When Aaron Speck left Eugene nearly eight years ago to study meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, he quickly discovered the South’s affinity for barbecue and eventually learned the art of smoking meats himself.
“When I was out there I really got into the barbecue scene, and I really discovered Southern barbecue for the first time,” Speck said. “It’s so good down there.”
After Speck graduated in 2006 and left the city of Norman, Okla., he brought that art to Eugene and opened up a small stand on Highway 99 called The Smokehouse in May 2008. Then, nearly two weeks ago, Speck moved into the old Burrito Amigos restaurant on 1239 Alder St. next to Ron’s Island Grill, and business has been booming ever since.
“This is the best location in town, and there’s no barbecue down here,” Speck said. “There’s a lot of variety and a lot of good food down here, but it felt like barbecue was something that was always missing.”
As his passion grew for barbecue while he was in Oklahoma, Speck learned the tricks of the trade from a local pitmaster who owned a roadside takeout stand in Norman.
“His food was so amazing,” Speck said. “I was hooked on it, so I just went up to him one day and asked him if I could just volunteer my time and learn the trade.”
Speck estimates that it took him several years to get the art down, but the results, he said, paid off. Soon afterward, Speck was selling his own pulled pork sandwiches at Oklahoma football games.
“I got a lot of good feedback from the locals, and I figured if the Okies like it — and they know barbecue — then they’ll love it in Oregon,” Speck said.
Today, Speck’s small sit-down or takeout restaurant on Alder Street features four types of meats, including pork spareribs, beef brisket, pulled pork and smoked chicken breast, complemented by a customer’s choice of four sauces: mild, hot, vinegar and smokehouse. For those seeking alternatives to meat, customers can choose from a variety of options, including grilled cheese sandwiches, bowls of chili, cornbread and baked potatoes.
Speck said all of the food is made from scratch including the sauces, dry rubs for the meat, macaroni and cheese and cornbread, which is made with real cornmeal. Entree prices range from $6 for a smoked chicken salad with cornbread to a rack of pork spareribs for $22.
Speck said the time dedicated to smoking meats separates a Southern style of barbecue in comparison to all others. Speck said the cooking process first begins when he applies his homemade dry rub to the beef brisket, which is left to soak in for 12 hours before it is cooked for another 20 hours over a wood fire inside his six-foot black steel smoker outside of the restaurant, which he had custom-made in Indiana and drove to Oregon on the back of a trailer when he moved from Oklahoma.
“If you want to cook the beef brisket or pulled pork, it’s a two-day process,” Speck explained. “We cook our meats for an entire day, and most people won’t spend that much time cooking anything unless it’s in a crock pot. It’s called a model of inefficiency, but the results really make a difference.”
Some of the customers that have visited Speck’s restaurant over the past two weeks have also noticed that same difference.
“We were here two days ago, and we just had to come back for lunch,” said Xander Muriera, a Portland Community College student. “It was really good. You can tell these guys care about their food.”
Other students also enjoy the restaurant’s close proximity to campus.
“This place is really close to campus, so it’s very convenient,” said Erin Hewitt, a University junior psychology major. “I just like the atmosphere a lot.”
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