Pleasure Doing Business: Smokin' J's Real Texas BBQ

Smokin' J's Real Texas BBQ serves up delicious barbecue sandwiches, ribs and wings made by two Dallas,TX natives currently living and cooking in Gulfport.

John and Lisa Riesbeck, the husband and wife owners of Smokin' J's, opened up shop on April 1^st 2010 in Gulfport after moving here from Dallas.

When they lived in Dallas, they both did barbecue as a hobby and participated in competitions. It wasn't until they made a visit to Florida, with their smoker in tow, to help a family member remodel her business that they thought about moving and opening a barbecue restaurant.

“People liked what we made so when we went back to Dallas, Lisa and I said we'd try a barbecue restaurant for 30 days. We haven't left yet,” John said.

After aquiring the location on Gulfport Boulevard, John remodeled the building from a house to the restaurant it is today in two and a half months. The living room became the dining room and everything was decorated to give the feeling of a barbecue restaurant in the Lone Star state.

They serve a variety of barbecued meats, including brisket, ribs, chicken and pork. Every technique they use in the restaurant is original and created from the experience they have cooking, John said.

The sandwiches they serve, which all weigh in at a half pound, can be made of any of the meats or a combination of two.

In addition, they have two special barbecue sauces, sweet and hot, for all the meats. John reccomends mixing both of the sauces together for the dishes to get a sweet taste with a little bit of kick.

John and Lisa take the idea of co-ownership to heart. From day-to-day tasks in the kitchen to the business side of things, John and Lisa share the responsibilities and duties of owning Smokin' J's evenly, Lisa said.

They have a friendly competition going on for two of the dishes they're responsible for making, John said. John makes the coleslaw and Lisa makes the potato salad and they try to recommend those sides to customers more.

“No one ever tells us who's winning!” Lisa said.

As restaurant owners, John and Lisa (are) looking to get more involved with the community, Lisa said. They've worked on a couple fundraisers in Gulfport and are currently working on one with Gulfport Elementary.

“Everyone here in Gulfport has been really great to us,” Lisa said.

Part of what they try to bring to Gulfport is an intimate and pleasant experience to dining out.

“Our whole philosophy is treat people the way you want to be treated. Serve good food at decent prices,” John said.

Smokin' J's is open Tuesday to Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.