Local BBQ | Crafted From A Global Perspective
By LISA LOEWEN | Photos by MIRANDA CHAVEZ-HAZIM
Patrons of Topeka’s Bar ‘N Grill restaurant might not realize when they walk in that new ownership has taken over the establishment. The bar and tables remain the same, screens still play their favorite sports channels, and most of their favorite foods are still on the menu, including the famous “BarnBalls” featuring stuffed mashed potatoes and hashbrowns.
But when they try the Turkey Tango, a new twist on a traditional BLT, they’ll notice something has definitely changed. New owners Tim and Kristin Miller, who purchased the Bar ‘N Grill from Topeka’s Dave Kruger in January, are bringing their own special flavor to the business.
AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK
Most barbecue chefs learn the art of smoking meat by working in restaurants, apprenticing to more experienced pitmasters or even just through trial and error. Tim discovered his love of smoking meat in a place no one would expect: the fantail of a Navy ship.
Not so unusual, except Tim wasn’t a cook. He wasn’t even assigned to work in the galley. In fact, his job as a jet engine mechanic kept him busy on the flight deck or in the hangar.
The Mayetta, Kansas, native joined the Navy two years after graduating from Royal Valley High School. During his 15 years in the military, Tim underwent six deployments, serving on both the USS Enterprise and the USS Wasp. This allowed him to travel the world and experience a wide variety of foods and flavors.
“My fascination with smoked meats started when I was stationed in Hawaii, about 11 years into my service,” Tim said. “I went to a luau and watched them cook an entire hog in the ground. It was the best-tasting meat I had ever had.”
Tim went back to the ship and decided to try his hand at smoking meat, even though he’d never done it before. He did some research and built a smoker from scrap metal he found on board. He placed it on the ship’s aft deck where it wouldn’t be in the way and started smoking any meat he could get his hands on. Through some successes, some failures and a whole lot of hours, Tim taught himself the art of BBQ.
“The captain didn’t even know about it for six months,” Tim said. “But when he did find out what I was doing, all of a sudden I found myself smoking meat full time.”
As word of Tim’s smoking skills began to swirl, he captured the attention of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” host Guy Fieri, who flew in with a film crew to feature Tim’s food on an episode of the show.
FROM SEA TO SHORE
When Tim left military service, he knew he was meant to continue his craft of smoking meats. He just wasn’t sure how to turn it into a career. Upon returning to Topeka, he saw an advertisement in the paper for a kitchen manager at Boss Hawgs.
“I didn’t know anything about managing a commercial kitchen, but I took pictures of all my food and brought a photo album to the interview,” Tim said. “They liked what they saw and that I was a military veteran, so they hired me on the spot.” Running a commercial kitchen was unlike anything Tim had ever done, but it gave him both the experience he was missing and the confidence he needed to focus on opening his own barbecue restaurant.
“From there, I just started chasing it,” Tim said. “I wanted to learn how to have the freshest barbecue, straight off the smoker and onto the plate. I never went to culinary school. I learned everything from working with food in a lot of different places.”
He moved to Kansas City to help a friend establish Blind Box BBQ, then traveled to Colorado, where he worked in a variety of restaurants to learn the secrets behind great food and how to run a successful restaurant.
Tim eventually landed back in Kansas, working as executive chef at the University of Kansas. Then COVID hit, and no one was on campus to eat his food.
REALIZING A DREAM
Tim moved back to Topeka, where he met his wife Kristin. She introduced him to the owners of Happy Basset Barrel House.
“Eric and I became friends,” Tim said, referring to Eric Craver, one of Happy Basset Barrel House’s owners. “When he learned about my passion for smoking and barbecue, he asked if I wanted to collaborate on something out of the Happy Basset location. Of course, I said yes.”
They bought a smoker and opened Beyond Q in 2022, which soon became known for its brunch and beverage pairings. Tim also created sauces, rubs and marinades with infusions of bourbon, beer and tequila.
Tim knew they had something special when people started lining up outside the door.
Soon after, a friend suggested Tim and Kristin talk with Dave Kruger, the former owner of Bar ‘N Grill, who was interested in selling. After working through the details, Tim and Kristin officially took ownership of the 2121 SW Belle Ave. restaurant in January.
Kristin went all in on the endeavor with Tim, leaving her 12-year career at the hospital to run the front of the house while Tim focuses on the food. She greets customers, fills in as bartender when needed and manages the inventory and bookkeeping.
As for Tim, he’s either supervising the kitchen or tending to the smoker that burns almost continuously for the four days of the week when barbecue is on the menu — Thursday through Sunday.
The couple say they also receive support from a silent partner and a few friends.
“We wouldn’t be able to do this without Jon Funk, Karla Biber and the help of my best friend, Jaime Funk,” Tim said. “We have so many friends who have helped us get where we are who have never asked for anything other than to see us succeed.”
TAKING THINGS UP A NOTCH
While Tim and Kristin came into the restaurant with a lot of new ideas, they also recognized there was a reason the Bar ‘N Grill had so many loyal customers: people loved their local bar.
“We want people to walk in and see this is still the same place they love to hang out,” Kristin said. “Our vision is to keep the vibe the same, but just take everything up a notch with our unique take on barbecue. We want to create a fusion of traditional barbecue and foods from around the world to bring a truly unique dining experience to Topeka.”
That fusion includes menu items such as barbecue egg rolls, fried deviled eggs with brisket, burnt-end tacos, Asian-infused pork belly tacos and more.
In addition to exciting flavor combinations, Tim and Kristin take a “scratch kitchen” approach, making all the food, sauces, salad dressings, breading and sides from scratch every day.
“We want our food to have that homemade taste like your grandma used to make,” Tim said. “Brad Jennings, owner of Bradley’s Corner Café, taught me that if you make fresh food from scratch, it’s probably a lot harder and possibly more expensive, but people will remember how good it tastes and keep coming back just for that fresh taste.”
They also source local ingredients whenever possible, from produce and cheese to the meats they smoke. Even the wood they use for the smoker is locally grown white oak.
FROM “BARN” TO “FARM”
In addition to taking the menu items up a notch, Tim and Kristin also have plans for the restaurant’s physical space, especially the outdoor area they fondly refer to as the “farm.” They plan to expand the patio another 60 feet and add a stage and second bar.
“We bought an old silo from a local farmer that we’re going to turn into a really cool bar out on the patio,” Tim said. “We just want everyone to be able to come together and have a good time.”
On Mondays, people can grab a hot dog or a burger and a bag of chips for $8, then sit on the patio while listening to a live DJ. The couple hopes that by bringing in more live music and events, it will give people something a little different to do every now and then.
Later this year, they will host a barbecue contest to bring together locals who love to cook, smoke and have a great time.
Another new addition to the “farm” will be a rustic pine lean-to to house the smoker. Customers can watch Tim smoke meat and interact with him throughout the process.
Tim also plans to offer smoking classes where people can learn everything from building the fire and what kinds of rubs to use to how long to smoke the meat.
“Brisket is the most intimidating cut of meat to smoke,” Tim said. “I want to show people they don’t have to be afraid of a piece of meat, whether it’s brisket, ribs or even chicken.”
A REAL SMOKE SHOW
Tim enjoys smoking all types of meat, but says his favorite is brisket because its connective tissue makes it “the toughest piece of meat known to man.” He says he loves that when he adds the right level of heat and smoke, it breaks down into tender, juicy, flavorful meat that’s “better than any steak.”
“Every brisket is different with how it cooks, stalls and reacts in the smoker. That’s what makes this so fun,” Tim said.
While brisket may be Tim’s favorite meat to smoke, it certainly isn’t the only tasty meat coming off the smoker. Every week they go through 22 briskets, 30 Boston butts, 35 racks of ribs, 40 pounds of chicken, 80 pounds of wings and 30 pounds of turkey.
Tim said demand is so high, he’s building a smoker with four times the capacity of the one he’s running now. Even so, his goal is to run out of meat every time his smoker is going because the best barbecue comes straight off the smoker.
“I smoke as much as I can on the smoker, but it takes 20 hours. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. A good barbecue joint runs out because people love the meat,” Tim said.
He also makes several varieties of barbecue sauce from different regions, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas City and Texas. One of his favorites is called Midnight Coffee, which uses coffee grounds from local roaster Blue Jazz Coffee. He even makes his own pickles and jalapeños.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
After traveling the world and working in restaurants across the country, Tim returned to Topeka not only because it was closer to family, but also because he loves the city’s close-knit community.
“I’ve always loved Topeka because it’s a good-sized city with a small-town feel,” Tim said. “People know everyone. I know all the other restaurant and bar owners in this town and they always help each other out.”
Born and raised in Topeka, Kristin has never wanted to live anywhere else. She also never doubted that she and Tim could create something special here.
“Topeka needed good barbecue,” Kristin said. “Yes, we are close to Kansas City, but Tim’s barbecue gives people something a little different than what they’ll find there. He brings a bigger worldview to his process.”
That worldview means he incorporates flavors from all the traditional barbecue styles — Kansas City, Texas, Memphis and Carolina — as well as unexpected flavors from Hawaii and Asia.
As a disabled veteran, Tim has a special place in his heart for veteran’s services. He and Kristin hold several fundraising events for veterans and other local causes. They’re also sponsoring the city’s new hockey team, the Topeka Scarecrows.
“We held the live hockey draft here earlier this year, and this place was slamming,” Tim said. “We hope to keep that momentum going forward as the Bar ‘N Grill will hold the after parties from the games here. Players will be here eating, drinking and signing autographs.”
Tim and Kristin want to keep the traditions that made the Bar ‘N Grill an inviting spot for regulars while creating more of a destination experience for people of all ages.
“Dave created a great place that people love,” Tim said. “We want to honor what he created and add barbecue, live music and more events. I want people to come because they can watch the guy smoking the meat and then come back because it tastes better than anything they have had before. We burn a fire for 20 hours and cook the food over wood like it was done a thousand years ago. It may be simple, but it works. That’s all barbecue is — heat, smoke and meat.”
