IT IS hard to imagine anything more American than sitting in a ‘gas station’ carpark with a brisket burrito in one hand and a 16oz drip coffee in the other.

Throw in a couple of packets of beef jerky and some sugary ‘beaver nuggets’ for the drive and there is a good chance you have just been to Buc-ee’s.

The Texan chain has become a destination for smoked brisket enthusiasts over the years, known for breaking world records as the biggest convenience store in the world and having some of the cleanest, most high-tech toilets, available.

Buc-ee’s recently expanded into the state of Colorado, building a massive store that can be seen from miles down the highway, in a rapidly growing area between the cities of Denver and Fort Collins.

Beef Central asked a range of people across the two cities – from Uber drivers, to bartenders, cattle producers and academics – whether they had heard of Buc-ee’s. The answer was a resounding ‘yes’.

Walking into the store was mind-blowing, it was a massive building packed full of people, with walls of food and staff actively putting together freshly cooked food.

The average Texan might say there is better brisket than at Buc-ee’s – but our opinion is it is very good for highway food.

Alongside a warehouse full of smokers, camping gear and anything else you can imagine, there is a bakery, a deli full of jerky and cured meat and a sandwich making section where brisket-after-brisket is pulled out of the oven.

When a brisket is pulled out of the oven one of the Buc-ee’s workers yells out “fresh brisket on the board!” – which the rest of the staff chant back. They then get the barbecue sauce and yell out “sauce on the board!” and the chant goes on.

The brisket goes into a range of different items, mainly sandwiches and burritos.

Churning out large amounts of beef

Buc-ee’s likes to keep the amount of beef it turns over a secret but watching them chop up at least four briskets in the space of 15 minutes at a store that was nowhere near its biggest would indicate that it turns over a lot of beef.

According to its website, Buc’ees has 35 stores in Texas and another 15 across Tennessee, South Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, Colorado and Alabama.

Its briskets are evidently smoked at central location for 12-14 hours before being transported to the stores where they are warmed in the oven.

For full disclosure, Beef Central has not been paid by Buc-ee’s for this free advertisement. But we did pay for a brisket roll, a breakfast taco and a couple of packets of bohemian garlic jerky – which we give a ringing endorsement for.