Arnie Segovia, or ArnieTex as he is better known on YouTube and his social media platforms, has endeared himself to an audience of over 3 million people with his cooking demonstrations of South Texas favorites. These include everything from tacos al pastor to bourbon pecan pie and an endless array of salsas. Over the last four years, he has built a dedicated following for his ways around a grill, evidenced by the success of his custom line of cooking rubs, merch, and online pitmaster classes.
An RGV native, Segovia launched his culinary career with his restaurant, Arnie’s Café and Grill, located in San Juan, just outside McAllen. But he really credits his current trajectory to his two-plus decades spent on the competitive circuit. That experience colored his preference for the sights and smells of a backyard cookout—especially “a messy burger.” Segovia’s ideal preparation? A meaty specimen that captures the essence of a backyard barbecue. One where the smoke is carefully harnessed to become the signature aspect of the burger experience.
To achieve the desired effects at your own place, you’ll need a live fire grill set at a temperature between 250-270 degrees, a cast iron pan to sear the patty, and the right fuel. Regarding the latter, Segovia prefers pecan, but mesquite lump charcoal works just as well. Additionally, the internet star always augments the charcoal with wood chips for the “thin blue smoke” crucial for the right flavor. “You will get the best of three worlds,” he says. “You will get a good smokey flavor, a taste like it was barbecued. You will also get that Maillard reaction from the sear that results in a juicy burger.”
The toppings take inspiration from the No. 8 at Whataburger: iceberg lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and yellow mustard all make an appearance. Segovia goes one step further by also adding jalapeños that are sliced and griddle with chopped white onion. Note, Segovia doesn’t like cheese on his burgers, hence the absence of any American or cheddar slices.
Now, if you really want to get to the heart of Segovia’s backyard wizardry, it’s all in the grind of the meat. “The best burgers are fresh ground and I always grind my own stuff,” he says. This is the most important commandment of the ArnieTex burger gospel, and how I ended up grinding up brisket trim (or chuck roast in a pinch) to emulate his cooking style.
To prevent sticking, freeze your preferred cut(s) overnight then add to a meat grinder attachment connected to a stand mixer. As you’ll see, the bright crimson hue and loose texture of the beef can only be duplicated when ground on the spot. After forming a seven-ounce patty, I seasoned it with Segovia’s Brisket BBQ rub and smoked the burger until it reached an internal temperature of 120 degrees (about 25 minutes). From there I seared off the patty on a cast iron skillet situated on a stove and built the rest of the burger. Given the larger size of the patty, I layered the mustard, shredded lettuce, and salted tomato on the bottom bun to help prevent slippage. The top bun gets another smear of mustard and the griddled onion and jalapeño mixture.
The results are backyard burger bliss. Not only does it have the aroma and outer bark of the best smoked burgers, but it retains the juiciness of the best restaurant versions. It was like the marriage of the Texas classic at Kincaid’s Hamburgers in Fort Worth and the smoked burger from Leroy and Lewis Barbecue in Austin. The restrained toppings of lettuce and tomato add great textural contrast, the pungent bite of yellow mustard perfectly complements the profile of the barbecue rub, and the heat from the chile was a welcomed addition. And no, I didn’t miss the cheese for a second.
This is a burger born out of decades of home grilling, engineered by the king of backyard chefs. It is unlocking a door to a myriad of possibilities where you can control taste and texture. It’s taking those few extra steps—like grinding your own meat—that pays back in results. Ultimately, it’s a level of detail that has set the bar for social media success, establishing Arnie Segovia as the bellwether for today’s Texas cooking.
