Old-Fashion goodness at Joe’s BBQ

Barbecue is synonymous with Americana imagery; the savory, robust flavors of tender meat sizzling over a bed of crackling wood brings to mind hot afternoons and family gatherings.

“Passion is watching people enjoy themselves,” said Joe Jones, the enterprising meat mogul behind the wildly successful Joe’s Old-Fashioned BBQ. “Barbecue isn’t just a food; it’s an art.”

Barbecue is synonymous with Americana imagery; the savory, robust flavors of tender meat sizzling over a bed of crackling wood brings to mind hot afternoons and family gatherings.

“Passion is watching people enjoy themselves,” said Joe Jones, the enterprising meat mogul behind the wildly successful Joe’s Old-Fashioned BBQ. “Barbecue isn’t just a food; it’s an art.”

Growing up in Mississippi, Jones learned from an early age how to practice his brush stroke from his grandfather. “My grandparents didn’t even know what chemicals were,” said Jones. “We used things like tree bark, sassafras, honey, garlic, and onions when we made food.”

Since the entrepreneur opened his first store on Euclid Street in 2008, the mantra of forgoing preservatives in favor of freshness has won the master chef universal acclaim. Jones, in a barbeque competition held at Barona, even defeated San Diego favorite, Phil Pace of Phil’s BBQ, for the People’s Choice Award. “I felt like David battling Goliath,” said Jones. “And all I did was stick to what my grandfather taught me.”

And his grandfather taught him well. “Wood, much like people’s palm prints, are all different,” said the Mississippi born chef and San Diego resident of some thirty-five years. “it’s important to know what wood to use and when.” Clearly the lesson plan worked. Joe’s Old Fashioned BBQ specializes in buttery, smoke imparted tri-tip that melts against a fork ($12.99).

Meanwhile, the restaurant’s ribs maintain a flaky shell that falls apart when touched, giving way to a floodgate of juices and herbal flavors ($11.99).

Joe’s also offers zesty, soft-to-the-touch chicken sandwiches ($7.99) and hot links that snap ($7.99).

All of these sumptuous offerings can be drizzled or dunked with tangy, smoky, old fashioned barbeque sauces.

Along with crafting artisan, earthy flavors, the purveyor of pork even managed to invent a grill, dubbed the JB700, over the last calendar year that he is planning on touring with.

Ultimately, though, at this baron of barbeque’s current location in Santee, the future of cooking is all about the past. “You cant rush barbeque,” said Joe, when asked about his techniques.

“That’s what my grandfather taught me, and that’s what I teach everyone else.”