Southern Pride of Texas
BBQ Tips & Techniques
12 articles on smoker care, BBQ tips, industry news, and more.
What Fast Food Menu Moves Mean for Commercial BBQ Operations
Ray breaks down what Wendy's, Chipotle, and IHOP's latest menu pushes reveal about where commercial foodservice is he...
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Stick Burners vs Gas-Assist: What Fire Management Actually Looks Like When You're Running a Commercial Kitchen
How fire management differs between offset stick burners and gas-assist rotisserie smokers in commercial operations, ...
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Running Overnight: What Actually Matters During a 12-Hour Unattended Cook
Practical guidance for commercial operators running rotisserie smokers through overnight cooks — from prep to recover...
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Brisket Yield Math: What Your Trim Strategy Is Actually Costing You
Commercial brisket trimming and injection techniques that affect your margins. Real yield calculations from restauran...
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What Restaurant Chain 4/20 Promotions Tell Us About Menu Engineering (And What They're Getting Wrong)
Chain restaurant 4/20 deals reveal margin mistakes smart operators avoid. Here's the math behind promotional pricing ...
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Oak, Hickory, Pecan, and Fruitwoods: What Actually Matters in Commercial Volume
A 30-year pitmaster's guide to wood selection for commercial BBQ operations—burn rates, sourcing, and what works at v...
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What the Technomic Top 500 Actually Tells Us About Surviving in Commercial Foodservice
Chain restaurant struggles reveal hard lessons for independent BBQ operators. Here's what the Top 500 data means for ...
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What Fast-Casual Chains Actually Get Right About Loyalty — And What Commercial BBQ Operators Can Steal
Breaking down the 5 factors driving fast-casual loyalty and how commercial pitmasters can apply the same principles t...
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What the Firebirds CFO Hire Tells Us About Where Casual Dining Is Actually Headed
Jeff Uttz's move to Firebirds signals a shift in how multi-unit restaurants think about scaling. Here's what operator...
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What Restaurant Consultants Actually Learn Behind the Line
How operational experience shapes equipment advice—and why consultants who've never run a P&L often miss what mat...
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What Taco Bell's Butter Chicken Taco Tells Us About Where Commercial Kitchens Are Headed
A fan vote for Indian-inspired fast food signals flavor trends that high-volume BBQ operations should understand - an...
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What the Butter Chicken Taco Tells Us About Where Restaurant Menus Are Headed
Taco Bell's fan-voted Indian fusion taco signals menu trends commercial operators need to watch-and what it means for...
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