With over 1,200 nearly 5-star reviews, Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que & Home Cooking restaurant is a Black-owned comfort food staple in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1976, the beloved BBQ joint has a deep family history and is currently owned by brothers Brent and Juan Reaves who have a starring role on the new A&E show Deep Fried Dynasty, showing the ins-and-outs of running their successful restaurant.

Image: courtesy of Smokey John's Bar-B-Que

With summer around the corner, the Reaves brothers are sharing some tips to ease into BBQ season like a pro and a mouth-watering recipe that’s also health-conscious. 

Use These Tips For Grill Prep

  1. Do not overuse light fluid. Too much lighter fluid will completely ruin your meal.
  2. Allow your coals to cook down until they begin to ash or start turning white. This makes sure the actual charcoal flavor burns off and doesn’t affect the flavor of what you’re cooking.
  3. Stick to high heat for grilling and low and slow for smoking. We like to grill around 375 to 400 degrees and smoke around 225 to 275 degrees.

Try this At-Home Recipe

Image: courtesy of Krisztina Papp

GRILLED SALMON WITH FRESH SUMMER SALSA

  • 4 - 6oz Salmon Fillets
  • 1/4 cup - Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp - Salt
  • 1 tsp - Black Pepper
  • 2 tsp - Garlic Salt
  • (For a zingy zesty flavor, substitute all seasonings for 1 tbs. of Smokey John’s BBQ Rub)
  • 1.5 cups Strawberries 
  • 1 cup Kiwi 
  • 1 large Jalapeño 
  • 2 tablespoons of Cilantro sprigs
  • 2 tablespoons Oranges juice 
  • 1-2 tablespoons Prosecco
  • 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Season your salmon fillets with the salt, garlic salt and finish it with black pepper or for a bolder taste only use Smokey John’s BBQ Rub.Before you grill your salmon, be sure to clean your grates really well and oil them with a little vegetable oil.  This will keep your salmon from sticking to your grates. Get your grill good and hot before you add your salmon t the grill.  You will know the heat is right if you can hold your hand over the heat for 3-4 seconds before you have to remove your hand because of the heat.  Lay your salmon meat side down on the grill and sear for 3-4 minutes.  Then flip the salmon to sear on the skin side for 4-5 minutes or until desired temperature. We recommend cooking your salmon up to at least 145 degrees. Remove salmon from the grill and plate.  Chop the strawberries and the kiwi. 

For the summer salsa, chop and seed the jalapeño. Lightly chop the cilantro. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss, cover and chill in the fridge until ready for use. Drizzle a bit of the fruit salsa on top of the salmon and enjoy.

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