver