How J Rock's Smoke House grew Topeka barbecue business from food truck to brick and mortar

Keishera Lately, Topeka Capital-Journal

From a food truck to a permanent location, this family run eatery is serving barbecue to its loyal Topeka customers.

J Rock's Smoke House opened its doors of its new brick and mortar nearly three months ago, and since then, owners Richard and Jasmaine Harris said business has been steady.

Richard Harris said cooking has always come naturally to him, so opening a new restaurant was destined to happen.

From left, Gion Martin, Jasmaine Harris, Richard Harris, Jah'mari Martin and Teon Mitchell stand in front of their new brick-and-mortar building, 1000 S.E. 21st St., where J Rock's Smoke House now operates.
From left, Gion Martin, Jasmaine Harris, Richard Harris, Jah'mari Martin and Teon Mitchell stand in front of their new brick-and-mortar building, 1000 S.E. 21st St., where J Rock's Smoke House now operates.

"I've always been cooking," he said. "I've always cooked holiday meals and everything, and she always was like: 'You need to sell. You need to sell.' I never thought about it. Then one day we woke up, and said, 'Hey, I'm going to start selling barbecue,' and we did it."

Selling barbecue led to J Rock's Smoke House being operated by food truck for nearly two years in the capital city, until the opportunity to set up shop at 1000 S.E. 21st St. presented itself.

Food truck to brick and mortar calls for quicker demand

Jasmaine Harris said the transition from a food truck to a brick and mortar has been quicker in pace with a lot more duties to complete.

"We do the running around for the business. It's a lot more hands on than it was the food, every other thing, this is what we have to do," Jasmaine said. "It feels like every day anyway, even on our days off, we're preparing for the business."

A customer's order of a half-slab of ribs with side of mac-and-cheese is shown by owner Richard Harris after it's prepared fresh last week at J Rock's Smoke House.
A customer's order of a half-slab of ribs with side of mac-and-cheese is shown by owner Richard Harris after it's prepared fresh last week at J Rock's Smoke House.

In addition to making a location change, the couple also changed J Rock's menu by adding new barbecue favorites.

Customers can find smoked meats, sandwich options, fish, fried wings, kid meals, sides and more on the menu. Smoked meats include ribs, rib tips, turkey legs, smoked wings and more.

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"We actually want to add a lot more," Jasmaine Harris said. "When we first started, we did, but we realized that this space is a margin, so what we look to do is actually expand even further if we can in a bigger space."

The couple said their most popular menu items have been their rib tips, catfish and wings.

"We go through cases and cases," Richard Harris said. "I think it's like three or four cases a day, so that's about four or 500 wings."

Inside the kitchen at J Rock's Smoke House, son-in-law Teon Mitchell, left, and son Jah'Mari Martin, right, work alongside Richard and Jasmaine Harris to prepare, cook and serve food.
Inside the kitchen at J Rock's Smoke House, son-in-law Teon Mitchell, left, and son Jah'Mari Martin, right, work alongside Richard and Jasmaine Harris to prepare, cook and serve food.

Keeping the love of cooking in the family

A goal for the family is to keep recipes as an heirloom for their family.

The couple's sons Gion Martin, Jah'Mari Martin and son-in-law Teon Mitchell work alongside them in the kitchen.

Jah'Mari Martin said he has a lot of responsibility because he helps operate the smokers in the kitchen while prepping meals, too.

Jah'Mari Martin rotates the smoker in the back of J Rock's Smoke House to show a piece of pork shoulder used for pulled pork sandwiches. Martin said they usually smoke their pork for six to eight hours.
Jah'Mari Martin rotates the smoker in the back of J Rock's Smoke House to show a piece of pork shoulder used for pulled pork sandwiches. Martin said they usually smoke their pork for six to eight hours.

"It feels good, because we used to talk about it for years and then it actually happened," he said. "It didn't feel real at first."

The couple said it's important for their children to know the ins and outs of the business to teach them structure, so customers know and feel comfortable every time they go in and place an order.

"He's really amazing on it," Jasmaine Harris said of Jah'Mari Martin's smoking skills. "You can't even tell the difference. That was the goal. If we have someone come in, you know how their like, well, it was good until Mr. such and such made it. That's what I don't want. I want the quality to stay the same."

Gion Martin batters a piece of catfish after first seasoning it with Old Bay at J Rock's Smokehouse.
Gion Martin batters a piece of catfish after first seasoning it with Old Bay at J Rock's Smokehouse.

What are the business hours at J Rock's Smoke House?

J Rock's Smoke House is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. or until sold out Wednesday to Saturday.

Richard Harris said he looks forward to the future of the business in the community.

"I just want to be successful at it and bring something to the community where everybody can come in here, just feel like home," he said. "That's the goal for me."

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Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at klately@cjonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lately_KT.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: J Rock's Smoke House uses food truck success to open Topeka restaurant

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