Photos by Jane Kortright
Brantley Wheatley gives us an education in barbecue.
Every day, the head chef at Smoke & Barrels in Evans — and former kitchen manager at sister restaurant Ironwood Tavern — prepares roughly 60 pounds of pork, turkey, beef and chicken, lovingly rubbed in his personally developed blend of spices and brown sugar. Then, inside his hardwood smoker at the back of the restaurant, select cuts of oak or hickory deliver that “just-right” level of flavor. Flavor, he says, is what it’s all about.
Ironwood — which is opening a second location near West Lake in Martinez this winter — is known for its casual, family-friendly take on the sports bar, featuring American standards like burgers, pizza and wings. S & B is a riff on that, taking on another American favorite, barbecue. Wheatley, who caught the barbecue bug early in his career — he used to prep huge barbecue dinners for country clubs — jumped at the chance to take the lead when Ironwood’s owners decided to open a new restaurant last year.
There are few true barbecue restaurants left in the area, where the meats are smoked on site. And the menu, says Wheatley, changes constantly, with new daily specials every two weeks. During this interview, kitchen staff brought out little curled bites of fried skin off a pork shoulder picnic for Wheatley and others to sample; that dish earned the eyes-closed, slow-head-nod expression of delight.
S&B’s menu offers everything from generous salads to housemade desserts. You’ll definitely want to try its take on chips and dip, featuring potato chips (deep-fried in beef tallow that Wheatley renders and clarifies) spiced with Tajin and jalapeno queso.
Plates feature ½ chicken, chopped beef brisket (which tends to sell out, so come early!), tender smoked turkey, beautiful pink slices of tri-tip beef (the steak of barbecue, also in high demand), or BBQ pork (“smoked a real long time”). Or, if you really can’t decide, you can order every single meat and fixin’ (side) for your table, for just $99.
This holiday season, Smoke & Barrels is offering whole turkey breasts, smoked in the restaurant’s signature spice blend, for your holiday table, plus catering for holiday gatherings. It’s also mixing up a frozen cocktail with flavors of chocolate, banana and peanut butter.
The “Barrels” part of the name comes from the fact that the restaurant serves up “barrel pick” bourbon and tequila. Wheatley and the restaurant’s owners sample barrels every season and choose one; that bourbon or tequila is then bottled exclusively for S & B for a smooth experience. All the restaurant’s house cocktails — including its pineapple mule with Tajin rim or S&B Old Fashion — are made with its barrel picks.
The restaurant has seven housemade BBQ sauces, including its OG Natty Ga Style tomato-based sauce, a perfect balance of sweet and smoky; a creamy Alabama White-style sauce; a vinegar-based sauce; and even a sweet and peppery mustard sauce. Order a flight or enjoy the barbecue solo: Thanks to the restaurant’s in-house smoke and seasoning, each tender bite of meat is full of gorgeous flavor.
“We’re a family restaurant where you can go for lunch or dinner or for date night or late night,” says Wheatley. “We’re making barbecue fun.”
As seen in the November/December 2025 issue of Augusta magazine.
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