Today we’d like to introduce you to Blake Stoker.
Hi Blake, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I got my start in the barbecue business during my sophomore year of college at Mississippi State University in 2015/2016, after my father gifted me the Franklin BBQ cookbook “A Meat Smoking Manifesto” (2015) by famed Austin BBQcook.
Aaron Franklin, and I began diving into the world, culture, and history of Texas-style BBQ. Prior to this, I’d always been interested in cooking and enjoyed it, but didn’t at all come from a bbq family or restaurant background.
After deep-diving into the book which documents Texas-style bbq cooking techniques, historical/notable bbq eateries such as Louie Mueller BBQ in Taylor, TX, Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, TX, and more… my father and I took our first (of about 16-17 at this point over the past 6 years since then) “Texas BBQ road-trip” to eat and experience some of the places that the book mentioned, and I immediately fell in love.
I actually decided to open my Texas-inspired bbq food trailer (“Blake’s BBQ”) while standing in line to get lunch at Franklin BBQ on a Tuesday, January morning of the first week of 2016. I opened “Blakes ‘s BBQ” bbq trailer in my hometown of Dresden, TN, in May 2016 during summer break from college following my sophomore year, and it luckily gained quick support/success, which prompted me to open up the following spring semester the next year, and again following my graduation from MSU in December 2017.
Our menu was based around slow-smoked, detail-orientated “Texas-style” bbq cuts such as beef brisket, pork ribs, turkey breast, etc. As well as housemade sides. By the end of college, I had decided that I wanted to pursue the bbq business as a career and eventually open a brick & mortar location.
After finding my eventual restaurant location in Martin, TN, (just 10-12 minutes from Dresden, where I had been located for the first 2.5-3 years), I decided to move the food trailer to Martin in order to 1.) establish ourselves in the community that we’d be in long-term and 2.) be in closer proximity to the construction/renovation site at the (then) 100-year-old grain mill that we were going to renovate and transform into the restaurant.
Flash forward 3 years and a whole pandemic that turned the world on its head, the food trailer continued to gain a following while construction was underway.
Three years later, we’re just 4-5 weeks from the opening of “Blake’s at Southern Milling” in Martin, TN, (aiming to open 5/11/2022) which will feature a full bar, 170 total seats, and a menu focused primarily on our signature Texas-style barbecue fare, as well as a slightly expanded nighttime menu for evening service.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It hasn’t been smooth at all times, especially over the course of the past 2-2.5 years during the pandemic and construction process of Blake’s at Southern Milling, but luckily, I’ve had a ton of support from family and friends, both near and far, to help navigate the process.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve owned and run “Blake’s BBQ” food trailer in Dresden, TN, (2016-2018) and then in Martin, TN, (2019-2022) for the last 6 years. I’m now about to open our brick & mortar restaurant, “Blake’s at Southern Milling” in Martin, TN.
We specialize in Texas-style bbq cooked simply with simple seasonings (primarily salt & pepper) on 100% oak wood-burning offset smokers (particularly our brisket, pork ribs, turkey breast, and pulled pork), as well as an assortment of housemade side dishes (notably our pimento cheese & seasoned crackers).
We are most known for our brisket, turkey breast, and pimento cheese, with our most famous dish being our original creation sandwich, the “Bubba Cole” sandwich, that I created in early 2020. The Bubba Cole features our main 3 items- sliced brisket, sliced turkey breast, and housemade pimento cheese- all on a buttery brioche bun.
What makes me the proudest is the appreciation for the simplicity and passion that we put into our entire menu and smoked meats, using real wood+patience+attention to detail in order to create something special and different from the bbq scene in our area.
We’re set apart by our cooking style and processes to create “not-fussy” but well-executed Texas-style barbecue using a combination of old-school techniques + creative takes and attention to detail.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The business and lifestyle environment created by COVID-19 has taught me that regardless of how much you try to plan and prepare.
You’re never in complete control and you absolutely have to be able and willing to adjust and adapt to changing/volatile markets, consumer needs and habits, personal lifestyle sacrifices, and so on.
Patience has also been a key factor in navigating such a strange and unpredictable world that we’ve lived in.
Contact Info:
- Website: blakesatsouthernmilling.com
- Instagram: @blakesatsouthernmilling, @blake_stoker9, and @blakes_bbq
- Facebook: @Blake’sAtSouthernMilling
