Authentic Texas barbecue is on the menu at new Byram eatery

Byram - Three weeks ago, a little bit of Texas moved into Sussex County: Smokey’s Texas BBQ and Steakhouse. This weekend, Smokey’s will celebrate it’s grand opening with specials on beer, and vendors on-site with give-aways. Richard “Smokey” Alexander was born in Springfield, Ma., and was raised in New York’s Greenwich Village. How did he wind up becoming an expert on Texas grilling? “I lived in Texas for many years, and was adopted by some cowboy friends of mine,” said Alexander. He learned his barbecue methods from them, and is now using his expertise at his new restaurant. Alexander considers himself both a New Yorker and a Texan. Moving to New Jersey, well, he blames that on love. “Love made me move to Morristown,” he said. Alexander’s wife, Jenifer, lived there, and that’s where they resided for a long time. “My wife’s family lives in this area though, so we’ve moved up here to be closer to them.” How he came to open Smokey’s starts with his musical background. Smokey plays the saxophone and bass. It was bass that earned him his living: touring for 17 years with the likes of David Bowie and Jeff Beck. He even spent some time managing bands like New Kids on the Block. “I’ve toured around the world 5 1/2 times, but I hadn’t played in a long time,” he said. Since leaving the music business, Smokey has owned six restaurants in Washington, D.C., Boston, Springfield, and three in Manhattan: Rib-n-Blues, Doc Holiday’s and Hogs-n-Heffers BBQ. “My last job was as a car salesman, and I hated it.” Then he heard dentist, Dr. Donato Soranno, and his band, “The Other White Meat.” At first he just sat in with them for a couple of hog roasts, but then the band asked him to join them. “They put music back in my life, and I’m very grateful for that.” Out with his wife for dinner at a barbecue place, he was disappointed in the quality of the food, he said, with his Texan background and higher standards. He said to his wife, Jenifer, who is from a third generation restaurant family, “There’s a place for us here; we have to do this.” And so Smokey’s was born. Alexander had a vision for the food - real Texas barbecue with a “low and slow” style of cooking: his brisket cooks for 12-14 hours, and his ribs for 4-6. He had a vision for the decor as well. He fell in love with a square plate, a Mexican-yellow-rice color with red and green patterns on it, which he used as inspiration for the colors and look of the restaurant. “Everyone thought I was crazy, painting the place yellow, but yellow stimulates the appetite.” His friend, Vinny Collina, is a painting contractor who painted the building, while Smokey’s friends, Terri Palmer and Laura Schreiber painted the murals on the interior walls. “At first I was just going to rent the kitchen out, but then I decided I had to just buy it and do it all my way,” said Alexander. Though he had difficulties at first with the liquor license transfer, he said now it’s all being worked out. “I’ve had a lot of great help from the township, the police department, and my neighbors. Everyone has been real positive about Smokey’s,” said a grateful Alexander. The chef, Dave Elliott, is a graduate of NYC’s Culinary Institute, and a pastry chef at heart. “It was luck on my part that brought me to Smokey. I had been searching for a new and different take on barbecue, and I fell into this.” Elliott explained they only use fresh ingredients in all their dishes, and that Alexander is the king of the barbecue. They refer to the large smoke oven that sits in the center of open kitchen as, “Smokey’s second wife - she smokes too much, but she doesn’t talk back.” Elliott makes all the desserts from scratch, as well as the restaurant’s cornbread. Items like Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie and Warm Peach Cobbler are on the menu for dessert. For lunch or dinner, you can try Alexander’s favorite, The Lassoo, an appropriately named dish because of how it looks: scallops wrapped up in shrimp, blackened and served with a red pepper and avocado sauce. Traditional barbecue served includes Sterling Silver steaks, Texas chilli, pulled pork, brisket, ribs, BBQ chicken and burgers. Though the bar is an impressive size, stock and has an extra large television screen, Alexander has made Smokey’s a family-friendly place, with a great kids’ menu. Favorites like burgers, chicken strips and mac and cheese, with or with out sliced hot dogs, are accompanied by BBQ chicken or ribs on the “Lil Rustlers” section of the menu, and are served with fries or a vegetable, a “Boot Mug Beverage” and of course, ice cream for dessert. Smokey’s Texas BBQ and Steakhouse is located at 172 Lackawanna Drive in Stanhope, N.J. For more information, call 973-347-9763 or e-mail them at info@smokeytexasbbq.com.