Bring on the BBQ!

Rub, smoke, eat, repeat.

There are iconic signs of summer such as baseball games, cookouts, swimming, and warm sunshine, but nothing says summer better than the delicious, sweet, smoky aroma of barbeque at Rollin Smoke BBQ at Big Chimney!

Since their announcement on Facebook in March that said ‘We are reopening soon’ the Elk River community has been excited to see their doors open again. New owners Charles “Doug” Douglas and his son, Dalton “Chase” Douglas of Elkview are happy to be part of the Elk River business community! They did a soft opening on April 24 and are planning a grand opening in June with summer specials to celebrate. Additionally, they have ordered new state-of-the-art smokers which will allow more control over the heat to cook perfectly every time.

Former owners Carl and Marsha Alpin opened Rollin Smoke BBQ ten years ago. They started with a restaurant and then expanded to a traveling food truck and catering services. Doug said Carl and Marsha both have been great to help train them and their staff. “They also have shared Carl’s special barbeque recipe and smoking techniques which are responsible for the amazing menu items at Rollin Smoke BBQ,” said Doug.

It is a Texas-style barbeque recipe coupled with a strategic smoking process. Carl has been smoking meat since he was in high school and he worked for a barbeque establishment in Texas for many years. That’s where he learned the many types of Texas barbeque styles and different techniques on smoking. He perfected his recipe and smoking expertise to create the savory pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs, chicken, wings, sausage, and pizzas which are favorites at Rollin Smoke BBQ.

Carl said, “In Texas we only smoked beef brisket, not pork. It wasn’t until we had the food truck at the Golden Delicious Apple Festival in Clay one year that we tried smoking pork. We sold out in like 15 minutes. The next day we brought even more smoked pork and sold all of it and received rave reviews from everyone. After that, it was added to our menu and became one of Rollin Smoke’s most popular menu items.”

Jody Jennings of Clendenin has been smoking meat at Rollin Smoke BBQ since it opened 10 years ago. He said, “We are here at 6 AM to begin the smoking process. The beef brisket takes 24-30 hours over low, indirect heat while the ribs are smoked for two to three hours over open-fire smokers. The wings are prepared in a special four-step smoking process and we smoke approximately 600-800 wings each day.” He added, “On an average over all, we smoke over 1000 lbs of meat on an ordinary day.” Carl said those numbers can easily double on holidays. He said, “I remember one Super Bowl Sunday when we smoked over 7,000 wings alone that day!”

The restaurant has a new kitchen which has been relocated to the middle area of the building so it is more centralized. There are new seating areas with tables and booths in the old section which can accommodate up to 20 people plus there are booths in the middle section that look out over the Elk River with seating for another 20 people. This summer Doug hopes that customers will be able to walk down to the river bank and eat at picnic tables as well. There is parking in front of Rollin Smoke BBQ and additional parking for overflow on the left side of the building just past the dumpster.

The pizzas are the newest menu item at Rollin Smoke BBQ. Customers can order traditional pizzas or one of the delicious pulled-pork or pulled-chicken pizzas. “For our specialty pizzas, we take our crusts, brush them with butter and delicious seasonings, top them with either our smoked, pulled-chicken, -pork or -brisket, and then top with a delicious blend of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Customers can also add jalapeno peppers or their favorite toppings. They are extremely popular,” said Doug. The pizzas are available in one 15-inch size. “We are also looking into expanding our side dishes and adding hand-dipped ice cream to our menu,” he added.

Doug said one of his favorite things at the restaurant is to walk in and see the signatures from visitors from all over the country. “We have had visitors from all over including Canada and Japan,” he said. “Even though restaurant work is hard, it is rewarding to meet so many wonderful people.” Doug was formerly a truck driver by trade and he was tired of being away from home so much of the time. This is his first time in the restaurant industry, and he and his son Chase (HHHS 2019 graduate) are excited to see Rollin Smoke grow and prosper on the Elk River.

Soon you will be able to go online to their new website, select your menu items, pay, and just pick up your order curbside without coming inside. Doug commented that approximately 80% of their business right now was carry-out and they are hoping the new online ordering will make pick up easier and quicker.

“We are looking forward to adding more features and menu items for our customers, maybe even extended hours, more side items, catering, and a food truck in the future. Right now we are just getting our feet on the ground,” said Doug.

Jody Jennings smoking wings at Rollin Smoke

For more information and announcements on Rollin Smoke, visit them on Facebook/Rollin Smoke BBQ. They have lunch specials every day from 10:30 AM -2:00 PM. You can also order their sandwiches, wings, ribs, pizzas or dinners anytime. Delicious seasonal sides include baked BBQ beans, coleslaw, red potato salad, macaroni salad, smoked mac and cheese, and green bean casserole. They have loaded baked potatoes with butter, sour cream, chives, bacon, cheese and jalapenos (if desired) with an option to add chili or your choice of pulled- pork, -chicken or -brisket. You can also order Tailgaters and Loaded Nachos, delicious sampler dinners which include all of the delicious meats, and meat by the pound. What’s for dessert you ask? How about delicious blackberry cobbler or apple crisp!

Rollin Smoke is conveniently located at 4008 Pennsylvania Avenue, Charleston, half-way between the Mink Shoals and Big Chimney exits on I-79. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 AM to 7 PM. Call ahead and place your order at their new number 681.265.0690.