The Gut Pak—Waco's famous Frito pie-meets-barbecue dish served at Vitek's BBQ—is to Chip Gaines what shiplap is to his wife Joanna. The Fixer Upper star has a love for the meal that runs deep. The kind you want to shout about from the rooftops. Perhaps you'll even slap the words on a T-shirt, so they're always close to your heart. We've yet to see Chip plaster the walls of a house with photos of the Gut Pak, but, hey, maybe that's a solution to the shiplap backlash.
It's essentially a loaded Frito pie—one that tips the scales at 2.5 pounds—and Chip's been a fan since his Baylor University days. "He was on the baseball team there, and my dad, who was still running the shop at the time, had a reputation for feeding a lot of the sports teams," says Julie Keith, the 4th-generation owner at Vitek's. It was made the same way then as it is now: with sausage (there are four homemade kinds—go with the classic German-seasoned one), chopped beef that's been smoked for 14 hours, pinto beans, Cheddar cheese and all the classic barbecue fixings (pickles, onions and jalapeños) on top of a bed of Fritos corn chips.
"I really consider our menu more of a guideline, though," Julie laughs. Because while Chip goes for the classic listing, other folks' requests run the gamut, and Julie's more than happy to oblige. There are those that ask for a scoop of mac-and-cheese on top, some who'll bring a bag of Chili Cheese Fritos or Nacho Cheese Doritos to swap in and one person who wanted everything layered over potato salad.
Last October, Vitek's opened a truck on the Silos property, and—not surprisingly—the Gut Pak became just as popular with the Gaines-obsessed visitors there as it is at Vitek's brick-and-mortar restaurant. And while Chip no longer has the hungry athlete thing going for him, that hasn't kept him from being a regular. More often than not, you'll find him at the original restaurant, which Joanna helped renovate in 2011. "He was here for his son Drake's birthday and the whole family sometimes comes in for dinner," says Julie. "One busy night when he was in, he even answered the phones for us!" We're keeping our fingers crossed he's there next time we stop by.
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