Paul and Michael Mladenka like to laugh, but they don't joke around about what leaves their kitchen. The brothers founded Cou-Yon's in 2009, and today their home base is a sit-down restaurant on the west side of the river in Port Allen.

Two traditions on one plate

Cou-Yon's blends South Texas barbecue with a Cajun streak. The smoked meats and house sauces, which come in sweet, smokey and spicy, share the menu with fried seafood and oversized stuffed baked potatoes. As the brothers put it on their website, they don't do small well.

What to order

BBQ plates come with two sides, Texas toast, sauce, pickles and onions. Pulled pork, sausage and turkey plates are $14.99, and moist or lean brisket plates are $21.99. The Two Meat Plate is $15.99 and the Three Meat Plate is $19.99, with $3 extra for brisket, ribs or wings.

The potatoes are the other headliner. The Loaded Potato ($14.99) is topped with your choice of meat, and the Crawfish Étouffée Baked Potato with fried shrimp is $16.99. Seafood fans can try the Catfish Couyon ($18.99), three fried fish fillets topped with crawfish étouffée over rice dressing.

Starters include the Texas Twinkie ($5.49), a jalapeño stuffed with cream cheese and smoked brisket and wrapped in bacon, when it's available.

Feeding a crowd

The Family Pack ($70) feeds five with three half-pound meats, three pints of sides, BBQ sauce, Texas toast and a 2-liter drink. Cou-Yon's also runs a full catering business that delivers across the Baton Rouge area, with a holiday catering order page now live for the season.

Find the restaurant at 470 N. Alexander Ave., open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. On the east side of the river, look for the Cou-Yon's food trailer at Perkins Road and Acadian. Call 225-383-3227 to order.

Photo courtesy of Cou-Yon's BBQ.