Lance Kirkpatrick didn’t grow up cooking barbecue. He didn’t come from a long line of barbecue cooks, but at the age of thirty-one he answered the most important newspaper ad of his life. Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas was looking for someone to help at the restaurant. Lance got the job which set him on the path to learn barbecue from the best – Bobby Mueller.

Stiles Switch has already made the Texas Monthly Top 50, and recently has been named the fourth and sixth best barbecue joint in Austin in two recent Top 10 lists. But Kirkpatrick doesn’t like words like better or best when talking about barbecue. He prefers the word favorite, and he’d like Stiles Switch to be your favorite.

The Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew team is lead by Taylor, Texas native and owner Shane Stiles along with lead pitmaster Lance Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick brings over fifteen years of industry experience and an impressive resume to the establishment. Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew, named after the historic 1800s I. & G. N. railroad stop Stiles Switch, Texas, is also namesake of the owner Shane Stiles. Shane’s inspiration for Stiles Switch BBQ is derived from his admiration of the Texas BBQ Legends he was raised on growing up in Central Texas.