BBQ and ice cream under one roof? Both made in-house? Count us in! Ft. Collins writer Ron Stern joins the IGTD team to tell us more about the amazing ice cream being made in a unique way in a family-owned and run BBQ place.
You could say that Chef Craig Henry is a man of passion. Beyond his family, of course, he loves barbeque and ice cream. Together with his wife Sabrina, he satisfied the former by opening JoJo’s BBQ and Sandwiches in the Campus West area of Fort Collins, in 2019. They quickly developed a loyal following for his slowly smoked Angus brisket, pulled pork and beer can chicken. Now Henry is cranking out (literally) his other object of desire; artisan ice creams.
Like me, Craig has loved ice cream since he was a teenager. Using an old hand-cranked unit, he created his own homemade flavors from scratch, and he has always had this in the back of his mind as he developed his culinary skills over the past 27 years.
Now he is introducing his own versions of small-batch artisan ice creams at JoJo’s. He starts by selecting quality ingredients and creates a custard base using locally sourced eggs and cream. He then integrates various flavor profiles using an electric rock salt mixer to make just the right consistency for his frozen treats.
Mint Chip is the first one that he churned and unlike many others that simply use extracts and colors, Craig doesn’t use anything artificial. He starts with dried chocolate mint and fresh spearmint leaves, combines them with his base made from cream, and eggs and then blends it with quality 72% chocolate chunks. The result is a creamy mint chip that has a fresh taste, smooth texture, without overpowering your palate. Some of his customers have said that this is the best mint chip they have ever had.
His staples include vanilla bean made with the most expensive and tastiest beans from Madagascar as well as Ghirardelli sourced dark chocolate. He will have monthly rotating flavors such as Pumpkin Caramel. This one really packs a wallop for your taste buds. What’s his secret? He uses real roasted pumpkin and homemade caramel for the main ingredients. See JoJo’s Mint Chip, Pumpkin Caramel, and Vanilla, pictured above.
Pairing these with some of Henry’s BBQ mouth-watering specialties is something I look forward to as one of life’s simple and sweet pleasures. Plans for the future feature an order window and possibly an old-fashioned soda fountain.
You can purchase the ice cream by the scoop ($3) or the pint ($5). These are quite reasonably priced compared to other super-premium ice creams available at the supermarket. You might want to hurry though, as word gets out, my instincts tell me he will sell out quickly!
Visit JoJo’s BBQ and Sandwiches website, here.
Ron Stern is a 20-year food/travel photojournalist whose work has been seen in papers such as the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun as well as many magazines such as Shape, Canadian Traveler, Cruise, AAA Motorist and others. He was the former City Guide Editor for the large food and wine website called The Daily Meal.
What else is In Good Taste? You know what goes well on artisan ice cream? Artisan sauces. Learn about another family run Colorado business, Table Mountain Farm.
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