Wed 6pm–12am · Thu 7pm–2:15am · Fri 12pm–5pm & 7pm–2:15am · Sat 7pm–2:15am | 1802 Buddy Holly Ave (Rear), Lubbock TX | (806) 500-0171
Big E's Barbeque
Our Story
Lubbock · Depot District · Est. 2004
The Founder
The Man.
The Legend.
Big E.
Ferlis Ellis Jr. wasn't just a pitmaster. He was a Texas Tech football player, a first-generation college graduate, and a man who fed Lubbock with heart for over two decades. He started with a smoker in an alley and built something the city calls its own.
"Mr. Ellis himself at the grill, with his roll of paper towels on hand as he serves up deliciousness."
— Melinda Green Harvey, photographer, 2024
Ferlis passed on August 2, 2025, at 61 — months after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. His legacy lives on in every plate served, every fire lit, every late night on Buddy Holly Ave.
The Journey
20+ Years
of Smoke
Ferlis Ellis Jr. rolls his first smoker into the alley behind Einstein's Sandwich and Soup Shop. The smell alone draws a crowd.
The line keeps growing. Late-night regulars, Texas Tech students, and Depot District locals all start showing up for the smoke.
Big E's officially opens its doors on April 4, 2004. What started in an alley becomes a brick-and-mortar home on Buddy Holly Ave, complete with the iconic red-letter sign.
Trey grows up in the shop from age 3 — running between tables, watching his dad work the smoker, learning the rhythm of the fire before he could even reach the counter.
During the pandemic, Trey starts working alongside his dad full-time. Father and son at the grill — learning every cut, every technique, every quiet rhythm of the fire.
Ferlis Ellis Jr. passes away on August 2, 2025. Trey steps up. The community shows up in force. The pit stays lit — because that's what Big E would have wanted.
The Next Generation
Trey Keeps
the Flame
Burning.
Ferlis Ellis III — Trey — grew up working alongside his dad at the pit. He watched, learned, and now runs Big E's with the same fire and the same family around him.
See What We're Smoking →"I'm not my pops but I want to live up to be the man he was and create those same stories myself."
— Ferlis Ellis III (Trey), Big E's BBQ, 2025
The People
Family Business.
