Thanksgiving is the one week of the year when a from-scratch smokehouse is more useful than a supermarket, and Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q is well placed for it: every restaurant hickory-smokes its own meat on site and makes its own sides, so a holiday order is the same kitchen doing more of what it already does daily. The catch is that capacity is finite and there is no national ordering portal — you call, and you call early.
The smoked turkey
Smoked turkey is a standing part of this menu, not a seasonal novelty. The Smoked Turkey Plate ($15.03) and Smoked Turkey Sandwich ($12.07) run year round, and there is a Smoked Turkey Salad ($12.96) as well — meaning the kitchen smokes turkey every week and is not learning the technique in November.
For the holiday, whole and half smoked turkeys are the usual offer, arranged restaurant by restaurant rather than through a chain-wide checkout. Hickory is the wood here — the Southern standard — which gives a stronger, sweeter smoke than the post oak used in Central Texas. On turkey that reads as a proper barbecue flavor rather than a faint hint, so plan your gravy and dressing around it rather than against it.
When to order
- Two weeks out is comfortable. Early November is when the sensible people call.
- One week out is the realistic deadline. With only about 35 restaurants and every bird cooked on site, smoker capacity is the binding constraint, and locations close the book once they are full.
- The weekend before is a gamble. You may get a yes; you may get a polite no.
- Thanksgiving morning is not a plan. There is no walk-in turkey.
Call the restaurant directly. Large-format ordering at Jim 'N Nick's runs through the individual location the same way catering does, and the person who answers can tell you what their smoker is actually committed to. Ask three things: pickup windows on the Wednesday and Thursday, whether the turkey comes hot or cold, and what deposit is required.
Sides worth adding
This is where the scratch kitchen earns the order, because the sides here are noticeably better than the chain-restaurant norm:
- Sweet Potato Casserole ($3.99 as a side portion) — the most Thanksgiving-shaped thing on the menu and the obvious first add.
- Creamed Corn ($4.00) — the second-most-talked-about item at this chain after the biscuits, and it travels and reheats better than almost any other side.
- Mac and Cheese ($3.99) — the item that keeps the under-tens quiet.
- Cheese Biscuits ($2.00 an order) — order several. They are the chain's signature and they replace whatever rolls you were going to buy.
- Baked Beans ($4.00) and Green Beans ($3.50) for balance; the sides guide ranks the full lineup.
Ask about quart or family-size portions when you call. Side pricing above is the in-restaurant single portion; holiday quantities are quoted locally.
Holiday hours
Normal hours are 11:00am to 9:00pm Sunday through Thursday and 11:00am to 10:00pm on Friday and Saturday. Thanksgiving Day itself is typically either closed or open only for a morning pickup window for pre-ordered food, and the Wednesday before is one of the busiest pickup days of the year. Confirm both when you place the order, and see the hours guide for how holiday scheduling works across the chain.
Reheating a smoked turkey
The single most common way to ruin good barbecue is reheating it like a roast. Do this instead:
- Low and slow. 275°F to 300°F, never higher.
- Add moisture. A cup of stock in the pan, wrapped tightly in foil.
- Go by temperature, not time. Pull at 145°F internal — it is already cooked, you are warming it.
- Rest 15 minutes before carving, then slice against the grain.
Reheat the sides separately in a covered dish, and warm the biscuits uncovered for a few minutes so they crisp rather than steam. Prices for everything above are on the Jim 'N Nick's menu page.