Caldwell County BBQ has long been committed to tradition and sustainability.
The inconspicuous eateries prepare “back-to-basics, Texas-style barbecue” with 100% wood-smoked meat, fueled with mesquite and pecan.
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A sustainability supporter, Caldwell County BBQ’s chief executive officer and co-owner, Travis Taylor, looked for ways to use the restaurant’s beef trimmings.
The next logical step was to dip into the cosmetics industry. Last fall, they launched Caldwell Cosmetics, made with 100% prime-grade beef tallow at the Gilbert and Queen Creek at Pecan Lake stores. The introductory products are whipped tallow balm, as well as tallow lip balm, lotion and candles.
“When you make a brisket, you want to trim off everything — even stuff that isn’t bad. We trim it off to make it aerodynamic for the smoker. We didn’t really want to just throw it away.
“It hurts my feelings to throw that away. To be sustainable, our female team members said we should make tallow-based cosmetics. I figured, ‘What the heck?’ I’m a dude, though. I don’t know anything about that stuff.”
The tallow cosmetics are made with prime-grade beef tallow, beeswax, olive oil and lightly scented oil. The tallow lip balm comes in four scents — coconut, blueberry, strawberry and watermelon.
The handcrafted whipped balm is recommended for dry or rough skin and is offered in warm vanilla sugar, lavender and cinnamon pumpkin.
Rich in vitamins A, D, E and K, handcrafted tallow lotion is a non-toxic moisturizer that restores and nourishes the skin. The scents are the same as the lip balm.
Tallow candles feature clean-burning, toxin-free wicks.
Since the products were launched, the Caldwell County BBQ team has had a plethora of compliments. A pregnant woman posted on Instagram that the products helped her.
“She said, ‘I started using tallow lotion with lavender on my pregnant belly to help with the itchiness and the stretch marks,’” Taylor recalled.
“‘I’ve purchased so many other products for pregnant people, and your tallow is by far my favorite, and it relieves me the most. I will definitely recommend this product to more people.’”
Caldwell County BBQ’s food and cosmetic products are attributed to the team. Taylor explained, with a laugh, that he’s “not the gatekeeper of all the good ideas.”
“If somebody on the team has an idea, we’re going to at least entertain it and try it out,” he said. “This is the culmination of multiple people on our team saying, ‘Hey, we should try this.’”
Traditional values
Caldwell County BBQ serves Texas meat-market-style barbecue with hints of Arizona, like citrus and green chile flavors. The beef brisket is slow cooked for 20 hours, while the St. Louis ribs “spare” nothing on flavor, Clay has said.
Cooks at Caldwell County BBQ rub salt, pepper, and garlic into pulled pork to bring out the meat’s natural flavor. The store offers three sauces: house, amber mustard, and hot and sweet.
Clay Caldwell, his wife, Susan, and his son, Spencer, started Caldwell County BBQ in 2018.
“Spencer handled the real estate. Susan created the vibe and Clay directed operations,” Taylor said.
Taylor met them through family and friends and began consulting for the Caldwells in January 2022. Taylor and the Caldwells, who started Waldo’s BBQ, “hit it off from day one.”
“Naturally, we worked well together, so I moved my family from Charleston, South Carolina, in June 2022,” Taylor said. “Because the Caldwells trusted me to run the whole business, I decided to buy in — and it’s been a great partnership.
“I spent 2022-2024 learning as much as I could from Clay. I hope to continue to do it justice as we expand and make our barbecue more accessible to everyone in the Valley.”
Taylor said Caldwell County BBQ is the perfect place for families. In a time when technology rules the roost, socialization doesn’t seem important.
“I think we’re missing some of that human connection that used to be present,” Taylor said. “I think barbecue is my avenue and my outlet to connect with people.”
So far, so good.
“We’re still learning and growing,” Taylor said. “I wouldn’t say we’re successful yet. We’re just trying to get better every day and make our product at least 1% better every day.”
Caldwell County BBQ has locations at 18324 E. Nunneley Road, Gilbert, and at Pecan Lake, 25000 S. 206th Street, Queen Creek. Coming soon to 8315 W. Washington Street, Peoria, and 7000 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix. For more information, visit caldwellcountybbq.com.
