RouxBarbeque new to Knoxville with cajun, creole fare

Photo by Chad Green

Chef Bruce Bogartz prepares barbecued chicken at the short-lived Rocky Hill restaurant venture RouXbarbeque.

Photo by Chad Green

Chef Bruce Bogartz prepares barbecued chicken at the short-lived Rocky Hill restaurant venture RouXbarbeque.

RouXbarbeque opened April 21. It is owned by Chef Bruce Bogartz and Kerry Mitchell. The menu features barbecue, Cajun and creole dishes.

Why did you go into the barbecue business?

It seemed like a natural progression for us because we’ve always featured a barbecue component at RouXbarb (Bogartz’ other restaurant). Plus it’s just a great facet of East Tennessee cuisine.

What varieties of wood do you use for smoking?

We use hickory about 95 percent of the time and then possibly 5 percent oak, pecan or cherry, but that’s few and far between.

What sets your barbecue apart from the rest?

We are paying attention to the details.

We make individual dry rub for each of our proteins, and we offer vegetarian barbecue liked smoked tofu and smoked vegetables.

We marinate our brisket in a salty/sweet marinade for a day or two before we dry rub and smoke it, and we cook our chicken thighs in a long, slow-cooking process so they stay nice and juicy.

We had a real learning curve at first, but we’ve taken the time to figure out those issues, and at this point I am honestly happy with the product.

Have you ever competed in a Kansas City Barbecue Society’s sanctioned event?

I was invited to go to Memphis in May this year with a local group as their chef expert, but it’s one of the worst weekends of the season as far as business is concerned. Competition is great but people don’t come and eat and take care of local trade because of awards. Blue ribbons don’t pay for things. But I was recently named Best Chef by Metro Pulse for the third straight year.

What makes your restaurant unique?

We took an old Hardee’s building and totally transformed it while maintaining the inner infrastructure. Everything in here was built by Mitchell’s crew. We have quirky little details like the bar which mimics a railroad. It’s incredibly ingenious how it was designed. We are incorporating Cajun and creole flavors with our barbecue and creating fusion cuisine like our Po’ Boy sandwich that features thinly shaved smoked rib-eye steak.

Finish this sentence. A good barbecue rib always …

A good barbecue rib is all about the meat. You must have incredibly moist, flavorful meat. The sauce is secondary. It’s an embellishment.

What are three of your best selling items?

Pulled pork, lamb ribs and barbecue bologna with pimento cheese

What is your price point?

Our check-out rate runs about $15 per person, except that we always offer a Po’ Boy special for $10.

Why should someone visit your establishment?

Because we have truly homemade food with great ingredients, and we’ve taken time to work out problems so that we create a product that we are truly proud of.

© 2010, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!

© 2010 Knoxville.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.