Smokin' Aces

In the dead of winter they stand huddled in line in the parking lot under a graphite colored sky, dressed in heavy coats and hats, their breaths rising in tiny pale white plumes of fog, tongues salivating like Pavlov's dog as the tantalizing aroma of smoked ribs hangs in the frigid air. Unbeknownst to them, Jimmy Lee is watching. Inside his head, a light bulb suddenly winks on.Mighty oaks from little acorns grow...In late January 2015, while doing some hunting on a friend's property in Selma, Alabama, Jimmy Lee saw a group of folks cooking ribs outside a nearby supermarket. Seeing a potential business opportunity, he realized it could work locally but it would require someone with the right knowledge of cooking to be successful. Fortunately Jimmy knew just the right person and called Steve Mason."They are famous at our church for cooking," says Todd Lee, Jimmy's son. "Anything that's done, Steve and Mary Margaret have always done it, so Daddy contacted Steve. Like we say, Steve likes to think outside the box."Steve and his wife Mary Margaret liked the idea. "Jimmy thought it would work here," Steve says. "We went down and took one look at the operation, and decided we would try it out here."A few weeks later Jimmy's idea became a reality. Using Steve's vast collection of recipes and a borrowed smoker, Son's Smokehouse officially opened."We kicked it off March 1st, cooking outside the store," Steve says. "The first weekend, we did $300-$400 worth of business, and we thought that was just wonderful. I think we cooked eight or ten butts the whole weekend. By the last weekend of the month, we were cooking Easter hams."Once word got out, adding a building was inevitable. "We couldn't continue to cook large amounts in front of the store, and so we saw there was a need for a little addition inside the store where we could prepare everything," Todd explains.Son's Smokehouse has been open almost a year, and the response has been impressive, particularly on holidays."Holidays and football seasons are just unbelievable," Steve says."It's busy," Mary Margaret says. "We don't sit down at all while we're here. We've kind of gotten a following of the same customers that come almost every weekend and they have their favorites. We started out selling whole Boston butts, ribs, and chicken halves, and now we have plate lunches, banana and pineapple pudding, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, and brisket.""Steve told me someone from Texas commented on our Facebook page and said our brisket is as good as theirs," Todd says."It just keeps growing and growing," Mary Margaret says. "On the 4th of July there was a line backed up to the front of the store. Around Thanksgiving and Christmas we added dressing, smoked turkeys and hams, and we did really great."They've also catered for various organizations, such as the Jasper Fire Department, and for school and wedding events. On Super Bowl weekend they prepared between 1000-1500 wings.The business currently operates with five employees who work together as a family: Mary Margaret, the Masons' daughter Katelyn, Austin Millwood, Joe Bell, and Todd's daughter Mallory. "If anybody wants something, we just do it, and we try to do it as a family," says Mary Margaret. "We try to treat people like we would want to be treated."There is one ingredient of the business that she emphasizes there can be no room for compromise. "We won't sacrifice quality," Mary Margaret says. "We have fresh products every day. Everything is made from scratch every night."Todd says that Steve has even been known to come check on the Boston butts at 2 am. "He'd say, 'Those are my babies out there,' " Todd says with a grin. 78Son's Smokehouse is open Fridays and Saturdays 11 am until the food is gone.Located at 400 9th Avenue in Jasper next to Son's Supermarket.Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/sonssmokehouse/