Open a BBQ restaurant, they said. It will be fun, they said

[Phat Matt's BBQ]

Best of luck to you! It's not an easy road but if you smoke good cue, they will come. We've (husband and wife team) been in a brick and mortar (leased) for 4 1/2 years now and we sell out every day (took a while for Oaklander's to understand the concept). Just don't do more than you're comfortable with, it's imperative that you keep your passion alive without it, the food will suffer and so will your business. Good luck and we look forward to the updates!

[TX_Diver]

Read this from start to finish the other day(s).

Awesome account of your journey. Hopefully everything continues to smooth out for you and you have continuing success.

Also, great pickle recipe! Made a batch on Sunday and brought some to work yesterday. They were gone almost instantly.

Cheers!

[Flypig]

I'm on my third batch of your pickles. I lost a jar in the fridge for about a month and they were even hotter and still nice and crispy.

Seriously dude, what an incredible journey. Congratulations.

[lumpy76]

Congrats on your success! I'm not too far from you and will be making the trip soon. I read all of this but forgot to bookmark the page with the pickle recipe. Anyone know what page it is on?

[THoey1963]

Don't have the page saved, but have the recipe from the post:

Ok, just because the brethren are so damn awesome, here's my pickle recipe. This is my home sized recipe that makes two quart jars or so.

Ingredients
• 4-6 medium cucumbers, or 8-10 small pickling cucumbers
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 8-12 cloves of garlic
• 6 tablespoons of pickling/canning salt or non-iodized kosher salt
• A few sprigs of fresh dill, or substitute with 2 tablespoons of dill seed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 Hungarian hot wax peppers

Directions

Start by bringing the water to a simmer in a saucepan. While the water is heating, peel the garlic. For a subtle garlic flavor, use 8 cloves (4 in each jar). Use more for a stronger garlic flavor. Leave the cloves whole. Once the water is up to a simmer you can add the garlic and cook for about five minutes. While the garlic is cooking, prepare your cucumbers by slicing into quarters lengthwise for spears, or cut thin chips. After the garlic has cooked for five minutes, add the vinegar and salt and bring to a boil until the salt is dissolved and then remove from the heat.

In two one-quart canning jars (wide-mouth jars work best for this) add the fresh sprigs of dill and remove the garlic from the pan and distribute equally in both jars. Then divide the remaining spices between the two jars. If you want a touch of heat, add one Hungarian hot pepper, halved lengthwise, to each jar. Next, take the cucumbers and pack them tightly into each jar. Bring the brine back up to a boil and pour immediately into both jars, filling very close to the very top so that the cucumbers are completely covered.

Let cool to room temp and then refrigerate overnight. They are really good after sitting overnight, but amazing after another day or two.

[Lespauljeff]

It's on page 37 post # 545

[Spotu]

Had Lunch today...was looking for some kind of sampler platter to try a little bit of everything, but one wasn't available. The cashier recommended a Brisket platter with some pulled pork... My wife got the Rib Tips.

I was impressed with the quality of everything. My personal favorite was the Brisket, but I'll have to come back & try the chicken & burnt ends. The portions on the sides were generous & my wife loved your Mac & Cheese. She's the coleslaw fanatic in our family and thought it was very good with a nice tang.

I loved the cornbread! I was amazed at how sweet & moist it was...No butter of honey necessary (but available).

My only disappointment for the visit was the lack of a sampler...but I can definitely understand that it could grow your menu too much ....and which part of the chicken would you serve?

In town for a bit...so I'll definitely be back

[bbqmike_ny]

Originally Posted by Spotu

Had Lunch today...was looking for some kind of sampler platter to try a little bit of everything, but one wasn't available. The cashier recommended a Brisket platter with some pulled pork... My wife got the Rib Tips.

I was impressed with the quality of everything. My personal favorite was the Brisket, but I'll have to come back & try the chicken & burnt ends. The portions on the sides were generous & my wife loved your Mac & Cheese. She's the coleslaw fanatic in our family and thought it was very good with a nice tang.

I loved the cornbread! I was amazed at how sweet & moist it was...No butter of honey necessary (but available).

My only disappointment for the visit was the lack of a sampler...but I can definitely understand that it could grow your menu too much ....and which part of the chicken would you serve?

In town for a bit...so I'll definitely be back

Is a sample common at BBQ joints around you? I've never seen that offered out here, which is why its great to bring a pack of friends and make you're own!

[usecd]

How long will the pickles last in a fridge?

[bdconnell]

I trolled this post as non member for a while, love what you did and it is a great read. Thx for the pickle recipe

[Spotu]

Originally Posted by bbqmike_ny

Is a sample common at BBQ joints around you? I've never seen that offered out here, which is why its great to bring a pack of friends and make you're own!

Actually, I've had pretty good luck in my travels...

[Riz58]

Originally Posted by bbqmike_ny

Is a sample common at BBQ joints around you? I've never seen that offered out here, which is why its great to bring a pack of friends and make you're own!

In Texas and New Mexico they are common, usually called combo plates. Brisket, ribs, and sausage are common combos at the restaurants I visit. It is basically a half serving of each of the meats offered.

[peeps]

Originally Posted by Spotu

Actually, I've had pretty good luck in my travels...

Next time, just order by the pound and separate sides. It doesn't look like there are minimum weights, so just get a 1/4, 1/3, or 1/2 lb of all the various meats you want to try.

$19.62 for 1/3 lb of each pork, brisket, and sausage and 1 of each side.

[marubozo]

We actually have a sampler, but it's just a special we run on Thursdays. $15 for sausage, pork, and brisket. $1 upgrade if they want two rib tips as one of the meats.

I had a sampler when I first opened, but it created chaos because everybody wanted to sub meats, double up on something, ask a bunch of questions, etc. It lead to longer wait times and a lot of mixed up orders. But now that we've streamlined everything I'm sure we could do it now without a problem.

But like peeps said, we've just let people build their own samplers by ordering by the pound. A quarter or third pound of a few things, throw in a side or two, and you've got exactly what you want and pretty much a regular platter price.

[GrillsGoneWild]

Maybe you could advertise it that way on your board. "Build Your Own Sampler"