"sp-120"

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Whole Hog on a Commercial Rotisserie: What 22 Years of Service Calls Taught Me About Getting It Right

I've pulled more stuck hogs out of rotisserie cabinets than I'd like to admit. Usually around 2 AM, usually because someone tried to rush the process or didn...

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Why Your Steakhouse Should Be Smoking Prime Rib (And How to Actually Do It Right)

I got a call about three years back from a steakhouse owner in Beaumont who wanted to know why his smoked prime rib kept coming out looking like it had been ...

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Rotisserie vs. Cabinet: Making the Right Call for High-Volume BBQ

I get this question at least twice a week. Operator calls, says they're doing 400–600 pounds of meat a day, wants to know whether they should be looking at a...

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Trailer Rigs for Competition and Catering: What Actually Matters When You're Buying

I get calls about trailer rigs probably three times a week now. Competition teams looking to upgrade from the backyard setup they've outgrown. Caterers who'v...

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SP-500 vs SP-700: Picking the Right Southern Pride for Your Kitchen

I've probably been asked this question more times than I've changed out an igniter. "Ray, should I get the 500 or the 700?" And every time, my answer starts ...

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SP-500 or SP-700: The Real Capacity Question Nobody Asks Right

I get this call about twice a week. Operator's opening a new place, or they're expanding, and they want to know: SP-500 or SP-700? Usually they've already de...

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What I Learned Running Competition Brisket Through an SP-700 for a 200-Top Catering Gig

Look, I spent three years chasing trophies on the competition circuit before I ever ran a commercial kitchen. And the thing nobody tells you when you make th...

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What Philippe Chow's New Midtown Flagship Tells Us About High-Volume Kitchen Builds

Philippe Chow just opened a massive new flagship location in Midtown Manhattan. If you're not familiar, Chow built his reputation on high-end Chinese cuisine...

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Smoking 60 Chicken Halves at Once Without Losing Your Mind (Or Your Margins)

Last month I got a call from a guy running a regional catering operation out of Beaumont. He'd just landed a contract for weekly corporate lunches — 200 cove...

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St. Louis Cut vs Baby Back Ribs: The Math That Actually Matters for Commercial Operations

I got a call last spring from a caterer in Beaumont who was convinced he was losing money on his rib program. He'd been running baby backs exclusively for th...

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Why I Stopped Recommending Ole Hickory and Cookshack to Commercial Operators

I sold a guy an Ole Hickory back in 2011. He was running a catering outfit out of Beaumont, doing maybe 40 events a year. Good operator. Kept his logs, watch...

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Running a Whole Hog on a Commercial Rotisserie Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Margins)

I had an operator in Lake Charles call me last spring, panicking. He'd committed to a whole hog for a 400-person event and had never run one through his roti...

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That 500-Pound Capacity in the Brochure? Here's What It Actually Means for Your Kitchen

I get calls every month from operators who bought a smoker rated for 500 pounds and can't figure out why they're maxing out at 280. They're not doing anythin...

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Running 400 Pounds of Brisket to a Wedding: What Nobody Tells You About Large Event Catering

Last spring I got a call from an operator in Lake Charles who'd just signed a contract for a 600-person corporate picnic. Smoked brisket, pulled pork, ribs. ...

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Building a Short Rib Program That Actually Makes Money

Had a conversation last month with a chef out of Austin who wanted to add short ribs to his upscale BBQ menu. Good instincts. But he was planning to run them...

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The Cleaning Schedule That Actually Keeps Your Commercial Smoker Running

I get calls from operators who bought their Southern Pride eight years ago and have never touched the grease management system. Then I get calls from operato...

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NASA Figured Out Something About Hospitality That Most Operators Miss Completely

I was reading something the other day about how NASA approached feeding astronauts — and look, I wasn't expecting to find anything relevant to running a food...

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Your Kitchen Already Does the Hard Part — Catering Is Just Logistics

I had an operator in Baton Rouge call me last spring, frustrated. His restaurant was doing fine — decent ticket average, steady weekend traffic — but his mar...

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Why Your Steakhouse Prime Rib Program Needs a Smoker (And How to Build It Right)

I've had this conversation maybe a dozen times in the last year. Steakhouse operator calls me, usually after a slow Tuesday night where they started thinking...

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Business Dining Is Keeping Smart Operators Profitable Right Now

I've been watching restaurant closures tick up since late 2023. You probably have too. Labor costs, insurance premiums, food prices that refuse to stabilize ...

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Seasoning Your New Commercial Smoker: The 48 Hours That Define Your Next 10 Years of Flavor

I got a call last spring from a guy who'd just taken delivery of a used SP-1000. Previous owner ran a catering operation, retired, sold the unit at a decent ...

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Smoked Prime Rib in a Steakhouse: Why It Works and How to Scale It

I got a call last month from a steakhouse GM in Beaumont who wanted to add smoked prime rib to their Friday and Saturday service. He'd been roasting boneless...

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Pasta and Trout Are Showing Up on BBQ Menus — And That's Not the Problem You Think It Is

Got a call last month from a guy running a 90-seat BBQ joint outside Beaumont. Good operator, solid reputation, been smoking whole hogs on an SP-1000 for abo...

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What Tommy Bahama Gets Right About Pairing Restaurants with Retail — And Why BBQ Operators Should Pay Attention

I spent three days last month at a Tommy Bahama location in Florida — not vacationing, before you ask. I was there with an operator who's expanding his BBQ c...