SAN ANTONIO – The latest episode of Pickup Lines features local restaurateur and owner of Augie’s Barbed Wire Smokehouse, Augie Cortez.
Growing up near Donaldson, Quill and Bandera on San Antonio’s West Side, life in the 1980s meant bikes, friends and tight-knit family. As the oldest sibling, Cortez learned responsibility early — keeping an eye on his younger brother and sisters while his parents stressed the importance of family.
After graduating high school, college wasn’t the path he chose. Instead, Cortez went straight to work at USAA, where he said he learned professionalism, loyalty and responsibility.
“I work through the school of hard knocks,” he said, describing the lessons he picked up through experience rather than a classroom.
Weekend barbecues with friends eventually sparked a passion for cooking. With limited money, they experimented with cheap cuts of meat, learning through trial and error.
“We screwed it up enough to get it right,” he said.
In 1999, Augie took a major gamble — cashing out his 401(k) to start a barbecue venture. The risk came with an immediate setback.
“The first night we opened, we got ripped off,” he recalled. Someone stole the briskets straight off the pit before customers even arrived.
Despite the rocky start, Cortez kept going — building a reputation for barbecue while navigating the ups and downs of running a small business. Years later, he would even advocate for other small business owners after being forced to close a Broadway location following city construction projects.
Today, he said he’s at peace with the challenges and remains focused on family, community and the craft that started with backyard barbecues.
Watch the full Pickup Lines with Augie Cortez in the video player above.
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Ernie Zuniga started Pickup Lines, a digital talk show, straight from his vehicle. The segments feature a diverse range of guests, including executives, small business owners, and everyday individuals, as they share personal journeys, news, and stories.