Recently we took a trip to Aspen, Colorado – I had never driven over Independence Pass (and airline tickets were through the roof!), so we decided to drive. We were reasonable enough to expect to need to spend the night along the way – it is a 17-hour drive on google maps after all. But we decided that we would “see how we felt” as we went… we made it all the way to Walsenburg Colorado – just before you turn off the interstate to head up and over Independence Pass… about 4 hours from Aspen. When we stopped at a “side of the interstate motel,” I asked, “where is best place to eat and get a drink in town?” The desk clerk immediately said, “Rollin Smoke!” So, we settled into the room and then headed to Rollin’ Smoke Garage BBQ in town. It was a quaint town, but it looked like it had been hit hard by whatever hits most small towns hard, so it had a lot of older buildings that had been fixed up. But all in all, a fairly typical American small town.
Rollin Smoke was my kind of place – order at the counter and they had an eclectic menu of smoked brisket, pork, chicken and sausage – they had plates with sides, soft tacos, or you could get a salad with a protein., chicken wings or they even did pizzas (but they were out of pizza and wings the night we were there).
I ordered the smoked brisket plate, my wife had a smoked brisket salad, and my daughter got a smoked chicken quesadilla and we all split a smoked brisket taco. It was some of the best smoked meat I have ever had. Good flavor, but more than that – cooked to the right consistency and with the correct outer crunch – GOOD SEAR – which is hard to do on a smoker, but this was done as well as I have had. And the care with which they took to make the salads, taco and sides showed what a quality place this was. No matter cardboard baskets, plastic utensils, and paper napkins – this was a QUALITY JOINT.
I only wish I wasn’t worn out from a 13-hour trek from Little Rock to Walsenburg and could have hung out some in the adjoining bar or taken advantage of the cool breeze with the outdoor seating. Unfortunately, I was sore and tired and after having a great meal and a good beer, I was ready for a short nap before tackling Independence Pass the next day!!!
But if you find yourself in Southern Colorado and need to stop in Walsenburg – check out Rollin’ Smoke Garage BBQ – it’s worth it.
En Vino Veritas!
Alex
