Popular Saturday-Only Barbecue Joint Plates by the Pound Will Close May 27

"It's bittersweet, but it's one of the easiest hard decisions," says Aaron Gonerway, owner of Plates by the Pound, a Saturday-only barbecue joint that's drawn many fans since it debuted in September 2021 at 11601 East Montview Boulevard in Aurora. "But I'm all about timing, and it's time to get back to my family."

On April 5, Gonerway announced on Instagram that the restaurant's last day will be May 27, which leaves customers eight more Saturdays to get a taste of this popular ’cue. It opens at 11 a.m. and serves until it sells out.

Up next for Gonerway: a move back to Texas, where he plans to focus on running his family's farm in De Kalb with his wife, Sherrita, and their three children. "It's been in the works for a while," he explains of the decision.
Gonerway already has ten head of cattle at the farm, which his cousins watch when he's in Denver. "My goal is to be more self-sustainable," he notes. "The biggest thing for me is generational wealth, and land is money. I want to show my kids how to use the land."

Plus, Gonerway adds, the move will allow him to be closer to his extended family. But he'll continue nourishing his passion for barbecue, too, which was sparked when he was a kid growing up in Texas before moving to Colorado at a young age.

During the pandemic, Gonerway began selling plates of smoked ribs and other specialties from his home with the encouragement of Sherrita. As his home-based cooking business took off, he applied for Kingsford Charcoal's inaugural Preserve the Pit program, and was one of ten people to receive a $7,500 grant.

Gonerway used that money to launch his brick-and-mortar — serving lines of hungry barbecue fans on Saturdays while focusing on catering gigs during the week. "I never thought I'd go from home cook to business owner," he admits. "It wasn't always easy, but I stayed true to who I was. Barbecue here is a hard sell; there are so many preferences. But people actually enjoyed my food, which is the best feeling in the world." Lots of people, in fact.
"Every month, the cook got bigger and bigger," he continues.

In Texas, Gonerway plans to connect more with the barbecue community there, including the famed Franklin's in Austin, where a former Smok employee whose grandfather knew Gonerway's uncle is now the general manager. "I encourage people, if you get a chance, to go down [to Texas] and experience [the barbecue scene there] for yourself. It's just gonna make me better."

While Gonerway and Plates by the Pound will be moving out, another barbecue joint will be taking over its space. It will soon become the second location of Seasoned Swine BBQ, which owner Jacob Viers launched as a food truck in 2017 before debuting its first brick-and-mortar in Golden in 2021.

"The people in that community, that neighborhood, have been very welcoming," Gonerway says. "It's sad to leave, but Denver is in good hands when it comes to barbecue," he adds, naming Pit Fiend, Post Oak and Wayne's Smoke Shack in Superior among the spots people should check out.