PHOTOS BY DAN SEGOVIA
Fall 2025 Update
It was a busy summer for Arnie Segovia. Days after his very first cookbook, ARNIETEX: Over 100 Recipes for Mexican-American Cooking and Texas-Style BBQ, was published in July, he got word that his cookbook had made the New York Times best seller list of advice, howto and miscellaneous books.
“I was in Grand Prairie doing a book signing,” he said. “I was shocked, honestly, because it’s not very often a cookbook makes the best seller list. I felt joy, happiness, and it made me cry a little bit. ‘What… how did that happen?’ But I am very proud and it’s a huge honor.”
ARNIETEX contains 104 recipes featuring Mexican-American cooking and Texas-style barbecue.
“When I received the first copy of my cookbook, it was an aha! moment,” says Segovia. “Finally, it’s in my hands. And all that work paid off. It was surreal, and I am super pumped.”
Segovia and his team spent the summer driving across the state meeting people, signing books, and doing radio and TV interviews. In Houston, at J-Bar-M BBQ, the turnout was so huge that they sold out of books, barbecue, and even beer.
“I am just so happy to see so many people showing up and sharing with us that they love the cookbook and that they are making the recipes,” he says. “Some of the folks are even crying because the recipes remind them of their mom or dad, or their grandma, the stories, the memories. It’s very humbling.”
Edible RGV: Your love of cooking and barbecuing, who inspired you? What was the inspiration for the cookbook?
ARNIE: There’s always lots of inspiration along life’s highways, and some of it came from my family: my father, my grandfather, both my abuelas. But honestly, it just seems like it was a calling. And being very successful on the competition trail was kind of like pointing me in that direction, too. I love to see smiles when people eat what I cook, whether it’s BBQ or just a good pico de gallo.
Some of my followers and fans kept asking for a cookbook and I had fantasized about it for years, so that was my cue to get it done, I guess. After discussing it with my family, we decided to push forward. Edible RGV: Share with us about the process. When did you start selecting recipes?
ARNIE: I am not a recipe guy. I am more of “a little bit of this, a little bit of that.” It was a huge challenge to get them to exact measurements, so the buyers of the book would have an excellent experience reproducing the recipes. Some were cooked as many as six to eight times to get them perfect. I absolutely wanted them to be perfect for the newbie cook and the pro, too.
I started writing and fine-tuning the recipes in January of 2024 with a deadline of August to have them all completed. It came down to the wire, literally right before [the book] was sent to print. This is my first cookbook and hopefully, God willing, I’ll write one or two more when [I] slow down or retire, LOL.
Not only is Arnie Segovia a barbecue guy, this pitmaster also collects cookbooks. He has hundreds in his collection and now can add his very own to it. In this issue of Edible RGV , we share one of Segovia’s favorite recipes, “Still Austin Bourbon-Basted Fajitas.” Segovia is planning more book signings. Check out his Instagram page for a city near you.
You can find links at arnietex.com on where to order ARNIETEX. Follow Segovia on Facebook and Instagram and watch his videos on YouTube.
Arnie Segovia has been barbecuing all his life. A former barbecue competitor, he was one of the first inductees into the International Barbeque Cookers Association Hall of Fame. He created and teaches The Pitmaster Class, an online barbecue class and community with over 3,500 members. He has a huge social media following. And now he is a published cookbook author.
“When I received the first copy of my cookbook, it was an aha moment. Finally, it’s in my hands,” says Segovia. “And all that work paid off. It was surreal, and I am super pumped.”
His new cookbook, ARNIETEX: Over 100 Recipes for Mexican- American Cooking and Texas-Style BBQ contains 104 recipes featuring Mexican American cooking and Texas-style BBQ. It will be released to the public in mid-July, but you may pre-order a copy. There will be a book signings, too, throughout the Valley. For Segovia, writing the cookbook was a 14-month project, a lot of work and time consuming, he says. The challenge for him was pinning down measurements for his recipes.
“I am not a recipe guy,” he says. “I am more of a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Some recipes had to be tested six or eight times to get the exact ratio, to where I felt if someone follows my recipe, they will have a good cooking experience. That was my goal.”
Segovia always thought someday maybe he would write a cookbook. He says people often asked him to do it, but he never did until November 2023, when a “serendipitous” opportunity came up. Not only is he a barbecue guy, this pitmaster also collects cookbooks. He has hundreds in his collection and now can add his very own to it.
In this ERGV issue, we share one of Segovia’s favorite recipes, Still Austin Bourbon Basted Fajitas.
LETTY: How did the cookbook come about? Is this your first cookbook?
ARNIE: Well Yes, it’s my first cookbook and hopefully, God willing, I’ll write one or two more when [I] slow down or retire, LOL.
LETTY: Share with us about the process. When did you start selecting recipes?
ARNIE: I started writing and fine-tuning the recipes in January of 2024 with a deadline of August to have them all completed. It came down to the wire, literally right before [the book] was sent to print. It was so stressful and hectic, but we got it done with the help of my family and the publisher as well as some friends.
LETTY: How did you choose the recipes for the book?
ARNIE: I had several of the recipes already recorded on my social platforms but without printed recipes. It was a huge challenge to get them to exact measurements, so the buyers of the book would have an excellent experience reproducing the recipes. Some were cooked as many as six to eight times to get them perfect. I absolutely wanted them to be perfect for the newbie cook and the pro, too.
LETTY: Do you have a favorite recipe?
ARNIE: Hard to say on that since they are all my favorite recipes. It’s hard to beat a Texas-style smoked brisket or some arroz con pollo or just simple beans and rice, but I got to say probably my favorite protein to grill is chicken halves over mesquite coals. When you get that right, it’s so good.
LETTY: What was the inspiration for the cookbook? What made you decide to do this?
ARNIE: Some of my followers and fans kept asking for a cookbook and I had fantasized about it for years, so that was my cue to get it done, I guess. After discussing it with my family, we decided to push forward and get it done.
LETTY: And as far as your love of cooking and barbecuing, who inspired you there?
ARNIE: There’s always lots of inspiration along life’s highways, and some of it came from my family, my father, my grandfather, both my abuelas. But honestly, it just seems like it was a calling. And being very successful on the competition trail was kind of like pointing me in that direction, too. I love to see smiles when people eat what I cook, whether it’s BBQ or just a good pico de gallo.
LETTY: So how does it feel to be a published author?
ARNIE: Well, honestly, it feels really cool, kind of like having won a cookoff and winning another trophy. It feels like a huge honor to see people cook the recipes we put out online and seeing the great feedback and the many thanks and appreciation for what we do in the comments and messages and emails. So we expect to see many happy folks that buy the book and cook the recipes in there.
- You can find links at arnietex.com on where to pre-order ARNIETEX. Follow Segovia on Facebook and Instagram and watch his videos on YouTube.
- In our Summer 2024 issue, the BBQ issue, we featured Segovia, who talked about all things barbecue. Go here to view the story.
