Flankenstein’s is one of the first food trucks in town to take a stab at elevating the mobile food scene from hot-dogs-and-tacos to more like what’s going on in cities like Los Angeles and Portland. In fact, one of the owners of Flankenstein’s is a pastor who used to run a Los Angeles food truck called Seasons, which sold salads to raise money to feed the homeless.
Flankenstein’s is hard to miss, being that it is painted a shade of green that instantly burns itself into your retinas. It is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, just west of the corner of Grant Road and Alvernon Way, and can be found sporadically at events like Nam Jam and swap meets from time to time.
The barbecue sandwiches at this truck are truly something else. The brisket is cooked for 13 hours, and the thick sauce sings with tones of cherry and pineapple. It comes served on a fresh roll from La Baguette bakery, and they throw in the cheese — by request only — for free.
The price is right, too. For $5, you get a sandwich and a bag of chips. They also sell BBQ sliders for $2.50 apiece, and rib sandwiches that aren’t on the menu board, but are rumored to be incredible.
Pastor Guy Stevenson and his business partner Alonso Martinez don’t plan on getting rich selling sandwiches; they have far loftier goals than that. That’s why the side of the truck says “SOS Ministries,” and that’s why whatever they don’t sell each day goes to feed the homeless.
“We try to walk like Christ did, and he didn’t have a money belt,” says Stevenson. Martinez stands nearby and nods, adding that while he took a pay cut to start the business, it has changed his life and made him a far happier man than his former career in corporate America ever did.
A solar generator is being installed this week, which will make the truck’s operations almost as green as the paint job. Stevenson and Martinez are also hitting the road in August to film an upcoming television series, where they’ll travel from town to town on motorcycles, with barbecue gear in tow, feeding whoever they happen to come across.
You can keep up with the food truck on their website and Twitter over here.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2011.
The website sure doesn’t offer much info — and no Tweets for 12 days.
I have tried their sandwich and I was truly surprized it was one of the best I have had in this waste land of bbq called Tucson. They also seemed to be truly nice guys and I hope the stay around so I dont have to go to some of those other so-called bbq places to get my fix…
I also wanted to say the sauce was very unique. pretty much all bbq sauces taste alike but not flankensteins. good job to the Tucson weekly for covering new hip places to eat.
Southerneater, you’ll be glad to know that their sauce is also available for $6 a jar. It truly is something special and unlike anything I’ve ever had.
Thank you for the tip. I agree with you and I will buy some of their sauce. As the reporter Adam is it me or is there except Flankensteins there no good bbq out here? I moved here about one year ago from Memphis Tn. The capital of bbq as Im sure you are aware of, I tried Brush Fire and back home real bbq places only have a menu about 1/2 to 1 page of stuff on them, but it seems like “bush-fire” is tring to please everyone where Flankensteins seems to be more like one of my “back-home” bbq joints they know what their good at and they stick to that. Adam do you know if the cook at Flankensteins is from some where in the south or from my neck of the woods? Just wonderin.
I’m not sure where Pastor Guy hails from, but he’s a heck of a guy. By the way, the truck has moved a couple of blocks down the street.
I’ve heard similar comments about the big menu at Brushfire, but their barbecue is some of the best in town. If you find anything that comes close to what they serve in Memphis, drop me a line. We encourage food tips from the pros.