General Info:
My grand pawpaw taught me the Alabama B.B.Q. method when I was a kid, low and slow on the smoker. Those were special days. We would stay up all night before a large family reunion tending the fires and mopping the meat. The smell of hickory and apple wood filled the air along with stories from the old timers who talked about the how they did things when they were younger, past family get together, and their old war stories. These were some of the happiest times in my life, and this is what I want to bring to Denver: a taste of that experience, a taste of that tradition.
The J.R.'s Smokehouse menu is what you'll expect to see at a down home Alabama family reunion. The menu is simple but delicious and something unique in Colorado. At J.R.'s, we start our day early firing up the smokers with real hickory and apple hardwoods. The four meats (whole turkeys, beef briskets, pork butts, and sausage) are tenderly smoked for up to 12 hours before they're ready to serve. Most chain BBQ places smoke their meat for a short amount of time then finish the cooking in the oven. The difference in flavor is astonishing and part of the low and slow method of Alabama BBQ.
Accompanying the meats, we have three family recipe BBQ sauces. Dad's Traditional Red sauce is great and really accentuates the Smokey flavor of all of the meats. The Mustard BBQ has a vinegary tangy bite that pops in your mouth. The unique Honey Chipotle sauce combines the sweet of honey with the soft kick of peppers for a complex flavor that lingers, and that's just the start. We're working on two more secret blends that will be ready soon.
The cornerstone side is the beans. It's a family recipe that combines three types of beans with bacon, ground beef, onions, and JR's secret sauce. These beans are hardy and could be considered a meal all by themselves, but no family reunion is complete without homemade potato salad and cole slaw which is served in generous portions with every meal.
My dream is to eventually own a down home BBQ restaurant. A place where you can relax and don't feel rushed while enjoying a large plate of the best BBQ in Colorado. My dream is big, but I have a plan to get there. We're going to start slow. You'll find us at the local farmers market and the street fairs. We'll cater parties and corporate events.
BBQ is my calling. It's my passion and what I do ALL the time. I live and breathe BBQ and BBQ sauce. It's in my DNA and has been a part of my family for generations. This is what I am meant to do, to bring you a little bit of Alabama's family style BBQ to your home.
James