New Braunfels Smokehouse took shape in the mid-1940s, evolving from an ice and cold-storage operation into a Texas culinary institution. You’ll discover how this family business expanded beyond traditional sausages to offer a variety of hickory-smoked meats using proprietary spice blends and time-honored techniques. Their commitment to quality ingredients and authentic smoking methods has sustained their reputation for excellence across multiple generations.
The full story reveals how German heritage transformed into distinctly Texan tradition.
From Ice to Smoke: The Birth of a Texas Institution
While many famous Texas food institutions began with a family recipe or a roadside stand, New Braunfels Smokehouse took a more unusual path from blocks of ice to smoked delicacies. The journey started in 1918, when the New Braunfels Brewery established an ice plant to keep their beer cold. These massive 300-pound ice blocks became essential in an era before widespread refrigeration.
When Prohibition halted brewing operations, the ice business continued under new ownership. In 1945, Russell (“R.K.”) Dunbar purchased the company and diversified the cold-storage business into food, setting the stage for smoked meats. Just a short distance from Landa Park, this enterprise would become a cornerstone of New Braunfels’ cultural identity.
The pivotal moment came as the Dunbar family explored promoting hickory-smoked meats directly to travelers—an idea that dovetailed with Arabel Dunbar’s instinct for sampling and hospitality, transforming a simple ice business into what would become a beloved Texas smokehouse tradition. The business found its flavor identity when its first Smoke Master, Benno, began crafting hickory-smoked meats drawing on traditional German recipes.
Benno’s Legacy: How German Techniques Met Texas Tradition
View this post on Instagram
The concept soon found its heart and soul in Benno, a German-American craftsman who became the company’s first Smoke Master. His traditional German curing methods, combined with Texas hickory smoking, created a distinctive cross-cultural culinary exchange that reshaped local meat processing.
You can taste this gastronomic innovation in every bite of their products. Local farmers brought their hams and turkeys to be transformed through Benno’s expertise, creating meats that satisfied Texas preferences for bold, robust flavors while maintaining German craftsmanship. This approach echoed the broader cultural integration that occurred throughout German settlements in Texas. After opening their Tastin’ Room in 1952, the company’s reputation for quality smoked meats quickly spread throughout Texas.
This fusion established New Braunfels Smokehouse as more than just a business—it became a living tribute to German-Texan heritage, setting quality standards that would carry the company from its ice-plant origins to a beloved Texas institution.
The Tastin’ Room Revolution of 1952
In 1952, Arabel and Russell Dunbar launched what soon became a Hill Country landmark—the aptly named “Tastin’ Room” along Highway 81 between San Antonio and Austin. This ingenious roadside appeal capitalized on travelers’ curiosity, inviting them to sample hickory-smoked meats before purchasing.
The distinctive building, evoking traditional smokehouses, featured:
-
Bent pipe chimneys emitting aromatic smoke
-
Intentionally leaning walls for rustic charm
-
Colorful cut-out animal figures dotting the surrounding corn patch
-
A giant mountain-man mascot known locally as “Zeke”
This tasting-driven experience revolutionized the business model, transforming a wholesale operation into a direct-to-consumer enterprise. Inside Arabel’s country-styled interior, visitors experienced Texas culinary traditions firsthand—establishing a lasting blueprint for food tourism in the region. The original location sat in a corn patch that provided a rustic, agricultural backdrop to the early establishment.
Perfecting the Art of Hickory Smoking
View this post on Instagram
Behind the success of the Tastin’ Room lay a carefully honed craft that became the backbone of New Braunfels Smokehouse’s reputation. The masters at New Braunfels found that hickory wood delivered the perfect savory flavor for their signature pork shoulder and ribs—robust yet balanced when properly controlled.
The seasoning techniques enhanced the meat’s ability to absorb hickory’s distinct profile, particularly in fattier cuts that benefited from longer smoking sessions. Their smoke management strategies were equally important: maintaining consistent airflow, adding wood chunks sparingly, and using offset smokers that delivered clean, thin smoke rather than dense clouds. Their experts used dry wood rather than soaked, ensuring better temperature control and optimal smoke production.
When hickory threatened to overpower, they’d blend it with milder fruitwoods, creating complex flavor profiles that complemented rather than dominated their carefully prepared meats.
Beyond Mail-Order: Building a Culinary Destination
From its humble beginnings as a mail-order business, New Braunfels Smokehouse transformed into a beloved culinary destination that captured the appetites and imaginations of both locals and travelers. The brick-and-mortar expansion began in 1952 with the “Tastin’ Room” on Highway 81, designed to evoke classic smokehouses.
This multi-channel business growth evolved through four key phases:
-
An initial roadside restaurant offering face-to-face product experiences
-
A deli-style restaurant and gift shop along the I-35 corridor serving travelers and locals
-
Diversification beyond smoked meats to include cheeses and gourmet gifts
-
A mid-2020s reopening of retail space at the downtown processing facility
Despite the restaurant’s closure in 2020 due to COVID-19, you’ll find the Smokehouse continues adapting while maintaining its culinary heritage and commitment to quality. The company’s leadership team collaborates frequently to share ideas and ensure the business stays true to its original vision while meeting evolving customer needs.
80 Years of Flavor: Preserving Heritage in Modern Times
View this post on Instagram
A rich tapestry of German-Texan culinary tradition forms the backbone of New Braunfels Smokehouse’s enduring legacy. For decades, the Dunbar family’s commitment to family ownership has helped keep Benno’s time-honored smoking techniques intact, preserving authenticity in every bite.
While the hickory smoke still rises as it did in the mid-1940s, the smokehouse hasn’t stood still. They’ve balanced tradition with innovation, connecting with new customers through expanded offerings and modern distribution methods. Their “Tastin’ Room,” established in 1952, became a culinary destination for travelers, while mail-order and online services now bring their German-inspired Texas flavors to homes nationwide. The business maintains a deep catalog of recipes rooted in old-world sources, carefully stewarded so these cherished methods endure for generations to come.
