Harry's Smokin' BBQ takes delicious food off the wheels and into Toms River restaurant
Toms River will welcome a new barbecue restaurant this summer, but the man behind the smoker is a familiar face.
After five years of serving customers from Harry's Smokin' BBQ food trailer on Dover Road in South Toms River, Harry Clayton is opening a restaurant in the space previously occupied by Mi Mexico Lindo on Route 37. He plans to open the BYOB in July.
"We want to make it a place where people can come, sit inside and enjoy a delicious meal," said Clayton, who decided to open a brick and mortar because business at the trailer is growing every year. Also, the food truck business is weather dependent, and he wants to expand the catering side of Harry's Smokin' BBQ.
"We don’t advertise catering much 'cause we don’t have the room to do it," he said. "When we get a lot of catering orders, we have to close just so we can get them done, and it’s not fair for our regulars and those who want to come by and eat."
The trailer will remain open until the restaurant opens and possibly on a limited basis afterward.
Clayton started his roadside business after falling in love with barbecue while living in Florida. Back home in New Jersey, he began smoking ribs, brisket and pulled pork in his driveway, which led to family and friends asking if he could cook for parties.
The restaurant, like the food truck, will serve a classic menu including pulled pork and chicken, ribs, barbecue chicken, brisket, wings, macaroni and cheese, potato and macaroni salads, and barbecue beans.
Clayton is also known for his specials, like chopped cheese sandwiches, ribeye cheesesteaks, smoked chicken street corn tacos, pastrami melts, and egg rolls stuffed with pork belly and macaroni and cheese.
"I try to be different than others around here," he said in a previous interview about his take on pit beef, a Baltimore-born sandwich of thinly sliced smoked beef, scratch-made horseradish sauce, onions and pickles.
"Basically, we’re opening a restaurant to better [serve] our customers and to gain new ones," Clayton said. "We want to stay open and offer more barbecue items daily combined with all the crazy, different sandwiches we come up with."
Go: Harry's Smokin' BBQ will open at 213 Route 37 in Toms River; harryssmokinbarbecue.com.
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Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Harry's Smokin' BBQ to serve up creative BBQ dishes in Toms River
