Greenville barbecue junkie’s journey from food truck to brick-and-mortar

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“Barbecue is a hard business.”

So says MooHogz Craft BBQ owner Graysen Walles.

Walles went from working in education full time, to part-time running a barbecue food truck at Hampton Station about a year ago, to working the truck full time by early July, to now making plans to open a brick-and-mortar location at The Commons in downtown Greenville, at 147 Welborn St. The new location is slated to be completed in February.

“I’ve never even driven a trailer before or cooked on a 500-gallon smoker before (owning the food truck),” said Walles. “Everything was learned.”

With an interest that stemmed from hosting backyard barbecues for friends and family to doing a little catering, Walles said he did a lot of thinking about where his life was headed.

“I thought about how much I enjoy barbecue and smoking, so I gave it a go,” he said.

MooHogz features standard barbecue items with Walles’ twists on different experiences across the country, he said.

“I wanted to do something that wasn’t just South Carolina but also influences of Texas and the Midwest. I traveled a lot, making intentional visits to places like St. Louis, Texas and Chicago, just enjoying the barbecue there, and there are a number of great barbecue places here in South Carolina, so a lot of those influenced me, too. My menu is kind of eclectic, but I wanted to bring all that together.

For example, his ribs and briskets are Texas-influenced, rib tips are Midwest-influenced, pulled chicken is authentic to Walles, but he also offers additional items such as Tex-Mex-influenced tacos and nachos, tying in traditional Southern sides like mac and cheese.

Walles credits his wife for the “MooHogz” name.

“My wife is my partner, literally,” he said. “She does all the sides, and one day we were talking about the name and she just said it like that, like it was just supposed to be that. So, I said I like it and it kind of stuck. So we went with it.”

Walles said the new location will allow him to be a little more creative with a new menu, so he will add appetizers and daily specials as well.

“I just enjoy making people smile,” he said. “In education, it can take decades for you to see what your investment resulted in. But with a restaurant, you can see it when someone takes their first bite and says how good it is. I love seeing people eating together and enjoying my food as a family, and to know we were a part of that, bringing people together, feels good. It’s not just a business to me. It’s now a part of who I am and making sure we are connecting people through food and that it’s enjoyable to the point they want to come back again and again.”

There are a lot of good barbecue spots that have been serving Upstate communities for a long time, said Walles, and all have been influential in his decision to start a business of his own.

“For me, as a new barbecue guy in town, I appreciate all of my predecessors,” he added. “Because I saw they were able to do it and knew I could, too. They work hard, have great customers, and have inspired me.”