Today we took the BBQ Trail back over to Norfolk, VA to check out Red River Smokehouse. This is the second food truck / trailer we’ve visited in the last month or so. Looks like a trend. I don’t know about that but here’s how this trip went.

Where is Red River Smokehouse Located?

I have listed Red River Smokehouse as being in Virginia Beach, VA since that is where he is based. Our visit actually was to Smartmouth Brewery in Norfolk, VA today. The best way to find out where they will be next is to follow them on Facebook. Or if this review has you wanting to try them out, you can message them on Facebook and ask. You’ll usually get a pretty quick answer. Funny thing seemed to be when I was tracking them down and sending messages, it seemed that they are night time people as some of the replies came late (for me) at night. Most of my responses went out in the 5 – 5:30 AM range. We did have some good conversations though. Some were more instant response than that. Either way it has been a pleasure tracking them down for our visit.

The Restaurant and Staff:

Like I said, this is a food truck / trailer so there is no restaurant. But let’s talk about the staff a little. Jon is the owner. He’s a very nice guy and you can tell that he loves what he’s doing. Jon is also a US Marine Veteran. After doing his duty with the Marines he returned to Texas for a while but eventually ended up here and now we have him in Virginia Beach running a food truck. Funny thing was that Jon contacted me to see if I’d check them out just to let him know what I thought. When I checked his profile to see where he was it was listed as Fort Worth, Texas. I laughed and replied back telling him I’d love to check them out but it would be difficult with him in Texas and me in Virginia. Then he let me know he was in Virginia Beach. I thought we were looking at a serious road trip for this one. As it turned out they set up in Norfolk which brought them even closer to us.

The Helping Hands:

Then there was Jon’s helpers. When I asked about his friend helping he told me that the “Big happy fellow” is Rico. Nice description and pretty accurate. I was glad Rico was a “happy” young man because he was a good sized fellow. And he was as friendly as he could be. I actually talked to Rico before talking to Jon. I believe Rico is also from Texas.

Last but certainly not least was our young waiter, very young. Turns out he is Jon’s youngest son, Nate or Nah Nay. Nah Nay was into a good nap in the truck when he was awakened to start working. You could see he was still sleepy but he quickly woke himself up and went to work helping his dad and

Rico with anything he could. He ended up serving tables before we left. He was very polite and just as charming as he could be. Tammy loved him.

 

Tammy asked Jon and Rico who gets the credit for the brisket and they told us to give the credit to Nate. He helped to keep them in line the night before while cooking the brisket. Nice job.

So with no restaurant to talk about I thought I’d give you a little more background or more of the personal side of the people working here. I thought they all were exceptional people and wonderful to meet. I’ve found this to be one of the benefits to writing this blog, we meet a lot of great people. When you check these places out talk to the ones working, don’t just order food and leave. There are some great people out here to be met on the bbq trail.

 

Our Choices at Red River Smokehouse:

Well these guys are from Texas and BBQ in Texas starts with beef so I am told. Therefore Tammy had to find out if their Brisket was up to the test. She ordered the Brisket Platter with Slaw and Mac and Cheese. It also came with a Dill Pickle Slice and a Slice of Bread. I’ll have to say that everything was wonderful. I’m really getting to like some slaw and this is one of them. The mac and cheese was good and had plenty of cheese. The only down side was that it could have been warmer. Not bad for the only complaint since it

was still good. And the Texas guys’ brisket…Killer. This brisket had a near perfect smoke ring and

excellent flavor. Yes my Texas friends, I’ll admit, Texas Brisket is awesome. The brisket is served with no sauce on it but you get a little container of sauce with your order. This is a very different sauce. Some will like it and some will not. It seems heavy on the chili powder like a sauce you’d use with a bowl of chili. Tammy didn’t care for it much and I liked it. Maybe because it is different. Either way you don’t have to use it but it’s there to try.

 

 

I went with the Ribs Platter and chose Slaw and Pinto Beans with mine. The beans were very good. It had the same type of sauce that came with the brisket. The ribs were really good too. They come sauced and have a good flavor to them.

Extra Bites:

So on today’s visit Red River Smokehouse was running a special, Beef Ribs. Yes I did try one after eating the other ribs. These beef ribs were awesome, having a beautiful smoke ring and a nice seasoning to them. And huge, I know that beef ribs are large but these seem extra-large and have an extra-large flavor to go with them. Moral of this story is if you see the beef ribs on their site or menu as a special, go for it. You will not regret it. As wonderful as the brisket was, I’d pick these ribs over the brisket. Also keep in mind the ribs are a special so you can go back for another visit and get the brisket. Yes, we travel the BBQ Trail with a cooler just in case.

 

Sauces:

The only sauce I saw today was served with the brisket. Like I already said, I liked it because it is different, but others probably will not like it as much. This one you’ll just have to try and see what you think.

Final Thoughts:

Now for my final thoughts on Red River Smokehouse. I really liked these guys. This is another veteran owned and operated business. I seem to do well with these businesses. Several of our favorite spots are owned and operated by our veterans. Thank you all for your service.

There’s the patriotic side of me, but that’s not the only reason I like this place. Jon and Rico were both fun to talk to and a pleasure to meet. And our young waiter, Nah Nay, was a trooper and just as nice as he could be. So they not only rate high on the people side they also prepare and serve some really good food. I wouldn’t mind seeing the menu expand a little but that can happen in time. This business is still very young. I’d love to see what these guys could do with some Pork BBQ. We’ll see some day I hope.

Now For Your Thoughts:

That does it for my thoughts. Tell us how you feel about Red River Smokehouse. If you’ve been to their food truck let us know how it went. Send your comments in so I can get them posted with this review.

What do you regulars think?

How many of you out there are regulars? We’d love to have your comments as well. Help fill in the blanks of this review. You know more about them than I do with just a single visit. I present a snapshot. You can tell the rest of the story.

I look forward to hearing from you. Send in your comments and I’ll get them posted as soon as possible. I want anyone reading this to feel free to comment, whether it was a good or bad experience.

 

I always encourage you to share this review on Facebook and other social media sites. Follow us on Facebook to see where else we go.

You can find them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/redriversmokehouse/

Enjoy the ride, good eating and thanks for stopping by.