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Listening to Matt Davis talk about barbecue is a little like going to church. There’s passion—so much passion that he quit his day job in woodworking to bring barbecue to the people. There’s history—the recipes taste of his Kansas hometown. And there’s community—the locals who have made his new restaurant a gathering place.

Davis launched the mobile Wood Shop BBQ with partner James Barrington (who also owns food trucks Hallava Falafel and Bread and Circuses) in 2014. They added a brick-and-mortar Central District location in January.

Hits include the brisket cooked slowly over a combination of Ozark hickory and central Texas post oak in the smoker they’ve nicknamed “Brad Pit”; fall-off-the-bone pork ribs; and smoked jalapeno mac ’n’ cheese piled with pulled pork, pickled onions and their signature barbecue sauce. And because every self-respecting barbecue spot leans heavily on the brown liquor, there’s an impressive assortment of whiskies. Let the sermon begin.

Central District, 2513 S Jackson St.; 206.557.8090; thewoodshopbbq.com