First Look: Knockout BBQ on South Grand

The Baileys’ Restaurants empire is expanding once again, this time with Knockout BBQ, which opens tomorrow, Oct. 10, in the space it shares with Rooster at 3150 S. Grand Blvd.

Owners Dave and Kara Bailey, who own seven other local establishments, have plenty of experience in the world of barbecue.

“We’ve been doing barbecue through our catering and events, but I wanted to have an actual brick-and-mortar restaurant,” Dave Bailey said. “The concept has been in the works for about five years, but we have been working actively on this project about six months.”

Knockout will serve all the standard barbecue fare, from ribs and brisket to pulled pork sandwiches and barbecue nachos with sides like mac and cheese, pit beans and potato salad. 

“The meat is amazing – juicy and tender, and not at all dry,” Bailey said. “We spent a long time dialing all that in and perfecting it. We’re really happy with our rubs, which are made in-house, and each kind of meat has its own rub. The meat doesn’t even need sauce, but we also spent a long time honing down our house-made sauces to the six we’re serving. They’re complex but not overbearing.”

Plant-based eaters will find vegan options on the menu, including seitan skewers with Korean barbecue sauce and smoked jackfruit over a sweet potato and hominy succotash. Smoked jackfruit can also be substituted for any meat, and vegan and gluten-free buns are also available.

The jackfruit and sweet potato dish is found on the “Knockouts” section of the menu that rotates monthly. It currently features dishes like wasabi pea-encrusted salmon, smoked fried chicken and smoky red beans and rice.

For dessert, there’s jalepeno-blueberry cornbread, gooey butter cake and more, along with pie shakes, including one with spiced rum, rye whiskey, cinnamon ice cream, sweet potato, whipped cream and pie crust crumbles.

The drinks menu is composed of a handful of local beers on tap, along with a few wines and specialty cocktails, including three nonalcoholic ones.

The family-friendly vibe will be similar to that of Rooster, with table service and fairly short order times. The restaurant will offer carryout and plans to roll out catering and delivery via apps within the next several weeks.

Knockout will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (or until sold out) Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Lauren Healey is associate editor at Sauce Magazine.