Smokey's BBQ, located on Hwy 72 in Madison, will be open for the Fourth of July.

The real point behind the Fourth of July, as everyone knows, is that it commemorates the colonies declaring their independence from Great Britain.

But nowadays, mention the Fourth of July and what comes to mind?

Barbecue.

Throwing a July 4 bash can be quite time-consuming. But Smokey’s BBQ is here to make Madison residents’ celebrations a little easier—and a little tastier.

Smokey’s BBQ owner Derrick Nottingham said a big advantage of having a restaurant handle the food is that otherwise more time will be spent cooking than enjoying time with family and friends.

“The big thing is, if you have someone else handle the food that’s the big advantage for you,” Nottingham said. “It takes you out of the mix of having to prepare and do everything. It’s already done.”

He said it also takes out the fear of the food not getting cooked enough or not having the flavors quite right.

“When it’s done professionally, we know how to make sure it’s done just right,” Nottingham said.

What’s more, Nottingham said if people plan to cook their own food, they’ll need to start cooking a day ahead of time because the meat will need to slow cook overnight.

Smokey’s BBQ offers a variety of options for what to serve. They have everything from ribs and half chickens to pulled pork, beef and chicken. A choice of white, mild or hot sauce comes with each order.

Nottingham said one pound of barbecue will serve about three or four people. Gallons of sides will make about 32 servings. And gallons of tea or other drinks will serve about 10 people.

At Smokey’s BBQ, there is an option of calling and placing orders in advance. While Nottingham said that all depends on personal preference, he did offer this advice for people who plan to get food from Smokey’s on July 4:

“If they’ve got a few minutes to wait, they can just walk in on the day of and order for 10 or 15 people,” Nottingham explained. “If they want to make sure they can pick it up right when they get here, then they’ll want to order it ahead.”

He said ribs are especially popular for the Fourth of July, so it might be good to call in orders for ribs in advance.

So what sets Smokey’s apart from other barbecue restaurants in town?

“We home-make our sauces,” said manager Kyle Latham. “We have a smoker right behind the building, and we pick everything fresh every morning.”

Smokey’s is located at 8071 Hwy 72 West in Madison. For more information or to place an order, call (256) 721-0300.