UTICA — When you walk into the white doors of Smokey Dog BBQ, the smells of smoked meat travel through the soul.
Platters of ribs, brisket and mac & cheese can be seen on booths throughout the restaurant.
The barbecue restaurant opened March 15 at their 50 Columbus Rd. location in Utica to a resounding success, co-owner Brian Harpster said.
The plan wasn't always to open in March — Smokey Dog’s opening date was pushed back several months due to renovations, with the original date scheduled for October.
"But turned out (there was) a lot of things we needed to get done,“ Harpster said. "We completely redid the building for the most part.”
The restaurant’s philosophy is based on slow-roasting meats throughout the day and night. Co-owner and meat smoker Craig Brown said each meat has a different cooking time, with brisket and pulled pork taking around 14 hours to complete.
Brown begins the day around 6 a.m. starting with ribs, chicken, pork and slow-roasting vegetables for the day’s service. The shop even smokes its ice cubes with a hickory smoke flavor.
“The smoker is nonstop,” Brown said.
Brown and Harpster have known each other for about 15 years, and had tossed around the idea of starting their own restaurant. Brown isn’t new to the BBQ business, with his first job being at an Alabama BBQ joint.
The duo would meet regularly to discuss the state of the restaurant business and what a future together might look like.
They rely on each other's skills to make Smokey Dog's dream a reality.
"This place would not be able to operate without Craig," Harpster said.
Smokey Dog hasn't opened without its challenges, one being anticipating how busy service can be when they first opened.
“There was only so much meat we could smoke at a time," Harpster said.
Along with community feedback, Smokey Dog has been able to capitalize on its teammates' strengths.
In return, the Utica community has been very supportive, Harpster said. " The mayor is happy we’re open."
"We're really happy to be in the neighborhood," Harpster said. "We’re just looking to get better and better every day."
Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
