New BBQ joint traces roots to a favorite Oakland restaurant. Try it now in downtown Fresno

When the owner of the newly opened Smokin Woods BBQ in Fresno says the business is a family affair, he’s not kidding.

Mama V’s mac ‘n cheese recipe. Grandma Nancy’s collard greens. A grandpa Forest who taught him to barbecue and a slew of brothers who tried to outdo each other with their cooking.

They didn’t just play a role in Smokin Woods origin story, half of them work there.

Smokin Woods is a 30-foot-long food truck that opened in a permanent spot on Fulton Street in downtown Fresno in the heart of the Brewery District. But it’s really more of an outdoor restaurant.

There are two smokers on site, permanent tables and counters, red umbrellas, lights, heaters and outdoor games like cornhole. It’s in what was an empty lot with a tiny building next to Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co., bordered by the “Brewery District” mural.

Smokin Woods is owned by James Woodard. A 1998 Edison High School graduate, he was born here and grew up in Fresno and Oakland.

The Fresno restaurant is a second location of a restaurant of the same name he started in Oakland. The San Francisco Chronicle once named it one of the best barbecue spots in the Bay Area.

The Fresno spot opened quietly in November.

“You’re loyal to your soil,” Woodard said. “I’ve always wanted to come back here.”

You might see his brother Jamar smoking the meat. Or another brother, Joshua, working there who created the Brussels sprouts recipe.

Woodard’s landlord originally tried to sell him on indoor space with a patio around the corner. But with COVID-19 sticking around — and a few other reasons — he wanted the empty lot on Fulton.

“I was like, ‘No, this is where everything is,’” he said of the center of the Brewery District. “I want the space that looks like a shack.”

The food

The menu here is combination of Texas and California barbecue.

There are beef ribs, tri-tip, chicken, salmon, and brisket that’s smoked for 12 hours with a three-hour rest period.

And so many sides: That mac ‘n cheese created by Woodard’s mom Vermilyea Jordan, Brussels sprouts, cole slaw, green beans, and chili made from scraps of leftover meat.

There are sandwiches and plates of meat and sides. A plate with three-meats and two sides costs $21.99 and easily feeds two people. Delivery is available via DoorDash.

Want to get the ultimate experience at this place?

Order the beef ribs.

It’s what their known for. They’re big “dinosaur Flintstones bones.”

It’s hard to find them big enough locally, so they’re driving them down from Oakland, meeting someone halfway to pick them up.

And skip the sauce.

Smokin Woods makes its own barbecue sauce, but this is where Texas barbecue comes in. It’s all about the dry rub here, a mix of several spices rubbed on the meat before it’s smoked (he won’t say which ones, it’s a secret).

On a recent morning, Woodard pulls a rack of ribs out of the 7-foot by 5-foot smoker inside the trailer.

Before cutting, he gently bounces it up and down in his hand. You want the ribs to bend, not break, he said.

“You want it to be like a butterfly,” he said. “You want it to fly.”

And when you get the ribs on your plate, look for the smoke rings. That’s the pink layer where the smoke has penetrated the meat.

The meat shouldn’t fall off the bone, Woodard noted. That’s a sign the ribs could be overdone, he said.

Instead, you want to be able to bite the meat off the bone easily.

“Clean off the bone, that’s what you want,” he said.

Details: Smokin Woods BBQ is at 727 Fulton St. Hours: Noon to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. 559/421-0020.