A taste of the Midwest.Rusty Findlay and his barbecue ribs have made a new home at the Red River BBQ in the Dayton section of South Brunswick.
“We’re excited about bringing the truly the best BBQ in the world to New Jersey,” Findlay said.
This is Findlay’s first barbecue restaurant in New Jersey.
“We’re here to give them a new choice,” he said.
Kentucky born and raised, Findlay, a former minister turned chef, has won acclaim for his ribs and sauces throughout North America.
Findlay’s first restaurant, “Rusty’s Ribs,” opened in 1989 in Chicago. Every day, Findlay said, people ask him to open restaurants in their towns. Findlay now has over 20 restaurants in states such as Florida and Chicago, with paths lined with trophies.
Just a few of Findlay’s 50 barbecue titles include first place at the Budweiser World Rib Championship, the North American Rib Championship, and the World Rib Championship in London, Ontario.
He said his sauces and products are used at Applebee’s, Chili’s and Safeway, and Rusty himself has been featured on “Good Morning America,” QVC, “The Today Show,” as well as numerous food magazines.
Barbecue, however, was not Findlay’s first passion, and the way in which Findlay began cooking is as inspiring as his barbecue.
After graduating from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Findlay became minister of the Celebration Fellowship Church in Illinois.
It was while he was a minister that Findlay said he had the opportunity to visit China, where many Christian Bibles are outlawed. Findlay said he began to smuggle the Bibles into China but found the cost burden too great.
So Findlay returned to Chicago and opened his first restaurant, with help from an elder in his church, to raise money for his Bible mission. According to Findlay, he smuggled as many as 100,000 translated Bibles into China.
But the popularity of Findlay’s barbecue grew enough that Findlay remained in the food business.
“One became two, became four and before you knew it, 11,” Findlay said.
“I still serve the Lord in everything I do,” Findlay said.
Now, according to Findlay, he serves the Lord through the restaurant business.
Findlay said he is passionate about barbecue, and cooking is taken seriously at his restaurants. According to Findlay, most great cooks think cooking is a science. For those that barbecue, Findlay said, cooking is a religion. Findlay said he sleep, eats and drinks everything barbecue.
Everything is homemade, Findlay said, from dressings, to the potatoes, to the sauces. According to Findlay, all meats are slow-smoked over natural hardwood. His signature barbecue sauce starts with an apple butter base, which gives it its sweet taste. The barbecue wings, according to Findlay, melt in your mouth.
“Everything we do, we do as well as can be done,” Findlay said.
The Red River BBQ opened its doors to the public for business on Sunday.
“Business has been phenomenal,” Findlay said. “God has taken care of everything.”
Findlay said the restaurant has a staff of about 12 people, including five owners who are active in helping maintain the restaurant.
The restaurant took nearly a year to complete, Findlay said, and had help from his son with construction and completion of the new location at 365 Georges Road.
Findlay said the restaurant has remained busy through its first days of business and things are running smoothly.
Generally, according to Findlay, customers new to barbecue usually request ribs as a beginner course.
“Everyone starts with ribs,” Findlay said. “It’s close to their hearts.”