This story was produced by El Tiempo Latino. La puedes leer en español aquí.

When you think of barbecue ribs or brisket, Texas is probably one of the first places that comes to mind. But the restaurant most recently named the best in BBQ in the D.C. area by the Washington Post is run and managed by two Salvadorans — a husband and wife duo who took a chance and opened a new place in the middle of a pandemic.

Debby Portillo and her husband, Fernando Gonzalez, moved to the D.C. area with the dream of starting their own business. And that’s what they did, against all odds, as the coronavirus shuttered so many other businesses in the region. In the spring of 2020, they opened 2Fifty Texas BBQ in Riverdale Park, Maryland. Like many immigrant entrepreneurs, the pair wasn’t sure that they would find prosperity in the midst of so much adversity.

But the couple was tireless — they started out selling vacuum-sealed meats at a farmer’s market in Riverdale Park, and jumped at the chance to open up a brick and mortar store a few blocks away last year.

“Many people told us that we were out of our minds to open a business in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Portillo said.

But just a few months after their opening, the Washington Post food critic Tim Carman published a review rating them the number one option for BBQ in the area.

“The day after that article was published, it was crazy. There was a large line of people waiting to eat in the restaurant,” Portillo said. “When I went outside I became worried because at that time Fernando, his brother, and I were the only ones working. There were so many people we didn’t know what to do.”

It was the first time that a BBQ-style restaurant like 2Fifty — new, small, and Hispanic-owned — was named in the Washington Post’s list of top BBQ restaurants. Portillo told El Tiempo Latino that many non-Hispanics are still surprised that a Salvadoran couple knows how to prepare BBQ this way.

“Buttery wagyu brisket. Smoky St. Louis-style ribs with just the right tug. Turkey so moist it almost melts on the tongue. Pulled pork with the lightest, sweetest smoke profile,” Carman wrote in his review. “2Fifty is American. It’s Latin American. It is, hands-down, the best smokehouse in the area.”

Gonzalez is the mastermind behind the flavor of the meat and the cooking style. He picked up the technique from visiting and observing experienced Texas-style cooks, and then began practicing on his own at his home in El Salvador (despite the fact that, his wife says, the Salvadorans around them weren’t particularly fond of this type of dish).

“He started building the smoker on his own. It was incredible. And once he started to use it, the neighbors wondered ‘Why so much smoke?’” Portillo said, laughing.

At the restaurant, Gonzalez is in charge of all the set up and preparation in the kitchen and smokers. They have two large smokers, and they start cooking the best meat cuts early in the morning.

The success of the business means more to the couple than the recognition they received from Carman, or even than financial success. According to Portillo, in order to maintain their investor visa each year, the business has to remain successful.

And so far, they’ve managed to do that and more.

2Fifty is located at 4700 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park. For more information, call (240) 764-8763 or visit: 2fiftybbq.com.