WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN
Whenever I head to Ward One Smokehouse and Brewery – tucked just off Wellington County Rd 51, halfway between Guelph and Fergus – it’s most definitely for lunch. Not because I can only handle so much meat just before sundown, or because at noon there’s a better shot at snagging the best seat in the house (short end of the bar, back to the window). Not even because I can never seem to wait until dinner – although this definitely plays a role. Instead, it’s because I want the burnt ends: those glorious, smoky nuggets of brisket candy carved from the fatty point and kissed by the smoker until they’re sweet, sticky perfection.
And they sell out. Fast.
Just check the chalkboard at the back of the place and you’re likely to see the ghost of yesterday’s heartbreak: ’86’d burnt ends.’
Tragic. Which is why, at exactly 11:22am on a Thursday in mid-July, almost a full ten minutes before the place is supposed to open for another day of service, my TOQUE partner Cai and I are parked in the restaurant’s lot, buzzing with anticipation. By the time Ward One co-owner Jess Hurren swings open the front door and carries her trusty sandwich board out to the roadside denoting the day’s lineup (smoked brisket, ribs, pulled pork, chicken), Cai and I are practically at a trot.
We beeline inside the place, secure our spots at the bar, and wait with anticipation to place our regular order: a full barbecue platter to share. That’s five smoked meats – brisket, ribs, pulled pork, wings, and cheese-stuffed sausage – plus five sides. On this occasion we decide on the creamed corn, baked beans, slaw, mac ‘n cheese, and (my favourite) green salad with candied pecans and chèvre. All made in-house – either outside on the smoker by Jess’s husband (and restaurant co-owner) Ian Leis or in their spotless open kitchen – and all phenomenal. Oh, and an order of burnt ends. Because of course.
To drink? A pint of Bellwoods Jutsu for Cai, and – like I always do at this joint – a spicy gin Caesar for me. Because being here feels like a celebration. A bit of country in our busy city lives.
Inside, Ward One defies expectations. Where most barbecue joints lean on dark wood, flat screens, and maybe a little taxidermy, this place is bright, crisp, and effortlessly modern. Think farmhouse brewery rather than southern smokehouse: white walls, clean lines, soft light, and just enough warm wood to keep things cozy. And very intentional. ‘The interior is inspired by European breweries that Ian and I visited on our travels,’ Jess tells me as she sets to work on my Caesar. She continues: ‘So many of them felt bright and cheerful – we wanted a place that was similarly welcoming.’ Mission accomplished, then.
A live-edge ash bartop, sourced from a tree felled by the emerald ash borer and finished by Ian himself, makes a striking statement near the entrance. Behind it, a fractured quilt of parquet wood by local artist Larissa Sorek fills the wall where many taverns would hang a television. (Ward One does keep two screens ‘tucked away’ off the side of the bar for the sports faithful.) Further in, neat clusters of two-seaters and larger tables invite easy gathering. High ceilings with open ductwork and Edison bulbs hung on thin black cables give the space an airy charm. A wide pass-through opens onto the spotless kitchen, while at the back of the dining room a door leads to a rear patio. ‘One benefit of being in the country,’ Jess smiles, ‘is that our patio backs onto farmers’ fields.’ A lovely touch, indeed.
Up front, in a sort of alcove that patrons pass through on the way to the dining room, a front-of-house marketplace offers everything from frozen prepared brisket to local honey and maple syrup and other carefully curated grocery staples. Small treasures worth stopping in for.
Ward One wasn’t always projected to be a barbecue destination. Jess and Ian’s original plan was to open a brewery in Guelph’s historic Ward One neighbourhood (hence the name), but shifting zoning laws forced a rethink. Then, serendipitously, a commercial space opened just north of the city and, in the same week, a local smokehouse shuttered. Ian and Jess bought their workhorse Southern Pride smoker from the closed smokehouse and started perfecting their low-and-slow craft. What followed was a lot of testing and tasting – backyard brisket sessions, generous friends as tasters, and a steep learning curve that ended in something distinctly their own. The brewery they dreamt about remains part of the plan. But the restaurant is here now: a shining success.
Today Ward One serves a Texas-style barbecue program that draws fans from across the region – and beyond. ‘We have guests driving in from Guelph, Fergus, Elora, and even as far as Hamilton, London, and Toronto,’ Jess tells me. While I’m a sucker for the place’s burnt ends, there are several other dishes that have become fan favourites. ‘Our most popular mains are hands down the brisket and ribs,’ Ian tells me when he has a moment away from the smoker, ‘while the mac ‘n cheese and smoked beans have to be our most popular sides.’
As if on cue, our platter arrives. And it’s a sight to behold. Large slabs of brisket – moist and barky – share space with glistening cheese-stuffed sausage (crafted by Wellington Country Market using Ward One’s brisket trimmings), crisp smoked wings, a generous mound of pulled pork, and a half-rack of ribs slathered in Ward One’s signature barbecue sauce. Cups of sliced sweet pickles, lightly-pickled onions, and more barbecue sauce take up the last bits of room on the platter. Our sides – served in pretty painted ceramic bowls – are set next to the platter. And the burnt ends, served on their own smaller metal tray with a cup of sauce and a sprinkle of green onion, arrive with appropriate ceremony. The feast fills our stretch of the bar, and we’ll pack up what we can’t finish now. (The burnt ends are gone in mere seconds.) I couldn’t be happier.
For the next hour or so Cai and I focus entirely on the food – carefully portioning, quietly appreciating, savouring every smoky bite. Each mouthful delivers its own balance of richness and restraint. Every bite better than the last. The food is beyond reproach. What makes Ward One more than just a good barbecue joint, though, is the texture of care woven into the place. Jess runs the floor and the menu. Ian minds the smoker and the build-out. Jess’s sister Annie helped design the menu and in-house labels and regularly serves up front. Ian’s cousin – once a Schneider’s smoker operator and now an electrical apprentice – helped raise the walls. And the artist who created the delicate watercolours in the women’s restroom is Ian’s mother.
Ward One Smokehouse and Brewery is, quite literally, a family-built, community-rooted, smoke-fired labour of love. And when you’re sitting at the short end of the bar, back to the window, fingers sticky with sauce, you realise it’s not just a restaurant. It’s a destination you were meant to discover – and keep coming back to. For the burnt ends. And everything else.
A bit of country in our busy city lives.
WARD ONE SMOKEHOUSE 7636 Wellington County Rd 51, Guelph ON ward1smokehouse.com
