In a setting that evokes an era when steam locomotives belched coal smoke in Roswell while loading up bales of cotton and bellowing herds of cattle, Paul Thompson is working to fire up his monstrous smoker and bring back his pecan-roasted menu to Backdraft Barbecue on Third Street.

The entrepreneur has a vision of a dining and entertainment complex unlike any other in the city, featuring the Liberty Hall entertainment venue as well as the restaurant and a massive open-sided pavilion across the street, where the smoker will produce the barbecue according to his own recipes.

After retiring from working in the Roswell and Hobbs Fire Departments, Thompson said he originally envisioned playing golf every day.

"I went to that for four months and realized that, you know, I need to go back to w

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