Southern Pride of Texas
BBQ Tips & Techniques
31 articles on smoker care, BBQ tips, industry news, and more.
Altitude Will Humble You: What Mountain Operators Need to Know About Smoke and Thin Air
How elevation changes smoking temps, cook times, and moisture loss — practical adjustments from 30 years of working w...
Read Article →
Nine Drinks From the National Restaurant Show That Actually Made Me Stop Walking
Ray's picks from the NRA Show floor — beverages that paired well with smoked meats and ones that didn't live up to th...
Read Article →
What I Actually Saw at the Restaurant Show: Back-of-House Is Getting Smaller, Not Simpler
Ray's observations from the 2024 Restaurant Show floor on how operators are rethinking kitchen layouts, equipment fle...
Read Article →
Altitude Changes Everything: What Mountain Operators Actually Need to Know About Smoke and Time
High-altitude smoking demands real adjustments to time, temp, and technique. Here's the operational math from someone...
Read Article →
Running Overnight Cooks Without Losing Sleep (or Yield)
Practical protocols for managing 12-hour overnight cooks in commercial rotisserie smokers — from temp staging to reco...
Read Article →
Shake Shack's Bad Quarter Is a Warning for Every Operator Running Thin Margins
Beef costs and unpredictable weather crushed Shake Shack's earnings. Here's what commercial BBQ operators should lear...
Read Article →
Dry Heat vs. Moist Heat Smoking: Why Your Chamber Environment Matters More Than Your Rub
How chamber humidity affects yield, bark formation, and cook times across different cuts — and how to control it with...
Read Article →
Subway's $5 Value Menu Is a Canary in the Coal Mine for Commercial BBQ Operators
What Subway's 15-item value menu tells us about the restaurant industry's cost pressures — and why BBQ operators need...
Read Article →
Why Your Choice Between Low-and-Slow and Hot-and-Fast Is Really a Labor Cost Decision
Breaking down the real operational math behind cooking method selection for commercial BBQ—yield, labor, throughput, ...
Read Article →
McDonald's Is Opening Restaurants Like It's 1995 — And Commercial BBQ Operators Should Pay Attention
McDonald's aggressive 2025 expansion signals where food service is heading. Here's what serious BBQ operators can lea...
Read Article →
What McDonald's 900-Unit Expansion Means for Independent Operators Running Real Smokers
McDonald's massive 2025 growth signals chain restaurant strategy shifts. Here's what independent BBQ operators should...
Read Article →
What McDonald's Protein Push Actually Tells Us About Menu Engineering in 2026
McDonald's is marketing protein hard. Here's what commercial operators can learn from their menu math—and what it mea...
Read Article →