Henlopen Smoke brings Texas barbecue to Sussex

Henlopen Smoke owners Albert Lambert and Tony Savage are more than happy to get into the nitty-gritty details of Texas barbecue with someone. However, at the end of the day, they’ll also tell that person it’s all about patience.

“A watch, a shovel and wood,” said Lambert. “It’s the only way to do it.”

Henlopen Smoke, located in the parking lot of Paul’s Kitchen off Cedar Grove Road, is the Cape Region’s newest barbecue stand. Lambert and Savage opened Memorial Day weekend.

Savage said Henlopen Smoke is trying – and succeeding in its efforts – to put out a high-quality product.

“There’s been a lot of time and effort, a lot of attention, and I think it comes out in the product,” said Savage. “There are no shortcuts, especially in barbecue.”

Prior to opening, Lambert spent time in Texas studying the regional barbecue. He picked the brains of the local pitmasters and got feedback on their designs. He said he thought he and Savage could bring Texas barbecue to Sussex County, but he wanted to make sure he did it right.

Henlopen Smoke is a labor of love for Lambert and Savage, who both have full-time jobs during the week – Lambert works as a bartender and waiter at Michy’s Relaxed Dining in Rehoboth; Savage works at SecureNetMD in Lewes as director of system engineering. Lambert and Savage get to work between 3 and 4 a.m. on barbecue days because the meats need hours to prepare.

Only two years apart in age, Lambert and Savage are related, but Lambert is the uncle of Savage, whose mother is Lambert’s oldest sister.

“Yep, I’ve been his uncle since I was 2 years old,” said Lambert.

As impressive as their knowledge of Texas barbecue is the fact that Lambert and Savage built their custom-made smoker, which was constructed on a used trailer that had been customized for tailgating. They had the bones of what they needed, but they basically stripped it down, moved things around and started over.

“It’s not something that you can look up on the internet and buy one,” said Lambert.

The smoker looks like it was built by people who know what they’re doing, and that’s because they do. The two grew up working on hot rods and old cars together. Lambert went to trade school to be a welder.

To meet growing demand, Henlopen Smoke is expanding its operation. The two are in the process of building a new “twin-gun” smoker that will feature two 10-foot-long, stick-burning fireplaces. The new fireplaces will be about the size of the current smoker, said Lambert, adding that one of the smokers is three times larger than the smoker they’re using now.

“It’s going to be quite a bit larger,” said Lambert, who is definitely excited about firing it up after it’s built.

Lambert and Savage also recently bought a food truck. Similar to the trailer, the truck was purchased used – an old ice cream truck – and is in the process of being stripped down for customization.

The Henlopen Smoke boys have visions of opening a sit-down restaurant, fitted up with a smokehouse. The challenge will be figuring out how the smoking style works in an indoor setting, said Lambert.

Henlopen Smoke also does catering. Lambert said it's best to order as far in advance as possible for catering arrangements, because they like to purchase their meat fresh, so it’s never frozen.

Henlopen Smoke, 32882 Cedar Grove Road, had been open Saturday and Sunday all summer, but because of construction and the owners’ full-time jobs, it’s only open on Sundays right now. For more information, call 302-313-6280 or go to henlopensmoke.com.