Woody's Smoke Shack ends a 10-year-run; new owner expected

Steve "Woody" Wasson is hanging up his apron. The owner of Woody’s Smoke Shack in Des Moines has closed the popular restaurant and is hoping to sell it soon.

“It’s been my baby for 10 years and I’ve really enjoyed it,” said Woody, who operated the business with his wife, Cheryl. “But owning a restaurant is a lot of work and takes a lot of time. It’s time to cut the cord.”

The barbecue restaurant has been closed for a couple of weeks in anticipation of a new owner. Wasson said he expects the deal to be completed any day.

He has been operating Woody’s Smoke Shack at 2511 Cottage Grove Ave. remotely for more than a year. He and Cheryl moved to Humble, Texas, in August of 2016 to be near their grandchildren.

“I had it sold then and the guy backed out. After that fell through, I just kept running it,” he said. “I’d go back every six to eight weeks. Things ran pretty well,” he said, attributing the success to a dedicated staff. Occasional visits and daily calls and texts helped keep him in the loop, although it was stressful to run a business 1,000 miles away, he said.

A heart attack and subsequent surgery prompted Wasson to search again for a buyer. He’s hoping this time the deal gets done.

The Wassons opened the compact Woody’s Smoke Shack in the south-of-Drake University neighborhood in 2008. It seated 23 inside and another 20 on a patio. A grassy area with picnic tables also accommodated families who came for ribs covered in sauce and homemade cornbread. At times, the line of customers waiting to order trailed out the door.

Steve Wasson’s interest in barbecue developed over years of participating in competitions. In those years, he worked in the construction industry by day and on the meat smoker on the weekend. He was named whole hog world champion in 2003 at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, the winnings of which allowed the couple to upgrade from a pop-up tent to a recreational vehicle as they traveled the competition circuit.

More: A Des Moines barbecue restaurant beat out 250 teams to win world championship

Woody’s expanded to include selling barbecue at special events and along the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa route each summer.

Wasson, 60, said for now he’s shut down his smoker. He’s driving a school bus in Texas and enjoying life in the warmer climate with his family. But don’t totally write him off as a barbecue purveyor.

“Never say never,” he said.