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How do BBQ restaurants work? The two methods I can think of are: 1) you run out when you run out and that's it for the day 2) you keep stuff warm. I'd expect that to dry it out. I've heard some of the famous ones in the south use method #1.

Real BBQ is smoking stuff at low temperatures (not too far from 100C) for a long time - briskets can take 12+ hours or longer. So you can't just throw an extra one on when the customer orders, it's basically got to be ready.

I think if I ever had a serious amount of disposable money, I'd open a BBQ joint here in Italy.




The author covers this obliquely, in the essay at http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/08/writing-restaurant-menu.h... on incorporating checking into a primarily pork BBQ joint:

> The reason that chicken is a royal pain in my ass is the execution of the dish in a barbecue setting. Every other barbecue item has a relatively long shelf life—contrary to what some snobs tell you, it doesn't need to be eaten straight from the smoker. At Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas, Aaron Franklin takes his brisket out at 3 a.m. to rest while the rest of his menu items cook. The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. and sells out shortly thereafter, which means that brisket you waited on line for hours for has been sitting in a warming box for no fewer than eight hours.

> In a barbecue setting, everything is done and cooked long before you show up. Now chicken? Kept warm, it'll stay nice and juicy for maybe an hour. After that it's all downhill.

It sounds like both #1 and #2.


I'm from the south and method #1 is done by almost every non-chain BBQ restaurant. Method #2 is done by almost every chain BBQ restaurant.

Method #1 BY FAR produces the most fanfare.

Notable #1 is LA-Barbeque, and Franklin BBQ in Austin and the wait is typically 2-5 hours and all of the BBQ is sold out before lunch.


I can appreciate that. I used to live in a neighborhood with a decent takeout BBQ restaurant. I tend to eat late, so it wasn't unusual for me to order something at 9:30-10PM and find that they were all out of everything but one or two dishes (they closed at 10:30). Pretty sure at least once I went there and they were completely out of meat and were only selling side dishes.


I was really blown away to discover just how regional barbecue is - from a book by an economist of all things:

http://www.amazon.com/Economist-Gets-Lunch-Everyday-Foodies-...

Where I'm from in Oregon, there are a few places, but they're few and far between, and I doubt the quality measures up to areas where there is more knowledge and competition between establishments. Indeed, I have to admit to having had absolutely no clue about real barbecue growing up.

I think it's pretty cool that it's such a local thing, in an age when so much of life is so homogeneous in the US.


Just wanted to comment to say that the book you mentioned is great, as are most of the other things that economist, Tyler Cowen, has written. He and a colleague have a blog, http://marginalrevolution.com/, that many HN readers will probably enjoy.


I'll plug my friend's blog here. For years now he's been blogging about visits to BBQ places all over the Southeast, and he's hit a good number of them. A lot of these are the roadside, cinder block building kinda places.

http://marieletseat.com/barbecue/

My brother runs a BBQ place in Flagstaff, of all places, and he's done a lot of traveling to sample BBQ around the country. It really is amazing how much regional variation there is, and how proud each region is of their own style.


I've been traveling for a while, and it's pretty surprising how regional most freshly-prepared foods are. Pizza, bagels, barbecue, baguettes, pastries, breads, even produce — all vary drastically in quality depending on the region. Something about having a concentrated pool of talent and competition in one area, I suppose.


Barbecue's a real microcosm in the food world. I'm a pretty learned foodie, but I had no idea just how widely barbecue techniques were spread around the world until I started looking into it a few years ago.

I think the US can legitimately claim to be the barbecue kings of the world, but there are some really interesting barbecue traditions elsewhere, from Japan to Brazil. (I've since become somewhat addicted to Brasilian barbecue, which fits very nicely with a Paleo diet.)

I, meanwhile, come from the UK. We love our barbecue. We're also, natively - and weirdly for a food-loving nation - absolutely terrible at it.


http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/08/writing-restaurant-menu.h... says that the brisket at Franklin has been "sitting in a warming box for no fewer than eight hours."


I live in Mobile, AL. Meat Boss, the best barbecue place I've eaten by far, follows method number 1.

Additionally, they are only open for sandwiches from 11am until 2pm (or they run out) three days a week. Racks of ribs and pork butts can be ordered a day in advance and picked up Monday through Saturday.

Edit: A write up about the joint. http://dixiedining.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/bama-brisket-tha...


(3) Is you stage, so if you have inputs over (say) 3-4 hours then you have outputs over 3-4 hours.

Basically like bread. But if you run out, you run out.


Considering the low-and-slow technique of a lot of smoked / bbq meats, it's actually really hard to dry out most meats because few of them are lean (chicken breast is notorious for drying out, even with the low-and-slow approach).

You can keep things "warm" without keeping them under lights - a lower heat ( < 100F ) can keep beef and pork plenty moist.


> You can keep things "warm" without keeping them under lights - a lower heat ( < 100F ) can keep beef and pork plenty moist.

Unfortunately, maintaining meat at that temperature is going to be a non-starter pretty much anywhere in the USA for health code reasons. Here in NYC, meat has to be held at 140 degrees or above, or if reheated, has to be heated to above 165 degrees, and then held at 140.


Perhaps this is why the absolute best BBQ in the south can be found in roadside smokers, less bound to the prying eyes of food inspectors, etc.


All of the good ones in Austin follow #1.


I'm a fan of Blacks, moreso than Franklins. Which ones do you recommend?


Blacks is very good. I also like Opie's in Spicewood (right on the highway). Laird's is good in Llano.

Still haven't been able to get to Franklins - I can't justify taking most of a day off work to go stand in line.




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