Our Story

Where the Name Comes From

A Brand Three Generations Deep

The Rafter J brand was first burned into cattle hide by Jack Stevens, a rancher and artist who left his mark on this part of Texas in more ways than one. After his ranching days he turned to sculpture — and not the small kind. His most celebrated works are life-size bronze horses and Native American figures commissioned for the city and the local college, still standing today. The name Rafter J carries all of that with it.

Jim Stevens

Jim built homes and fought fires. Then came a chapter that took him far from Texas — insurance adjusting, following the storms. He was on the ground in New Orleans after Katrina, then down the coast for the next hurricane to hit Florida. When the work moved north he moved with it — Minnesota winters, Boston blizzards. For years he went wherever the damage was, assessed it, and moved on.

When that chapter closed, he came home to Texas. Jeremiah had a vision and Jim had the means to back it. He financed the trailer, believed in the food, and helped his son build something that would last.

Jeremiah Stevens

Jeremiah is a firefighter by trade and a cook by calling. He first opened Rafter J in the early 2000s when he was in his early twenties — too early, as it turned out, but the recipes were already there. When Jim came back around after his storm-chasing days wound down, the two of them bought a mobile kitchen trailer together and relaunched. The trailer did well enough that they built a permanent home for it. That building has been Rafter J BBQ for going on fifteen years now.

Every recipe on the menu came from Jeremiah. Every cut that goes out the window is his standard. He tends the smoker the same way Jack tended his land — with patience, precision, and a lot of early mornings.