Dine and Dish: The Station BBQ in east central Fresno

Thursday, August 14, 2025
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Station BBQ inside Valero at Shields and Maple in east central Fresno is home to the brisket grilled cheese.

It is a handful dreamed up by co-owner Bobby Basra's buddy, Marco Paoletta.

"He (Marco) grabs my arm and says, 'Dude, what if we put brisket in a grilled cheese?' Started off like that, then he started putting mac and cheese," Basra said.

"Our regular sweet BBQ sauce, tangy BBQ sauce then our chipotle to give it a little kick," Paoletta said.

What looks like an omelet gets put into a sandwich.



The cheese keeps it all together.

You cannot rush brisket.

"We wrap it at night before we go home, and leave it in there to do the slow cook overnight," Paoletta said.

Expect heavy plates, whether it's a sandwich or the loaded fries.

"They both have about a half pound of brisket on there," Paoletta said.



"We put some brisket, beans in there and mac and cheese," Basra said.

BBQ seasoning even goes into the creamy mac and cheese.

Marco has fun making several pans of it a day.

"I feel like a kid again," he said.

The pork ribs are tasty and tender.



"We wanted to be affordable BBQ and the best BBQ," Basra said.

Bobby and Marco both have full-time jobs but running a BBQ joint has always been a dream.

"It's where our true passion comes out," Basra said.

It all started at the University of San Francisco, with a filing cabinet that was being used as a smoker.

Today, they have a massive smoker they brought in from Texas.

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