Ernest Servantes: 'Chopped' Champion and the 'Pope of BBQ'

The Pitmasters teams are blessed to have Ernest Servantes as a judge. We say that because the compassionate, collaborative dad of two delivers feedback with such heart — and because Ernest’s more than 20-plus years of culinary experience have made him more than worthy of his title: the Pope of BBQ.

No stranger to food TV or contests himself, Ernest joins Hardcore Carnivore Jess Pryles, chef and cookbook author Andrew Zimmern and Midwest barbecue master Moe Cason on the judging panel for the debut season of this live-fire culinary competition.

Ahead, discover more about Ernest’s impressive culinary background, his secret ingredient for juicy ribs, plus how to try the Pope’s food yourself. (Psst … it can be delivered to your doorstep!)

History and Background

Ernest was raised in Uvalde, Texas, by parents who he calls “the quiet roots beneath my life: steady, unseen, and strong … holding me upright through every storm and teaching me that love is the truest form of strength.”

Ernest’s grandma had a massive impact on him, too. She owned a tamale shop and allowed Ernest to chip in washing dishes and bussing tables when he wasn’t in school. After graduating from Texas State University, the seed grandma planted grew as Ernest attended and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America.

From acting as a corporate trainer for Outback Steakhouse to working for 15 years as an executive chef with Sodexo, where he oversaw dining at Texas Lutheran University, Ernest has an impressive and diverse résumé in the food world. While Ernest could flex in any restaurant position and cook a wide variety of cuisines, his heart kept drawing him back to barbecue.

Recognizing this, in 2007, neighbors urged Ernst to enter a barbecue competition.

“We took our H-E-B barrel pit and competed against $20,000 pits, and we won,” Ernest told the New Braunfels, Texas, newspaper Herald-Zeitung. “I guess you could say the barbecue bug bit, and it just kind of snowballed from there.”

Ernest’s barbecue team branded themselves as Burnt Bean Co., a name that started with a playful jab. A colleague teased Ernest in Spanish prior to a competition and said, “Hey fat boy, you’re probably going to burn the beans.” Ernest decided to embrace that sentiment. He has used it as his trademark ever since.

That initial local competition victory prompted Ernest to enter regional and statewide challenges. Soon, he was invited to compete on Chopped: Grill Masters.

“It changed my whole life. If it wasn’t for Chopped, I don’t think I’d be where I am today,” Ernest told San Antonio Magazine.

Ernest has gone on to take part in and judge many more competitions. In 2020, he teamed up with fellow pitmaster David Kirkland to open a restaurant that regularly inspires folks to line up at 5 a.m. just to score a taste.

Reflecting back on his career (so far) in conversation with Recette Magazine, Ernest said, “I pretty much won everything you could win in barbecue.” He did this to try new things and hone his craft, and “for the future generation of Hispanic barbecuers. You go to any barbecue joint, any restaurant, and who’s back in the kitchen? Hispanics, nothing but Latinos cooking in the kitchen, but they never get the recognition.”

Family Life

At age 19, Ernest became a dad to his first child, Ernest III. Stepping into the role of father while being a scholar was a challenge, Ernest admitted during a conversation on the podcast World’s Greatest Dad With Ali and Neil: “I didn’t party as much. I had to grow up a little faster, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world … I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and I’m blessed to have him,” Ernest says of his now-26-year-old “mini me.”

Last Thanksgiving, Ernest found out that his son is going to make him a grandpa, which he’s thrilled about.

Ernest also has a younger daughter, Sabrina, who is following in her father’s footsteps. She’s a sous chef at Burnt Bean Co., and recently graduated from the Culinary Institute of America.

Shortly after Sabrina received her diploma this summer, Ernest wrote on Instagram: “Words can’t describe how proud her mom and I are of the woman and chef she has become. Watching your child chase a dream is one thing. Watching her put in the work, sacrifice, and fight for that dream is something I’ll never forget. Sabrina, you said you wanted to carry on my legacy, but now it’s time to create your own. The world is your mixing bowl, Chef. Make something beautiful.”

His parenting advice in five words or less? “Just go with the flow,” Ernest added in that World’s Greatest Dad podcast episode.

Ernest is married, but generally keeps his partnership with his wife close to his chest.

Ernest’s Restaurant

After rising to barbecue circuit fame under the name Burnt Bean Co., Ernest used this same moniker in 2019 when he started hosting pop-ups with his friend and fellow pitmaster David Kirkland. The duo sold out within an hour at every single event. The pop-ups weren’t the ultimate objective, though. Ernest and David were building an audience and dialing in recipes in hopes of making their dream of a brick-and-mortar restaurant a reality.

The pandemic put their restaurant plans temporarily on pause. Rather than let their goal go up in flames, Ernest and David shifted to hosting underground events in Ernest’s yard. By fall 2020, the bar where Burnt Bean Co. hosted their initial uber-popular pop-ups folded, so Ernest and David took over their lease.

Burnt Bean Co. officially opened in December 2020. Thanks to the momentum they had built, the Seguin, Texas, restaurant has drawn lines since Day 1, as folks are hungry for their soulful food that Ernest has described as “central Texas barbecue with a little spice.” Case in point: poblano-pepper-Jack sausage, King Ranch mac and cheese, and bourbon peach cobbler tacos with dulce de leche ice cream. They rely on offset and wood-fired rotisserie smokers, and swear by oak chips to infuse each ounce of protein with subtly earthy flavor and a deep mahogany color.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The team suggests arriving two to three hours prior to opening “for the best chance to enjoy our full menu. Please note that some items may sell out earlier, and we appreciate your understanding.”

If you don’t want to risk a sellout — or don’t live in Central Texas — select Burnt Bean Co. menu items are available on Goldbelly and can be delivered right to your door.

Ernest explained to San Antonio Magazine that they strive to be trendsetters.

“We’re not your typical barbecue joint. We want to be the next generation of barbecue guys,” he said. If there’s one part of the menu he’s most proud of, it’s the Sunday breakfast that reminds Ernest of how his dad would treat the family to barbacoa and menudo for lunch if they minded their manners at church.

Ernest’s Awards and Accolades

Together, Ernest and David have been semifinalists or finalists for Best Chef: Texas in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 2026, they were selected as semifinalists for the Outstanding Chef James Beard Award and were also invited to cook at the James Beard House.

In 2024, Burnt Bean Co. was awarded a Bib Gourmand by MICHELIN for serving excellent food at a value-minded price.

That was a huge feather in their cap, to be sure, but one of their most game-changing accolades was being named Texas Monthly’s No. 1 barbecue joint in 2025.

Explaining Burnt Bean Co.’s best-in-class nature, barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn wrote that “tasting the complete barbecue menu at Burnt Bean Co. requires planning an all-day Sunday affair. Not because the line that spills down the sidewalk in Seguin’s main square moves at a laborious pace (expect efficient service), but because the menu encompasses every possible meal.” Celebrating the short ribs, brisket huevos rancheros, turkey and sausage in particular, Daniel also adored the environment. “The dining room’s exposed-brick walls feel like a modern take on the old smoke cathedrals of Central Texas. But other touches — high school football cheers written on the front windows, smokers on a sun-drenched patio, the shadow of the Guadalupe County courthouse — make Burnt Bean feel like a museum of small-town Texas, with barbecue perfection the main exhibit."

Ernest’s TV Appearances

Ernest’s television career kicked off in 2012, when he was one of the 16 chefs featured on Chopped: Grill Masters. Spoiler alert: He took home the $50,000 grand prize after being the maestro of meat and stealing the show with his tres leches cake.

At the time, Ernest told Herald-Zeitung that it was crucial not to overthink the mystery basket. “You can’t really prepare yourself. You can only look at the items, and if you don’t know what they are, you can ask yourself, ‘What does it remind you of?’”

Ernest went on to judge on the show Smoked, as well as several special barbecue episodes on Chopped. He has also appeared on Destination America shows like BBQ Pit Wars and BBQ Pitmasters.

As he prepared to launch his restaurant and helped it build a strong foundation, Ernest took a step back from TV.

For six years, “I kind of put TV — my celebrity status — on hold to focus on the Burnt Bean,” Ernest said in a chat with Seguin Today. “You sacrifice for what you believe in. I believed in this restaurant and I wanted to make it special for Seguin. But now I know we got number one, I can go and market my brand and bring back the ‘celebrity Ernest.’”

As much as Ernest enjoys mentoring and highlighting the next generation on TV, he readily admitted that it’s often a struggle to sit on the sidelines: “You get FOMO [fear of missing out] times 10. I was dying to go in there,” he continued to Seguin Today. “I was like, ‘Put me in, coach. I want to play.’ But it was an honor to see the next generation of pitmasters and to see their creativity.”

Fun Facts About Ernest

• Birthday: September 3, making him a Virgo
• The best drink pairing for barbecue is a cold Lone Star or Shiner Bock, Ernest told San Antonio Magazine, adding that “you can’t get better than that.”
• The two pits at Burnt Bean Co. are named after Ernest’s two grandmothers, Melia and Belia.
• When cooking ribs low and slow, Ernest likes to spray the meat with apple juice every 30 minutes.
• The first time Ernest sat down to dine at Burnt Bean Co. — six years after he opened the doors — his order was a bowl of menudo and two tacos.
• His current drink of choice is RYZE Mushroom Coffee.