Meet Des Moines Market District's new barbecue restaurant and steakhouse opening Friday

Chris Groom spent years carving out his dream to open a restaurant while helping his soon-to-be brother-in-law bring his North Kansas City, Missouri, beer to Iowa.

The U.S. Navy veteran combined his love of barbecue and steaks to open RRACKSS Fine BBQ & Bistro, taking over the former Barrel House space in the Market District. Barrel House out of Davenport opened last year in August and closed after a 10-month run in June.

RRACKSS opens on Friday on East Court Avenue and East Fourth Street for lunch and dinner in the renovated former train depot.

Groom, who grew up in Lee’s Summit outside Kansas City, Missouri, spent his career in the railroad industry, crisscrossing the country for jobs from San Francisco to Baltimore. He moved to Truro south of Des Moines two years ago so his wife could commute to Kansas City for her job with Amtrak, where he met her, and he can tend to the restaurant and his job at the Federal Railroad Administration.

As a kid, his first job took him to Golden Corral, where he moved up to run the kitchen after the cook didn’t show up on a Friday night. He started working there when he was 14. “You’re gonna see a theme here with my career in the restaurant industry,” he said.

Same thing happened at Western Sizzlin, where he worked hand-in-hand with the head cook to run the kitchen. After that, he went on to Michael’s Steak & Seafood, where Groom said he learned sauces, fish, seafood and the finer points of cooking, like how to butterfly a steak. And all of this happened by the time he turned 17 and enlisted in the Navy.

“I enjoy cooking. I enjoy seeing the smiles that good food put on peoples’ faces, especially biting into something that they like,” Groom said.

The menu spans barbecue to steaks at RRACKSS

Those skills come into play at RRACKSS as well. Groom hopes diners will come in for everything. “We're trying to cover the whole spectrum from somebody who wants to monitor their budget and wants to go out to eat or someone who on special occasions wants to splurge a little bit,” Groom said.

On the barbecue side of the menu, diners can find pulled pork, burnt ends, brisket, and baby back ribs, all hickory smoked. Thick cuts of steaks include a filet, porterhouse, prime rib and more. Groom also plans to have sandwiches with pastrami, a French dip with prime rib, and burgers. One sandwich features layers of prime rib, brisket and a burger in one.

A seven-pound challenge gives a diner 45 minutes to finish a pound each of brisket, pulled pork, burnt ends, pastrami, prime rib, a porterhouse and a burger. The $175 meal is free if completed, and Groom plans to hand out T-shirts with the cheeky pig and bull logo to those who finish.

Groom promises giant baked potatoes stuffed with chili, as well as sides such as mac and cheese, beer-batter fries or onion rings, baked beans made from scratch, potato salad, and deviled eggs.

Garlic bread comes with the steaks, served on a wooden tray with insets for silverware and metal ramekins with sauce and butter; cornbread joins the barbecue.

“We’re just trying to shake things up,” said Groom, who uses a combination of his wife’s recipes and his own. He's even churning his own ice cream in the dining room for dessert.

What is Callsign Brewing?

Groom also owns a portion of Callsign Brewing in North Kansas City, Missouri, where his future brother-in-law Steve Sirois opened the brewery in 2017 to honor service members and veterans. Sirois served in the Air Force and names his beers after the callsigns of lost military aircraft.

Ten beers will be on tap at RRACKSS. Bomber Brown Ale and Freedom Lager are among the favorites, and the former shows up in the restaurant’s barbecue sauce. Groom already has plans to bottle it.

Groom also plans to 10% of gross sales on opening day to Shriners Children.

Where to find RRACKSS Fine BBQ & Bistro

Location: 401 E. Court Ave., Des Moines

Contact: rrackssfinebbq.com

Hours: Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RRACKSS Fine BBQ & Bistro offers steaks, barbecue in Market District