Smoked, Sizzlin’, Seeping With Soul

Mouthwatering BBQ? Say less. We’ve gathered Boulder County’s best.

By Chloe-Anne Swink

As the summer months heat up, so do the barbecue grills and smokers. Few things trigger that fond sense of nostalgia like stepping outside on a hot summer day and catching a whiff of a nearby barbecue. 

You don’t have to wait for the next block party to get your fill of brisket, dry-rubbed ribs and pulled pork sandos. Our community is home to some impressive BBQ joints influenced by hotspots from Central Texas to South Carolina. 

Georgia Boys BBQ

After living as college roommates in Georgia, Georgia Boys BBQ co-founders, Matt Alexander and Nick Reckinger, moved to Colorado in search of snow. However, when the Great Recession hit, they both found themselves laid off in 2010. 

Instead of turning tail for Georgia, Alexander and Reckinger turned to what their southern roots had taught them well: barbecue. Georgia Boys BBQ was born out of entrepreneurial spirit and the desire to fund gas for trips to the ski slopes. They started smoking meats at their apartment in Gunbarrel and selling barbecue out of brown paper bags at car dealerships and local breweries. After receiving a nudge from the health department to go legit or quit, Alexander and Reckinger opened their first southern-style BBQ joint in Longmont. They sold out on opening day and have since continued to expand throughout northern Colorado.

You’ll find family recipes like Grandma’s Banana Puddin’ on the menu. “95% of the recipes are original to me—at least the ribs and the sauces and the meats and the sides,” says Reckinger. From Brisket Burnt Ends to Tennessee Sticky Pig, Georgia Boys brings a taste of southern hospitality to Colorado. 

Lulu’s BBQ 

Lulu’s BBQ in Louisville is a true family affair. Kevin Herrington is at the helm, serving up family recipes like those he gleaned from his dad, Gary Herrington, growing up in Oklahoma. His wife, Emily Herrington is also on board, managing the catering program.

The many flavors of Lulu’s take influence from the Herrington’s midwestern roots and BBQ hubs across the U.S. According to General Manager, Ben Wilson, their sauces are a little on the sweeter side. The popular Lazy-H BBQ Sauce is Gary Herrington’s recipe. It’s akin to what one would find in Oklahoma or Missouri—a bit of sweet a bit of tang! Lulu’s lineup also includes zesty, vinegary Carolina-style sauces and meats that are slow cooked to perfection on Lulu’s Pit using a Texas-inspired smoke style.  

If the BBQ alone isn’t enough to lure you to Lulu’s, go for the Texas Slush: 6 oz of Lulu’s house lager, brewed by Crystal Springs Brewing Co. just 100 yards away, served with a frozen margarita on top. Lulu’s also offers Happy Hour daily, including weekends, from 2pm to 5pm. 

Rollin’ Bones BBQ 

If you catch that delightful whiff of barbecue on the street, it might be Rollin’ Bones BBQ, a smokin’ hot food truck run by pitmaster Eric Holinger.

After completing grad work at CU, Holinger purchased a BBQ trailer on Craigslist. His background was as a backyard hobbyist, but he says, “In terms of the cooking, I had it pretty figured out from the get-go.” After getting some help from a friend to get the business and marketing side of things running, Rollin’ Bones BBQ took off. 

“Everything is handmade from scratch. Made with love.” Rollin’ Bones BBQ features unique and thoughtful takes on traditional BBQ favorites, like brisket. While brisket is typically smoked with oak wood, Holinger smokes his with mesquite from Arkansas and Texas, lending a more peppery flavor profile. For smoking pork and poultry, he opts for apple or cherry wood, which he sources locally. 

Rollin’ Bones BBQ is also popular for crave-worthy dishes like the Pineapple Express—a pulled pork sandwich topped with pineapple and smoked pork belly. Want to try it for yourself? Find the schedule at rollinbonesbbq.com. 

KT’s BBQ

At KT’s BBQ in Boulder, owners, and husband-wife duo Kirk and Tricia Jamison follow the rule of “pork is king.” At least, that’s what their Memphis-style BBQ
revolves around.

When asked what prompted K and T (Kirk and Tricia) to open a BBQ joint in Boulder, Tricia responded, “We started the business 30 years ago, and 30 years ago there wasn’t much BBQ being made [in Colorado].” KT’s BBQ was their response to a gap in the market that needed to be filled. Boulder needed a stellar BBQ spot, so Kirk headed to Memphis to do hands-on research and bring some of the country’s best BBQ secrets back to Colorado. 

The traditional Memphis-style BBQ sauce that KT’s BBQ took influence from is a tomato vinegar sauce. It stands out amongst other BBQ sauces for its low viscosity and tangy, spicy flavor that has an acidic twist. KT’s BBQ loads their smokers up with Hickory chunk wood from Texas to complement their Tennessee tangy flavors and blues inspired atmosphere. They pride themselves on keeping the “menu very simple so that everything is excellent, all the time.” 

Busey Brews

If vegan BBQ sounds paradoxical, you haven’t been to Busey Brews in Nederland. Aside from smoking meats and brewing beer, kombucha and ginger beer in-house, Busey Brews makes a mean smoked tofu. They even smoke it in a devoted smoker. It’s truly 100% vegan. Marinated for 24 hours and smoked with apple or cherry chips, the smoked tofu alone is worth the trip. 

For the omnivores out there, when asked which dish he most recommends, owner Kyle Busey said, “Definitely the wings are the most sought-after item! They fly right off the bone.” The “Nederland-style” wings are marinated for three hours and smoked for another three hours—never fried. 

Busey credits teamwork to the success that Busey Brews has had. Navigating both a successful food and brewing program means the smokers are running almost 24/7 and the brew team is brewing three to four days a week to supply the 22 house beers on tap.