November 23, 2010
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Smokey D’s = Iowa’s Dreamland
At 3 p.m. on a weekday, Smokey D’s parking lot was half full, mostly with pickup trucks sporting bumper stickers: “I’ll keep my guns and you can keep your change.” An eight foot tall trophy greeted folks inside the front door. Tin, old wood (salvaged from the previous tenant’s dance floor), and 14 high definition televisions decorated three large rooms. Joey Martin Feek sang “Cheater, cheater, where’d you meet her, that no good white trash whore?” It was time to eat my words.
Shad Kirton and Darren Warth opened Absolute Flavors/Smokey D’s in 2007 in a small shack a block away from their new 265 seat home store. Because Kirton was offering tea room fare like croissants and portabello-Boursin wraps, I called that place “Iowa’s first metrosexual barbecue.” Joey Martin Feek’s fans don’t do anything metrosexual, so the new place is named Smokey D’s BBQ. It’s also become a town defining restaurant, the kind that inspires truck drivers to blog and farmers to drive a hundred miles for dinner.
In 2007 I also wrote that Warth was the top Iowan on the professional barbecue circuit. This year, he was the American Royale’s (the U.S. Open of Q) grand master of chicken, completing a personal grand slam of all categories – chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. This summer Kirton won the biggest prize in BBQ history, the $100,000 TLC Barbecue Pitmaster. Trophies and ribbons now cover the walls and even clog up a long hallway.
However, lots of barbecue champions open restaurants that fail. In competition, smokers cook only for a panel of judges and can usually serve their product when it’s perfect. Start-up restaurants rarely know when their customers are going to show up. Barbecue restaurants, including some of the most famous in America, resort to a process of smoking, refrigerating and “re-thermaling.” That’s not going to happen to these guys. Smokey D’s avoided that trap by growing smart. They built a client base in their shack mostly by catering. Then they opened a sky walk venue and later another downtown store while growing their reputation on the competition circuit. As luck had it, Kirton’s nationally televised Pitmaster final nearly coincided with the opening on their large, new home store.
From Day One, crowds have been large and consistent enough to keep three 1000 pound Old Hickory smokers working at capacity around the clock. More importantly, that heavy traffic means smoked meats don’t need to be reheated. Brisket can still be preordered custom sliced. Otherwise it is trimmed of fat before being cut.
Smokey D’s burnt ends are cut from the fattier tip. Smoked sausage, pulled chicken, and pulled pork are dependably well ringed. Half chickens are served on Thursdays only. Sweet, tomato-based sauces come from Russ & Franks, a local company.
Pork would be better served with a vinegar based sauce. Side dishes (creamy slaw, beans, potato salad, mac & cheese, cucumber slaw, and pasta salad) are what one expects at a good Q.
Chickens are smoked on the bone on Thursdays only. Daily specials (hot beef, roast pork, chicken fried steak, smoked burger), “chef selections,” and baked desserts are more like what one expects in his dreams. Chicken noodle soup was the best anywhere, made with heavy stock from whole baked birds, with home made noodles. Pork tenderloins were wide and thick.
Apple dumplings were cored, sliced and reassembled in apple shape with a cinnamon dough ball replacing the core and an outer pastry baked golden to be served with hot apple syrup. Pies are coming soon.
Bottom Line – Along with Jethro & Jake‘s, Smokey D’s should do for interstate travelers through Des Moines what Dreamland did in Birmingham, Alabama – make this a barbecue destination.
Smokey D’s
5055 NW 2nd Ave., 243-2747 (also with two downtown outlets)
Mon. – Sat. 11 a.m.. – 9 p.m., Sun. 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
