IN 1994, Jill Torres’s grandfather Danny Fowler was in the middle of a high-stakes billiards game. His opponent retrieved a wooden crate from his car and wagered its contents. Fowler won the pot, and when he popped the crate, he stared straight into the eyes of the mythical horned rabbit. “The jackalope is like the desert version of Bigfoot,” says Torres, co-owner of Red Chimney Pit BBQ, which her grandfather founded in 1954. Today, the jackalope, dubbed Bret, is displayed on the walls of the Carlsbad restaurant, where the weird taxidermy watches over dishes of smoked meats, hand-ground burgers, and pecan pie baked with nuts from a local orchard.
Meet the Jackalope at Red Chimney Pit BBQ
The barbecue comes with a tall tale at Carlsbad's Red Chimney Pit BBQ, where a billiards prize named Bret watches over diners.
A jackalope named Bret has a home at Carlsbad's Red Chimney Pit BBQ. Photograph courtesy of Shutterstock.