BEAR CREEK: A SMOKEHOUSE WITH A HISTORY

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  • BEAR CREEK: A SMOKEHOUSE WITH A HISTORY
    BEAR CREEK: A SMOKEHOUSE WITH A HISTORY
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“I like to think of Bear Creek as a boutique style smokehouse,” says Robbie Shoults, a member of a five generation family that owns and operates Bear Creek Smokehouse in a scenic rural area north of Marshall. Robbie’s mother Brenda Shoults lives in the old home place. Her husband’s parents started the business 76 years ago.

“They were raising cotton and couldn’t make a living doing that, so someone suggested they start raising turkeys,” says Brenda. “So they did. These hills were covered in turkeys. They dressed them in the back yard and scalded them in iron wash pots. They didn’t have a telephone. The county agent took orders in town and he would drive the orders out here. They would dress the turkeys and deliver them in town, house to house. That’s how it began.”

There are several “most popular” items in the Bear Creek Catalogue; among them a smoked peppered pork tenderloin and a smoked boneless turkey breast. “It just developed,” says Brenda. “One thing led to another. We added to the inventory ham, smoked chicken, bacon and salt pork. We send out truckloads of salt pork year-round.”

Last year the business moved into a 10,000 square feet building with a ceiling 42 feet high and a front porch that’s 100 feet wide.

A general store has a bridal registry, Texas souvenirs and high-end gifts. “We design and make our own tshirts,” says Robbie. “One of them reads ‘Bacon America Great Again.’ These soups in jars have been real popular for us. We private label these for Neiman-Marcus and Dillard’s.”

Robbie has had lots of television exposure. He has judged on Bobby Flay’s Food Network show 4 times and has cooked on the Today Show with Al Roker. He was on QVC with Martha Stewart.

“Television helps quite a bit with brand recognition,” he says. The smokehouse has become a destination. Big name bands play there (Asleep At The Wheel was to perform there the week after I did this interview). It’s a wedding venue and event center in a rustic setting complete with a windmill, turkeys an longhorns.

“We want it to be a place where families can come and enjoy the same place where we grew up. Some folks come to sit on the porch and enjoy the view. It’s just fun being up here. We love what we do.”

Bear Creek products go all over the country and beyond. Some customers take them in their luggage when they travel overseas. Bear Creek doesn’t raise turkeys. They get them in by the truckloads already processed, then add what Robbie calls “the Bear Creek Magic” before shipping them out.

Bear Creek has 25 employees. The number doubles around Christmas.

Robbie does most of the marketing.

If you dial 1-800-950- 2327 after hours you’ll hear his distinctive East Texas voice on the answering machine.