New Smokehouse Now Open in Historic Big Sur Homestead

There’s a new barbecue stop along Highway 1 in Big Sur: Big Sur Smokehouse. The smokehouse is located at 48123 Highway 1 in a historic homestead from the 1800s.

Big Sur Smokehouse features barbecue with influences from Texas, the Carolinas, and California, serving brisket, pulled pork, smoked chicken, and sausages from pitmaster Jajuan Jackson. Jackson grew up in the Bay Area, but learned the trade from his Texan grandmother, who was a pitmaster for 30 years.

Side dishes include burnt end baked beans, baked mac and cheese, and braised collard greens, and the restaurant also has salads. Barbecue is served with three sauces: coffee-stout, pineapple mustard, and spiced Carolina cider. For desserts, there are apple cinnamon and seasonal berry pies.

Big Sur Smokehouse [Official]

Big Sur Smokehouse [Official]

In terms of drinks, the smokehouse serves a variety of Central Coast wines as well as house-made sodas, canned cocktails, and a full bar with margaritas.

Per a press release, the restaurant “pays homage to the hole-in-the-wall diners and roadside shacks that have long dotted the breathtaking drive on Highway 1.” The owners chose barbecue because it’s something “pretty much everyone loves.”

Big Sur Smokehouse [Official]

Big Sur Smokehouse [Official]

The restaurant is located in the Post family homestead originally built in 1867, which once marked the end of the passable trail from Monterey into Big Sur county. Though it shares an address with the Ventana Resort, the smokehouse is a separate entity. The resort and smokehouse are owned by Geolo Capital out of San Francisco, who also own several hotels across the country.

Big Sur Smokehouse is now open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a limited menu; it’ll start serving the full menu on July 4.

Update, June 28 5:42 p.m. This article has been updated to clarify that the smokehouse is not part of the resort, and add information about the restaurant’s pitmaster and ownership.