Business owner Charles Etsinger remembers making smoked meats and barbecue in 2016 as a hobby. After working in the automotive repair field for nearly two decades, he felt like pursuing a different dream.

“I would make barbecue for my friends and family all the time; cooking for 20 to 30 people nearly every weekend was therapy for me,” Etsinger says. “Finally in 2020, I got the guts to make it happen and started Hometown BBQ LLC.”

Etsinger found a smoker for sale on Facebook Marketplace and got to work.

“I honed my knowledge with help from YouTube,” he says. “I’d spend nearly every day making barbecue, and it got better and better every time.”

The biz specializes in handcrafted kiawe-smoked Texas-style barbecue. All dishes and sauces are made from scratch.

“I was born in Houston, but my mom brought me back home to where she was born — Honolulu,” Etsinger says. “The business name seems to fit with what we make, and how it can connect people to their own hometowns with just a taste.”

Popular dishes include Texas-style brisket ($21), which features USDA prime beef seasoned with salt and pepper, smoked oxtail ($25), smoked pork belly ($17) and a brisket chili bowl ($15), which features a special housemade chili spice blend.

“Our brisket is kiawe-smoked low and slow for up to 14 hours,” Etsinger says. “It sounds easy but its simplicity makes it one of the harder things to cook. Come early because we run out. Every order is hand-cut in our service window. Our Cowboy Combo ($25) features a choice of two meats from a selected menu. Popular options include our eight-hour smoked pork shoulder — which is hand-pulled just before serving — and our ribs glazed with award-winning barbecue sauce.”

For updates on the business’s location, follow @hometownbbqhi on Instagram.

“We just want to thank our customers, who are the absolute best people ever,” Etsinger says. “We have people who drive from the other side of the island multiple times a month to get food from us. That’s so cool that people love our food enough to do that.”

Hometown BBQ

Various locations
Call: 808-990-0519
Instagram: @hometownbbqhi
How to order: In person; call for catering inquiries
How to pay: Cash, credit cards, Apply Pay, Cash App and Venmo accepted