I'm a Chef so I know how to cook. I own a restaurant but I'm working on opening a BBQ Restaurant. I'm going to keep it small with a small menu to start. I'm going to have counter service with quick food. The question I have is how do you hold/reheat ribs, butt, sausage and brisket for quick service in this style of restaurant. Any help would be fantastic.
A Question for BBQ Restaurant Owners
- Thread starter Colin B.
- Start date
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Much depends on your cooking equipment and how you plan to cook what when. It varies among Q joints and also depends on how much your public will be able to see and subsequently what you're comfortable with. E.g., in many places in Texas the customer orders from the guy at the counter that's responsible for meats; the customer can see the meats and watch the guy prep the plate. That guys slices and sets the meat(s) and passes the plate to his colleague who plates the sides and passes the plate to the customer. Everything is exposed, like a cafeteria line.
In nearly all these places the brisket slabs are piled under heat lamps. While some of the places stagger brisket cooking most do not--even those with multiple pits. The pitman smokes (at one time) enough to stock the line. In a few places excess briskets are held in a warm smoker, many do not do that, all go to the line. Sausage and ribs are under heat lamps in this type of place, pork is usually pulled and in a steamtable next to the meat man (he serves it) and before the steamtable sides. The cold sides are in a coldtable next to the steamer. Turkey breast, if it is offered, is often held in a hotel in the steam table whole and sliced to order (as all the meats except PP are), but I have also seen it plastic-wrapped and held under lamps.
Since butt takes the longest to smoke, many places smoke today for tomorrow. Some places smoke whatever ribs they think they'll need for the coming day in the morning to be ready for opening at lunch. When the ribs are gone, that's it for ribs for the day. Ditto for brisket. Some reheat though.
Some places steamtable their ribs (usually these are places with a kitchen/prep area that is not exposed). Some serve from the table (you can tell) and some stick them on a grill first. Quite a few places keep ribs cold and nuke them for serving (easy to tell that too). How a place is set up and how they hold and serve is not indicative of the quality of their product. I've had poor to excellent and everything in between from all manners of holding/serving.
A place I go to in south Georgia does bottom round instead of brisket. With round you have to rest it then slice it directly into jus. This can obviously be steamtabled. Theirs is quite good. They also (like some other places) grind their butt with an electric meat grinder. It's different than pulled but it works. Their pork is steamtabled (sauceless---the sauce gets ladled on for serving) next to their round in jus, their turnip greens, and their beans. The cold sides come out of a reach-in. They have a fryer for fries. It is a one woman kitchen essentially, except during busy times when they'll have one on the register that takes your order and your money and gets your drinks. The other plates the food. Everything goes into styro clamshells whether you're eating there or not. The one plating has a drive-up window at the end of her station for drive-thru orders. They nuke their ribs (haven't had their ribs). Their pit man smokes 3 days/week at that location and at their other location 7 miles away. They use a Southern Pride, btw.
Some places I've been steamtable everything--brisket slabs, rib slabs, PP, unsliced turkey, whatever. Personally I prefer the heatlamp approach for brisket, ribs is a toss-up (depends on the ribs) between lamps and grill finish though I've had great nuked ribs and some okay steamtabled (I like ribs served dry and I do not like fall-off-the-bone so that has bearing on my preference), sausage either way, turkey steamtabled (but sliced to order).
Lots of possibilites. I've had very underwhelming Q in famous places with great set-ups and plenty of people and equipment and I've had superb Q in the same sort of establishments. The same holds for one-person operations with limited holding/serving possibilites. I wish I could be more specific; more helpful.
In nearly all these places the brisket slabs are piled under heat lamps. While some of the places stagger brisket cooking most do not--even those with multiple pits. The pitman smokes (at one time) enough to stock the line. In a few places excess briskets are held in a warm smoker, many do not do that, all go to the line. Sausage and ribs are under heat lamps in this type of place, pork is usually pulled and in a steamtable next to the meat man (he serves it) and before the steamtable sides. The cold sides are in a coldtable next to the steamer. Turkey breast, if it is offered, is often held in a hotel in the steam table whole and sliced to order (as all the meats except PP are), but I have also seen it plastic-wrapped and held under lamps.
Since butt takes the longest to smoke, many places smoke today for tomorrow. Some places smoke whatever ribs they think they'll need for the coming day in the morning to be ready for opening at lunch. When the ribs are gone, that's it for ribs for the day. Ditto for brisket. Some reheat though.
Some places steamtable their ribs (usually these are places with a kitchen/prep area that is not exposed). Some serve from the table (you can tell) and some stick them on a grill first. Quite a few places keep ribs cold and nuke them for serving (easy to tell that too). How a place is set up and how they hold and serve is not indicative of the quality of their product. I've had poor to excellent and everything in between from all manners of holding/serving.
A place I go to in south Georgia does bottom round instead of brisket. With round you have to rest it then slice it directly into jus. This can obviously be steamtabled. Theirs is quite good. They also (like some other places) grind their butt with an electric meat grinder. It's different than pulled but it works. Their pork is steamtabled (sauceless---the sauce gets ladled on for serving) next to their round in jus, their turnip greens, and their beans. The cold sides come out of a reach-in. They have a fryer for fries. It is a one woman kitchen essentially, except during busy times when they'll have one on the register that takes your order and your money and gets your drinks. The other plates the food. Everything goes into styro clamshells whether you're eating there or not. The one plating has a drive-up window at the end of her station for drive-thru orders. They nuke their ribs (haven't had their ribs). Their pit man smokes 3 days/week at that location and at their other location 7 miles away. They use a Southern Pride, btw.
Some places I've been steamtable everything--brisket slabs, rib slabs, PP, unsliced turkey, whatever. Personally I prefer the heatlamp approach for brisket, ribs is a toss-up (depends on the ribs) between lamps and grill finish though I've had great nuked ribs and some okay steamtabled (I like ribs served dry and I do not like fall-off-the-bone so that has bearing on my preference), sausage either way, turkey steamtabled (but sliced to order).
Lots of possibilites. I've had very underwhelming Q in famous places with great set-ups and plenty of people and equipment and I've had superb Q in the same sort of establishments. The same holds for one-person operations with limited holding/serving possibilites. I wish I could be more specific; more helpful.
Rick Moore
TVWBB Super Fan
Are restaurants even allowed to cook anymore using charcoal fired equipment? I assume that health departments prefer the use of electric or gas cookers. But don't know that they require it.
Sorry, I know this is a little off topic for the questions asked, just thought of it while reading the post.
Sorry, I know this is a little off topic for the questions asked, just thought of it while reading the post.
Lennard Kong
TVWBB Member
Does this mean that briskets need to be put on late at night to be ready next day ?
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Rick--
Quite a few still use wood or a wood/coal mix. It depends on where you are. Several places do whole hogs over wood in an open pit (Here are a few examples in west Tenn; there are others in barbecue 'pockets' around the south). Local HD requirements require a 'cover' but don't really specify the type of cover or much else. The HD looks the other way. There are still places that use wood only in a closed pit set-up outside. Many, most probably, have gone to gas- or electric-fired pits as Colin points out.
Lennard--
In a restaurant situation it depends on your hours of service and whether or not you're doing it all or if you have a staff; how much equipment you have is important of course. Some places start briskets in the early a.m. to be ready for lunch and dinner, some stagger start times, some cook today for tomorrow.
Quite a few still use wood or a wood/coal mix. It depends on where you are. Several places do whole hogs over wood in an open pit (Here are a few examples in west Tenn; there are others in barbecue 'pockets' around the south). Local HD requirements require a 'cover' but don't really specify the type of cover or much else. The HD looks the other way. There are still places that use wood only in a closed pit set-up outside. Many, most probably, have gone to gas- or electric-fired pits as Colin points out.
Lennard--
In a restaurant situation it depends on your hours of service and whether or not you're doing it all or if you have a staff; how much equipment you have is important of course. Some places start briskets in the early a.m. to be ready for lunch and dinner, some stagger start times, some cook today for tomorrow.