Why do barbecue joints bother to advertise? Consider that every morning they fill the air with the tantalizing smells emitting from their smokers.
Take a walk on Havelock Avenue on any given morning for proof of that. The nose knows. And so do the mouth-watering hunger pangs that instinctively follow.
The unmistakable scent of smoking pork butts, spareribs and beef brisket speak more resoundingly than any catchy jingle or pithy pitch.
"I get out of the car in the morning and can smell what we've got going on," said Don Mayhew, owner of Boxcar BBQ, 6105 Havelock Ave.
Three years ago, Mayhew, a 22-year member of the Lincoln Board of Education, was working a keyboard in the tech industry before stepping away from a lucrative career to pursue something different -- his entrepreneurial dreams.
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Those dreams began nightmarishly, as is the case with most first-time restaurateurs. There was a failed pasta restaurant, a food truck with a grilled cheese sandwich concept — "Say Cheese" — and, yes, a pandemic that caused most eateries to change their plans.
"Rookie mistakes" is how Mayhew described the last two years. "There were a bazillion failures. It really was a process of trial and error."
But Mayhew is an entrepreneur. More importantly, he understands process and progress, that every worthwhile endeavor is like a game of Mother May I. With every two steps forward lurks a step backward. That likely comes from his techy background.Â
"We started having conversations last year about reopening the restaurant," he said. "With a clean slate, what would we do if we could do anything?
"Barbecue kept bubbling to the top."
The only problem was, neither he nor anyone on his staff knew much about a culinary craft that has an ardent following of hobbyists and backyard enthusiasts. If the food was bad, they'd know immediately.
"We decided if we were going to do it, we were going to do it right," Mayhew said. "So we did a lot of experimenting, workshopping things out."
They invested in a smoker and spent the summer months smoking meats and making tweaks to their techniques and ingredients.
"I’ve always liked barbecue, but I never thought I would be doing it," said young chef Mason Korensky, who was enrolled in Southeast Community College's culinary program two years ago. "It was something we just learned together."
They brought in people to taste test the meats they smoked. They listened to the feedback and watched online videos to expand their knowledge.
Before Boxcar BBQ officially served its first slab of ribs to a paying customer in October, the staff experimented with hundreds of pounds of meat and dozens of changes to their recipes.
It's the only way Mayhew knew to move forward with the concept. A true entrepreneur might have the ideas, but he also embraces surrounding himself with others to implement those ideas while giving them the tools and freedom to experiment.
Korensky quickly learned the art of smoking, eventually perfecting the rubs and sauces used at Boxcar BBQ. Meanwhile, Teresa Shockey, another of Mayhew's in-house confidants, came up with a smoked bananas Foster bread pudding that has become the restaurant's most popular dessert.
"It's just something I was thinking of one day," she said. "I tried it out and everyone liked it. That's the way this team works."
That's not to say every idea has worked. The wonton-wrapped hot dog and cream cheese menu item was scrapped very early.
"On paper it was kind of a fun idea, but it just didn’t materialize," Mayhew said.Â
What's in place now is a product that some believe can compete with that of any barbecue restaurant in town while helping to define Lincoln barbecue.
"It might take a lifetime to figure that out," Mayhew said.
Maybe it's the presentation. Boxcar BBQ has made a commitment to make the meats it serves the star of the show. Be it the brisket, ribs or pulled pork, it comes to the table naked — without sauce. The sauces — four varieties in all, ranging from a standard ketchup-based barbecue sauce to a spicy mustard sauce — are served on the side.
And then there's the Boxcar Sauce, which one national barbecue expert said could be bottled and sold. The mayonnaise-based sauce is pink in color and packs a bit of a kick. It was originally intended to be a condiment for the smoked cheeseburgers that were sold on the food truck, but what the staff discovered was that it accentuates the natural flavors of the meat.
In five months, the Havelock community has embraced its new barbecue joint. There is talk of adding another restaurant in south Lincoln, while using the food truck to market the Boxcar BBQ brand. But the Havelock restaurant, Mayhew said, will always be the original. It will always have its own identity.
"Havelock has had some bad luck over the years," said Mayhew, who also sells Boxcar BBQ stocking caps with the phrases "Havelock Tough" and "Havelock Proud" embroidered onto them. "They are going to turn it around and I want to help to make that happen. I want to be here for it.
"There is really a feeling like we belong to this neighborhood."
13 places to get barbecue in Lincoln
Poppi's BBQ
Hickory Road BBQ
Luckie's Lounge & Grill
Phat Jack's BBQ
Dickey's BBQ
Smokehouse Deli
Famous Dave's BBQ
Lippy's BBQ
Southwest Pit BBQ
Buster's BBQ
Parker's Smokehouse
Hog Wild Pit Bar-B-Q
1. Phat Jack's BBQ
3. Parker's Smokehouse
4. Hickory Road BBQ
Readers' No. 4 Lippy's BBQ
Lincoln's Choice: BBQ
Ramos Pizza and Buster's BBQ
Reach the writer at 402-473-7391 or psangimino@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @psangimino