Red Beard BBQ Now Open on Wednesdays — and Fridays Too
A couple weeks ago I wrote about Red Beard BBQ in the Standard-Examiner, mentioning its quirky Friday-only hours, and that it was open from 10 a.m. until the barbecue sells out — usually around 2-3 p.m.
About the same time that the story ran, Red Beard’s Facebook page announced that the walk-up counter would be open on Wednesdays.
“We will be open at the Freeport Center on Wednesday from 3-7 pm. We will have somewhat of a limited menu until we see how it’s going to work. We will have most the normal sandwiches and loaded stuff, plus briskets and gravy, funeral potatoes, and sweet pork belly ribs! See y’all Wednesday!”
Apparently Wednesdays worked out. There are weekly FB announcements on what’s available, including burnt ends, which tend to sell out quickly. BTW, Red Beard’s food truck is often in Morgan and Tooele, too, so keep an eye on their social media for times and locations.
Red Beard isn’t exactly a restaurant. Kelly and Heather Kennedy own two catering companies — Company Grill and Red Beard BBQ. Because they’re so busy doing catering jobs, they have limited time that they can be open to the public. The commissary kitchen, with a walk-up window, is located near the northeast corner of Clearfield’s Freeport Center.
To find it, look for an industrial-looking building with a “Red Beard BBQ” banner. If you’re there on a Friday after 10 a.m., or Wednesday afternoon, you’re likely to see a dozen or so people lined up to order. As far as seating, there are three picnic tables with umbrellas. For everyone else, it’s take-out or tailgate.
On Fridays, the line of hungry customers might extend from 10-20 people, as Red Beard goes through 50 briskets, 40 racks of ribs and 30 pork butts, “and that’s as much as we can smoke in a day,” said Kelly Kennedy. You order, wait a few minutes, and get your food at the pick-up window.
Red Beard’s top seller is brisket — thick slices of juicy beef with a dark crusty outer layer of “bark.” There are other smoked meats — spare ribs, turkey, pulled pork and sausage. You can buy it as an individual combo meal with sides, or you can buy it by the pound — $25 for a pound of brisket; $28 for spare ribs, and less for the other meats.
Red Beard calls itself “A Western twist of Southern barbecue,” and that’s due to some of the more creative dishes, such as a PB & J brisket with candied jalapenos.
The brisket-loaded “Sweet Tater” is more of a best-kept secret, “but once people try it, they come back for it week after week,” Kelly Kennedy said.
The gigantic sweet potato — about twice as big as a regular sweet potato — — is split open and piled with brisket and jalapeno cream, and sprinkled with green onions. Red Beard also offers brisket-topped regular “Tater.”
Red Beard also has a brisket-loaded regular “Tater,” as well as “loaded” salads, mac ‘n’ cheese and nachos.
Kelly Kennedy’s personal favorite is the Mac Blondie — mac ‘n’ cheese topped with brisket and garlic sauce.
The Homer is a smoked burger, piled high with toppings and sandwiched between two glazed donuts instead of buns. A customer suggested the name as a nod to Homer Simpson.
Red Beard gets creative with sides, too. You can taste some black pepper in the mac ‘n’cheese, and the jalapeno creamed corn is thick with cream and a touch of sweet heat.
Kelly Kennedy is a fan of Jackson Hole sodas, with twisty flavors like huckleberry and strawberry rhubarb. “And we are one of the only places you can get it in Utah,” he said. “I think an old-fashioned soda goes really well with BBQ.”
Kelly, who is from Morgan, met Heather when they both attended Utah State University. Heather was raised in Texas, where her dad, Danny White, was quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. So she grew up around Texas-style BBQ. Kelly became familiar barbecue while living in North Carolina and Texas.
Heather came up with the name of Red Beard BBQ. It was in honor of her husband’s beard, which is now streaked with gray. When I was researching this post, I was surprised to discover another restaurant called Red Beard Barbecue, but it’s in Humboldt, Kansas and not related.
