Jack Zizzo’s barbecue journey has tested him. His Austin joint, Space Kat Barbecue, has closed three times due to forces outside his control. One of those times was in 2023, when his new food truck was stationed in San Diego. A fire sparked in the joint because of faulty assembly, and the business was out of commission for months. “If there is a higher power, it is literally telling me to not do this with my life,” Zizzo said. Call him the Odysseus of barbecue, who followed a siren’s song back to Texas.
Zizzo started working in the pit room of La Barbecue in 2014 under the tutelage of John Lewis and Esaul Ramos Jr. He worked there for a year and half before briefly opening his own pop-up, Birdhouse BBQ. Zizzo soon found a home in the Barley Swine kitchen, which is where he met his current business partners, Lance Brase and Justin Payton. In 2017, he left Austin for good, he thought, to return to his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, where he made waves with his first iteration of Space Kat.
“I was making so much money in Youngstown,” he said. “My costs were so low, and I was the only barbecue in town.” After the COVID-19 pandemic, he was looking for a fresh start and to be closer to the ocean. Business was good on the West Coast too, but after the fire, his debts mounted. Then he developed two extruding discs in his back. “I could barely walk some days,” Zizzo said. He sold the truck, the smokers, and most of his other equipment. He thought his barbecue journey was over.
Zizzo received treatment for his back, and his condition improved. He worked as a private chef, which was a bit easier on his body than being a pitmaster, but it wasn’t as rewarding. He missed the smoke. “[Barbecue is] the only thing that makes me completely happy when I’m doing it, and it’s the only thing I’m truly good at that makes money,” he said. He got a loan and found a minibus he could turn into a food truck. “I knew I couldn’t run it in San Diego anymore, and I was looking for the best place for the business,” he said. His old home of Austin made the most sense because of the city’s deep appreciation for smoked meat, so he moved back and reopened Space Kat on the East Side in February.
You won’t find brisket on this tray, but you will find ribs (pork and lamb) and tri-tip.Photograph by Daniel Vaughn
If you’re wondering why there’s no brisket on the menu, “This is not Texas barbecue,” Zizzo told me on a recent Friday while touring his setup. Instead, the main cut of beef you’ll find is two grades of tri-tip. A choice-grade version sells for $34 per pound, while the better-marbled Akaushi is $54 per pound. I tried the latter, which was smoked in a trailer-mounted offset with post oak until medium, then finished on a grill fueled with oak coals. It’s brushed with a spiced-up au jus and served sliced, so you could see the fine marbling in the cross sections. It was tender and had a good char. “I believe there’s enough great brisket in Central Texas, so I think it’s time for something new,” Zizzo said. I’m on board if the tri-tip is always this good.
He makes a less successful swap by replacing pulled pork with a portion of pork butt known as the “money muscle.” He calls it “coppa,” although it doesn’t exactly resemble the Italian cured meat, because it’s sliced about as thick as a pork steak. Mine had a texture bordering on mushy and a washed-out flavor from either a foil wrap or being kept too long in a warmer. This is an example where embracing a lesser-used Texas cut like the pork steak may have been better.
Other than the coppa, every protein is smoked, then finished on the grill. “A touch of carbonization is okay with me,” Zizzo said. That worried me when it came to the baby back ribs (available as a half or full rack at $19 and $38, respectively), served uncut. My half rack had an alarmingly dark bark, but it didn’t taste burnt. Although I’d prefer not to have to separate the ribs myself, I loved the intense flavor mixture of salty, sweet, smoky, and a little spicy. The lamb chops were another favorite, due to their perfectly pink interior and juiciness and the chimichurri served on the side for dipping. To make them even better, they could have used some char on the fat cap.
Zizzo practiced his sausage making at La Barbecue and Barley Swine along with Payton, his fellow Space Kat pitmaster and partner, who takes the lead here. The yellow tint in the hot link comes from turmeric, and though well-seasoned, it needed some more spice to match the name. Its juicy blend of ground beef and pork had a few unfortunate chunks of hard gristle, but the casing had a great snap.
The skin-on chicken thighs best exemplified the power of Zizzo’s two-step cooking process. The meat was tender and smoky, and the skin was so crisp it was like a chicharron. I also enjoyed the pimento poppers, jalapeños stuffed with pimento cheese and a bit of brisket, then wrapped in thick-sliced bacon. They’re a hearty appetizer at $4 each.
The sides are more mainstream. The creamy mac and cheese is satisfying, as is the crunchy slaw with mayo-based dressing. The potato salad needed more seasoning and less celery. I preferred the savory pinto beans in a rich broth. The sole dessert, however, is anything but basic: Chocolate mousse gets some pop from orange zest, and the sea salt bourbon caramel and smoked pecans take it over the top.
Zizzo was right: Austin is barbecue central, and it doesn’t need another option for brisket. Sadly, though, Space Kat is having a hard time gaining traction, even with its unique take on barbecue. We were the only customers during our meal, though I was happy to see it had sold out of meat this past Sunday. “We’re being patient,” Zizzo said. “It’s part of the growing pains.” If there’s anything that Zizzo’s proven, it’s that a little struggle won’t keep him down.
Space Kat Barbecue
2431 Webberville Road, Austin
Hours: Thursday–Sunday 11–5
Phone: 737-418-8508
Pitmasters: Lance Brase, Justin Payton, and Jack Zizzo
Method: Oak in an offset smoker and a grill
Year opened: 2026
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