Southern Pride of Texas
BBQ Tips & Techniques
17 articles on smoker care, BBQ tips, industry news, and more.
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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, ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Chain Restaurants Had Another Rough Year — And BBQ Operators Should Pay Attention
The Technomic Top 500 shows chain struggles continue. Here's what independent BBQ operators can learn from their pain...
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What the 4/20 Fast Food Circus Tells Us About Commercial BBQ Operations
Fast food chains chase viral moments while serious operators build lasting revenue. Here's what actually works for hi...
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