Red Chimney Celebrates Community

By Michele Robertson

Old-fashioned Kentucky barbecue has been a staple in Carlsbad since 1954 at the Red Chimney Pit Bar-B-Que. In its third generation of ownership, the establishment has served the community for over 70 years. Owner Jill Torres took over the family business in 2012 from her father, Ted Fowler, continuing traditions of homemade BBQ and sharing comfort food around the table with family and friends.

“My grandparents, Kathryn and Danny Fowler, came from Kentucky to Carlsbad and brought all of their recipes with them. Our BBQ sauce is uniquely different. It is a vinegar-based sauce that is thinner than some expect to find in a BBQ sauce. We serve it on the side of all our meats so as not to cover up the smoked meats but to complement them. We want our guests to be able to choose how much or little they would like,” Torres said. Local pecan wood is used to smoke the meat, and the sauce, salads, and beans are made fresh daily.

Their most popular entree is the Hog Heaven plate. It is a three-meat plate of brisket, jalapeno sausage, and ham, complete with beans, rolls, BBQ sauce, and a choice of two of their house-made sides. The hand-cut, hand-breaded catfish and fresh, crisp chef salad with homemade ranch or vinegar and oil dressing are also popular items.

“As for our desserts, we make homemade sourdough cobblers in peach or cherry. These have a special place in our hearts, as it is a personal, special, old cattle drive recipe from a dear family friend, Jeff Farrell. A fun fact: our logo was drawn by him, and some of his artwork is displayed in the restaurant,” added Torres.

“We are always looking for fun, new ideas to add to our menu. We have added to the menu over the last 11 years. One fun item is our stuffed avocado. We half an avocado, grill it, and stuff it with our signature chopped mix (brisket, pork, ham, and BBQ sauce), and topped with a bit of cheddar cheese. We recently added chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes, and something we are exceptionally proud of is our house-ground, 100% brisket burger! We always want to honor our traditions brought from Kentucky but also add some new options to try,” Torres said.

Family recipes are combined with area partnerships, as one can find local beer and desserts at Red Chimney. “We love celebrating, supporting, and promoting other local businesses. We have been working with Milton’s Brewing for the last few years. It is so fun to have a local brewery to work with and be able to share that with our guests and give them another place to explore in our town. We also work with Calvani’s farms and serve their delicious pecan pie as part of our dessert offerings,” said Torres.

“We are so very grateful to our community of Carlsbad for supporting our business over the years. We are proud of our heritage and hope to continue serving the community with family-honored recipes as well as fresh, new additions. We are pleased to be the oldest restaurant in Carlsbad and thankful to our guests,” Torres said.

Employing an average of 20 people, she said they are always looking for people to join the team, and they prefer people to come in and meet the staff and pick up an application. “We like face-to-face interactions,” she said.

Torres shared a photo of their old building, where it all started, and said, “I love that our current sign is the same one that has stood there all those years before. It is a piece of tangible history with us,” she said.

Red Chimney held a ribbon cutting to celebrate their milestone on February 21, welcoming the community in and thanking them for their continued support. Stop in for lunch or dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 817 N Canal St. Phone in an order at 575-885-8744 and visit their website at https://www.redchimneybbq.com/