Junior & The Kid, a year-old BBQ restaurant, will soon (June 13) open at 86 Beechwood in the spot once occupied by Red Door Provisions. They are moving from their location in Rockland.
I met with pitmaster and owner Chris Villeneuve and first asked about the name and how he became interested in BBQ.
“My grandfather was the one who taught me how to cook. His nickname was Junior, and he always referred to me as ‘The Kid’ so the name came naturally.”
I always loved BBQ and I was interested in cooking with wood and fire. It was in 2018 that I began selling BBQ sauces at farmers’ markets. Eventually, I added pulled pork sandwiches.”
Chris was raised in a tight-knit French Canadian family that always cooked at home and valued dining together at every meal.
Junior & The Kid smoker “Francine”. Ralf Joneikies/Ottawa Lookout
Throughout our talk, his love of family kept coming through. He took me to the wall behind the cash area.
“This is a picture of my mom cooking a large batch of BBQ sauce. Sadly, she’s no longer with us.”
Her legacy lives on in the form of a dinosaur-sized smoker, which he named “Francine” in tribute to her.
He purchased the off-set smoker from Lewis BBQ Manufacturing, a husband and wife team in Leduc, Alberta.
He largely uses maple wood from Rockland local Mr. Landry, who, at 80 years old, still delivers the wood himself.
As we talked, the aromas coming from the smoker were kicking up an appetite. Unfortunately, this was a prep day, so my BBQ cravings would need to wait. Looking at this monstrosity, I did wonder how it might fit in behind a business on Beechwood. I look forward to finding out.
For the new location, he will have all the standards, including selling his smoked goods by weight for home use.
“My mom had the best mac and cheese recipe. It’s smoked and is one of my best-sellers that will stay on the menu as well as the very popular smoked rice krispie squares for dessert.”
New menu items will include a potent jerk chicken dish and mixed meat platters. His five popular BBQ sauces will also be available and he’s currently working on creating a Carolina mustard BBQ sauce.
I tried the Maple Bourbon. I now understand why it’s the top seller. Nothing is overdone in this recipe. The sugars are modest (for a BBQ sauce), the smoke only faintly lingers, and the fruitiness is pleasantly underpinned by a tingle of black pepper.
By the way, no bottles of bourbon were killed in the making of this sauce. Only good Canadian whisky.
Lovers of classic BBQ can look forward to the grand opening this coming weekend. And if you’re a fan of the Ottawa Titans, you’ll be able to enjoy a limited selection of his foods at the concession this year.
Good to know.
