The Smoke Shop BBQ fare ranges from ribs and wings to Texas-style brisket and “whiskey dinners”! Courtesy photos

Generally speaking, smoke usually sends folks scurrying in the opposite direction.

But come late October or November, smoke rising from 145 Pelham St., is likely to attract the curious and hungry. Here’s why:

Out with the Outback; in with The Smoke Shop BBQ – the city’s only family-barbecue eatery with equal parts good food and a bountiful whiskey roster.

Merrimack Valley resident Andy Husbands wears the owner’s and chef’s hats in Methuen just as he does in Boston where he operates four other Smoke Shop BBQs offering up competition-crushing ribs, Texas-style brisket, wings, baked beans, corn bread, a handful of sandwiches, baskets and bowls of BBQ fare.

“You’ve got to try our wings,“ says Andy, the co-author of six cookbooks. “They’re slow-cooked four hours with hickory and cherry. They’re crispy and sweet. Everyone loves them. And our ribs are killer.”

Chef Andy Husbands was drawn to the former Outback site’s solid construction, ample parking and direct access to Interstate 93.

And for the post-BBQ feast, there’s this: “We have a St. Louis ooey gooey butter cake – a rich pound cake with a rich baked-on cream cheese frosting,” notes Andy of their most popular dessert.

On the spirits side, Andy says the restaurant will carry a decent mix of craft and traditional beers, but it’s their whiskey selection that impresses the most.

“We have America’s largest whiskey list, averaging 350 to 450 labels. We’ll have whiskey dinners where we bring in an expert and you can have a meal and whiskey samples. We’re a really good family restaurant that just happens to have a bar that has a ton of whiskies,” says Andy.

Kids meals are $10; the price drops to $5 if you stay under 6 years old.

So, with four locations in Boston, why Methuen?

“I have a friend in Methuen and I feel at home there. One can do demographics studies … or we can sit and watch who’s in the town and will they eat BBQ. I just felt (145-147 Pelham St.) was cool. It’s a stand-alone building right off I-93 with a parking lot which is awesome.”

Andy cited the layout and solid construction of the former Outback building as another incentive to fire up the barbie here in Methuen.

The Smoke Shop BBQ is set to beef up the former Outback Steakhouse on Pelham Street. A late-October, early November opening is anticipated. ML photo/Melissa Fili

When the new Smoke Shop BBQ opens 7-days-a-week in late October or November, it will offer pickup and delivery as well as the usual table service. Andy expects to hire between 20 and 30 part- and full-time employees at all positions.