J&R Celebrates 50 Years of Promoting Texas BBQ Around the World
For Immediate Release
On April 20, 2024 J&R Manufacturing will be bringing together great barbecue, award-winning chefs and pitmasters, acclaimed Texas bourbon, and much more to celebrate its first 50 years, at its headquarters at 820 W. Kearney in Mesquite, TX. An auction and raffle will support the Dallas-Fort Worth charity Chef to the Shelters (CttS), which serves great meals every month to those on the road to sobriety. Everyone is invited to celebrate!
The rich, community aspect of barbecue in Texas is deep and J&R has done much to build this tradition in Texas and in all 50 states as well as 50+ countries around the world. It all started with the launch of their famed Oyler Pit in 1974, which brought the rich flavors and efficiency of overnight, unattended rotisserie cooking to this grand American tradition. The rest is history.
Below are highlights of this special day. Check back, more to come!
- Ryan Higgins, president & 3rd-gen J&R – his grandfather was a co-founder – will serve as host.
- Meet all of our consultants in person too. They’ve all been in the trenches for decades.
- Famed Texas-based chefs RJ Yoakum , Peja Krstic, and Randy White will be there, in person, to mingle and will be on hand for Q&As in our J&R Test Kitchen. Other guests too.
- Still Austin will be supplying their award-winning Texas-made bourbon and cocktails.
- Chef to the Shelters will be catering the event, and will be the beneficiary of the charitable proceeds!
- Butler Wood will be fueling the day’s food with their premium live hardwood fuel.
- Silent Auction for a J&R Offset valued at over $20K. Bidding starts around $5K. Grills to be auctioned too. 50% of proceeds go to CttS!
- A charitable raffle featuring a massive YETI cooler, J&R swag, signed autographs from baseball greats, Still Austin Bourbon, and much more. Some proceeds go to CttS!
- Big Al’s and Prasek’s will be celebrating 50 years alongside us too!
- Robert Jacob Lerma will be there to engage in all things BBQ and bourbon.
- See J&R wood-fired smokers, grills & rotisseries in action. They’ll be creating barbecue for all.
- Guided tours of the manufacturing facility will happen almost every hour. Yes, all J&R equipment is built on the premises.
- Games like cornhole, football toss, giant tic-tac-toe, and more. We’ll have a bouncy house too.
- Parking, food, spirits, and soft drinks – including lemonade and iced teas – are all complimentary.
- See ALL the great restaurants and sponsors who will be sharing their passion with everyone below!
Don’t miss this once-in-a-generation celebration of the great tradition of Texas barbecue, which is loved all around the world! RSVP at info@jrmanufacturing.com
To interview J&R President Ryan Higgins (pictured above), please email Louis Anastas at:
louis@the-blue-agency.com
About J&R
J&R Manufacturing was launched in 1974 with their famed wood-fired Oyler Pit rotisserie smoker – named after the late Herbert Oyler – J&R smokers changed the industry forever. It was also the first model to be UL approved and NSF certified. Built with heavy duty stainless steel, top tier components, and hand-crafted workmanship in Mesquite, all their ever-evolving equipment is built to last for decades. J&R also designs and manufactures world-renowned commercial grills and rotisseries, including custom-combo models used by James Beard Award-winning chefs all around the world.
