Smokin' Okies B.B.Q

About Us 

• In 1978 Eric Johnson got his first smoker as a Christmas present.  It was home-made and weighed about a ton! 
• He’s  been cooking barbecue and honing his craft ever since.
• After moving his family to Canada in 1991, he discovered that the definition of barbecue here meant a piece of equipment or an event. 
• In the South, barbecue is the food. 
• He would joke that in Canada we have skidoos – in Oklahoma they have smokers.
• Eric cooked barbecue for friends and family over the years, including donating barbecue to raise funds for a local hockey rink.  Encouraged by the interest in his barbecue, and the lack of authentic barbecue here, moved him to consider going into the barbecue business.
• His son, Chris Johnson, also expressed a desire to be involved in the business so together they built a mobile trailer and started doing catering, as well as setting up in different locations in Regina and doing special events. 
• The barbecue was well received and customers encouraged them to open a restaurant so they would have access to barbecue on an ongoing basis.