Daniel Castillo has every right to take a break when Heritage Barbecue opens for business on July 3 at 11 in the morning.
He’s been there—Castillo and his wife, Brenda, own the San Juan Capistrano restaurant—since 4:30 a.m., stoking the white oak–fueled fires that power his four (so far) 1,000-gallon offset smokers, each packed with enough meat—pork, beef, chicken, turkey, 800 pounds in total—to feed an army division.
And on a holiday weekend like this, he just might. named Heritage one of the best ’cue spots in California. restaurant critic Brad A. Johnson—a native Texan and notoriously finicky about —said of Castillo’s Austin-inspired creations, “Barbecue doesn’t get any better than this.” Heritage is already at the point where fans ask for Castillo’s autograph, beg for his secrets, and hound him for selfies even when he takes out the trash. And the buzz is not just about
