Owner Brendon Hutton opened The Smoke Hutt on April 8 at 38 S. Crowell St. in Franklin.
ANDY BELL-BALTACI | DAILY JOURNAL
The restaurant at 38 S. Crowell St. in Franklin has a history in the Hutton family.
During the six years before it was The Smoke Hutt, now owned by Brendon Hutton, it was the home of a family barbeque restaurant known as Jibs BBQ and Catering, Hutton said.
The name Jibs was based on the first initials of himself and multiple family members, he said.
“Jesse, my father, was the owner of Jibs and then Isiah is my older brother, then me, Brendon. The ‘s’ came from my granddaddy. He was the one who handed down traditions and of cooking and smoking meat. He called my mom Sandy, even though her name is Cindy. That’s where the ‘s’ comes from,” Hutton said.
When Jesse Hutton developed health problems, he asked Hutton to take over for him at Jibs.
“My father was having some health issues and was not doing the best at the time, it was having some stress on him and he decided to step away,” Hutton said. “I ended up getting a trailer, setting up at local events and whatnot. My parents came to me and asked if I wanted to take over the brick-and-mortar location.”
Hutton had been running a barbeque business out of a trailer dubbed The Smoke Hutt and expanded into the former site of Jibs on April 8, he said.
Hutton has taken much of the expertise he learned from his father and developed a similar menu, offering pork ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork, chicken and turkey, all available by the pound, in sandwiches or as plates. Side orders include mac-n-cheese, baked beans, green beans, cole slaw and potato salad.
Smoked beef brisket, pulled pork nachos and pulled chicken nachos are among the most popular items, he said.
“Our top seller is the smoked brisket, it’s the number one thing people come in here to get. We have unique pulled pork nachos. It’s not like any other nachos you’ve experienced. It has pulled pork, a layer of chips, mac-n-cheese and homemade slaw we throw on top of it as well,” Hutton said.
The unique recipes and flavors that come from the Hutton family have meant a continuation of good business after The Smoke Hutt opened, Hutton said.
“All of the items we have on our menu, it takes a lot of work to put things together. It’s time and dedication and love and people get a lot out of it,” he said. “Everything tastes really good, it’s all made from scratch and it’s just different, a different taste. We use a different type of wood, post oak from Texas and mesquite, and it’s a new flavor for Indiana. It’s a more bold, smoky favor. The majority of places in Indiana use hickory.”
The method has drawn in customers, and on many days, the food sells out before closing, he said.
“It’s honestly been very crazy, we’ve sold out the majority of the days. We’ve only had three or four days we’ve opened that we haven’t sold out and it’s just trying to figure out how much to add,” he said. “I just want to supply as much as I possibly can to make everyone happy and so as everyone leaves the door, they leave with something.”
The Smoke Hutt is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday or until food sells out. With the popularity of the restaurant, including many former customers of Jibs, Hutton said customers should arrive by 4 p.m. to make sure they get a plate.
“In all honesty, it’s about the quality of the product and the personal connection,” he said. “You feel like you’ve been here before and we make you feel at home, that’s what it’s all about. We want you to come in as a customer and leave as a friend.”
