Still Smokin’ BBQ opens doors

MOUNT AYR — After competing in barbecuing contests and catering for years, Doug Still of Mount Ayr knew exactly what he wanted to do when he retired from the flooring business this year.

Doug and his wife Gina opened the doors to Still Smokin’ BBQ on the north side of the square in Mount Ayr Monday afternoon and have been serving up barbecue ever since.

Located at 104 W. Madison St. in Mount Ayr, Still Smokin’ BBQ operates the kitchen from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The bar area opens at 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“I opened my own business in 1977 laying carpet and floor covering. I just got to 40 years this year in the floor-covering business. That makes me a dinosaur in that line of work. It’s either get up off my knees or retire at the nursing home in a wheelchair if I didn’t,” Doug said. “Since this is one of the things I enjoy and do a lot of catering, (I) thought it would be a nice fit. It’s good for the community to have something different.”

The building, which previously housed several restaurants and a drugstore, was Hollywood-themed when the Stills purchased it. Gone are the baby grand piano and pictures of the Rat Pack.

Right inside the front door, patrons are met with a design style Still referred to as “John Wayne, John Deere and John 3:16.” From the American flag mural Gina hand-painted on the wall just inside the door, to Mount Ayr athletics memorabilia, to the framed photos of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, there’s a conversation piece for just about anyone.

“We just wanted it to be a nice, comfortable place people could come and sit down, reminisce and look at everything,” Gina said. “That’s what we were going for.”

Menu

Doug said about 85 percent of his restaurant’s menu items are not available elsewhere in town, carving out its own niche within the community.

The closest barbecue restaurants are 22 miles to the north in Afton and 35 miles to the south.

Still Smokin’ BBQ offers several sandwich options, including pulled pork, pork loin, brisket and prime rib, along with a pulled pork and brisket sandwich topped with an egg. Dinner plates include brisket, Iowa chop, chicken, prime rib and St. Louis-style ribs.

“You don’t see a lot of prime rib cooked over an open fire,” Doug said. “I get a lot of compliments on the prime rib. For anybody who hasn’t had prime rib cooked over an open fire, it’s a different experience to have one barbecued over an open-fire pit. The food tastes are all more of a unique experience.”

Doug uses four smokers behind the restaurant and starts preparing meat early in the morning. A rack of ribs typically takes two to three hours to cook, while brisket and pork butts take six to eight hours if the weather is cooperative.

On a cloudy day, it can take up to 10 or 12 hours for brisket or pork butts to cook within the 200-275 degree barbecue temperature zone.

“About four hours into the smoke, I’ll take and wrap everything in tin foil,” Doug said. “That keeps it from getting too much smoke and too much burnt-wood taste. I use apple and oak and it doesn’t put off a terribly strong wood flavor.

“The secret to a lot of barbecue is you cannot skimp the day you buy your meat. It’s got to be fresh. If you skimp the day you buy it, it’s not going to taste good the day you put it on a plate.”

A unique aspect of Still Smokin BBQ is the side dishes, which are homemade by Gina, who is also still working as a preschool teacher’s associate. Gina said side dishes take at least four or five hours to prepare.

Side dishes include potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, macaroni salad, cheesy potatoes, cottage cheese, lattice chips and baked potatoes.

“The wife’s had a lot of compliments on her sides,” Doug said. “When you get something unique, it stands out to them (patrons). They like to tell you it was really, really good.”

Doug said about 100 plates were served on opening night Monday, with about 160 plates going out on a free sample night on Friday.

“We were very, very grateful for the packed house we had last night (Monday),” Gina said.

“The first two days have been very good,” Doug said. “We’re really pleased. (It was a) good opening, and I’ll be happy if it keeps it up.”