How does a retired commercial airline pilot create a legacy for himself? Open a barbecue restaurant – how else. But things start before that.

Before there was Captain John’s Barbecue in Collierville there was Coleman’s – same location. “They were starting to really grow and expand,” says now owner of the legacy, Shane Johnson. “It was 1972 when the building was built by Coleman’s, but within a few years, Captain John Boyd bought the location and started his own place. He had just recently left the airlines, but no one really knows the motivation other than he must have liked barbecue.

Shane’s parents were managers for Coleman’s, so they had the inside knowledge of both the business and the techniques of smoking pork. His dad was the general manager of all Coleman locations and his mother in charge of opening new stores and training employees. But Shane, only 4 years old at the time, was just a tag along, picking-up trash to be helpful and gradually picking-up the tricks of the trade himself.

At 41, Shane Johnson, is now the enthusiastic torch-bearer of the oldest restaurant in Collierville. Born and raised there with “barbecue as my baby food”, Shane has an entire lifetime of involvement in a business that is a central landmark to a tight community. His only significant times away have been the brief years before Captain John’s when his parents had purchased 4 Coleman’s in Arkansas and then 6 years serving in the U.S. Navy (1st Round Desert Storm). When he returned to study at the University of Memphis (psychology and journalism) he found an interest in helping other Navy men with their problems in recovery by working as a peer counselor.

But the family business was never far from his nose. What had been baby food over the years became daily diet, as most of the meals around the house reflected the menu at the restaurant – barbecue. After over 33 years of owning and running the business with her husband, Shane’s mom sold him Captain John’s declaring, “my feet are tired”.

“It’s long hours and an early morning rise to get things ready,” says Sandra, one of Shane’s loyal staff. “We have eleven employees here, she says, 9 of who have been with the restaurant for 10 years and more.”

Thanks to that sort of dedication Captain John’s is able to offer breakfast as a perk to customers while the early stages of rib and shoulder smoking is started.

“We smoke our meat in the traditional brick pit with hot coals below and tiers of racks above. The shoulders cook about 9-10 hours, going through a three-stage rotation. First, the fat side is cooked face-down, then up, and then back down to let the grease melt away from the meat.” Shane is also proud that all of his main sides, sauces and rubs are home made. “We make our own beans. They sit for 10 days to age before being served. Our slaw, mustard, and tartar sauce are also made fresh - right here.”

Asked about the construction of the sandwich, he said, “We put the meat down first, but do not pack it tight. It’s important to keep it loose so the sauce can seep down into it, not run off. Then we put the slaw on – on the top.”

Bill, a proclaimed regular who was working on a slab of ribs said, “Their ribs can be gotten dry, but you need to let them know in advance because part of their standard prep is to baste them with their own sauce after they cook and let them steep in the heating oven up until serving. I like mine dry, so I make the call ahead.”

“We may lose a slab or even two occasionally do to cooking more than we sell that day,” says Shane, “but we never hold them over to the next day.” They both agreed, Bar-B-Q is NOT something that can be re-heated.

Driving by Captain John’s at a quick glance is not the way to do it. A windshield view will not reveal the hours of slow cooking, the years of family tradition, or the feel of a great Q (jumbo or regular) between your mitts as it heads to your flavor center. Pull that car over and snag a Q! Guaranteed, you’ll be glad you did.

One final secret – they mix the meat in the chopping process. Dark meets light – crispy meets moist – taste meets tummy.