Grocery Store BBQ

[motoeric]

Hi!

Has anyone ever seen a grocery store selling true BBQ? There is a chain here on Long Island that actually has smokers in the stores and sells real low and slow BBQ.

How much of an anomaly is that? It's pretty freakin' unique here. Do you see that in other parts of the country?

Thanks,

Eric

[Jason TQ]

Haven't seen it, but is try it :-D

[Tricky]

I actually thought that wasn't that uncommon in the South (at least going back a decade or two). I visited Ole Miss for a football game a few years ago, and several posters on their fan message board gave me tips for where to get good local Q. A couple of them recommended a grocery store on some highway outside of town.

[Bamabuzzard]

It's pretty common down south. Especially small locally owned groceries.

[DaveAlvarado]

Yeah some grocery stores sell Q, but it's the trailers parked outside gas stations that have the good stuff. :)

[SmokinJohn]

IIRC, there's a small store in Northern California near Montara/Half Moon Bay that does.

But I haven't seen one down here in SoCal.

[IamMadMan]

Eric.

We have a small privately owned chain of stores that smokes every weekend. They use Old Hickory smokers and if the wood burns out it automatically switches to propane to finish the overnight cook unattended. Then they start racks of ribs in the morning...

[5string]

Years ago in NorCal, some of the Raley's markets smoked TriTips on site. Then last year while visiting the in-laws in Illinois the local Hi Low market smoked ribs, chicken, and even Chicken Bombs in a cooker out front.

[jlane]

We have a chain in Saint Louis that does it. Makes me want to BBQ every time I go there.

[saseekutz]

There's a chain by my house that smokes spring through The end of summer. They brought over a nice reverse flow a few days ago to go with the old hickory. The pulled pork they make is actually pretty good

[jgame]

Some Dierbergs grocery stores in Saint Louis area have smokers on their lots. Nice looking rigs, propane fired. Tended by store employees. Not bad BBQ but I do a better product at home.

[bbqbull]

Nothing like that in this area that I am aware of.
A small chain went out of business a few years ago. My former teammate and I would sell 80 or so racks on Saturdays in the summer. My teammate then moved to Los Vegas and is a teaching chef there now.
The customers said we turned out a very very good rack of ribs when we did it.

[meridian8]

What's the name of the grocery store on LI and Southern NJ? I would like to try them when in the area.

[tgstrang]

Some Dierbergs grocery stores in Saint Louis area have smokers on their lots. Nice looking rigs, propane fired. Tended by store employees. Not bad BBQ but I do a better product at home.

Yeah Id put my skills up against Uncle Bob's (thinks thats what the call it at Dierbergs) bbq anyday. Actually its not terrible but the prices the charge for it are rediculous. Think they use southern pride smokers or something similiar. Im a schnucks man myself, and go to Rallos a lot for my meat around here. I got some sub-par, super expensive prawns at Dierbergs about a month ago and havent been back.

[Pyle's BBQ]

We have an Iowa chain with stores in surrounding states that sells BBQ. I have seen the spare ribs, but never tried them. I think they are selling them for $15/rack.

[rookiedad]

Hi!

Has anyone ever seen a grocery store selling true BBQ? There is a chain here on Long Island that actually has smokers in the stores and sells real low and slow BBQ.

How much of an anomaly is that? It's pretty freakin' unique here. Do you see that in other parts of the country?

Thanks,

Eric

where is this place?

[loco_engr]

One horse town in KS, local store has some smoked offerings, nothing special 😟

[EverettBBQ]

In KC, try price chopper at 151 and Metcalf. South Overland Park. They have smoked meats plus a great selection of rubs and sauces.

[IamMadMan]

What's the name of the grocery store on LI and Southern NJ? I would like to try them when in the area.

Murphy's Markets in South Jersey in the Medford, Tabernacle, areas.

[motoeric]

Eric.

We have a small privately owned chain of stores that smokes every weekend. They use Old Hickory smokers and if the wood burns out it automatically switches to propane to finish the overnight cook unattended. Then they start racks of ribs in the morning...


Are you referring to Best Market?

Eric

[motoeric]

What's the name of the grocery store on LI and Southern NJ? I would like to try them when in the area.


The chain on Long Island is called Best Market. It used to be called Best Yet, but they recently went through rebranding.

Eric

[motoeric]

Thanks for all the replies everyone!


Eric

[flyingbassman5]

Yea, the local Dierbergh's chain store here by me has a big gas fired pit out front of the store. The Q isn't anything special though. It basically comes of the pit and then get slathered with the "secret blend" BBQ sauce the store puts on it. The sauce then masks any flavor that may have come from the pit.

A local meat market/cafe' here by me does something similar but their product is much much better. They basically have a gas assist stick burning ole hickory pit out back.

[landarc]

We have a lot that do Santa Maria-style, and some even use real oak wood, others use a mix of charcoal and oak. I have seen a few that sell BBQ from smokers and that had smokers in the store. Not as common out here as the Santa Maria/Parilla guys. Some of these guys do some great Mexican style grilling though.

[USMC]

We have a Piggly Wiggly down here that has a pit out back (sometimes put it out front to draw people in) that they cook meat that is served in meals at the deli on certain days.

[shirknwrk]

Several of the big stores around KC have propane smokers parked out front... not used on a daily basis. One indepedently owned store sells Q from a large restaurant some distance away.

[aquablue22]

I work at a Big Name "Southern" grocery store chain and they have a wood fired rotisserie smoker in the deli, the things is huge, they only use it to do rotisserie chickens now. At one time is was set up with trays and they did everything Q. Now the Deli maids run it and complain about the wood and the smell. One of the managers was there when it was a Q wagon and said they had a pit master and staff and produced really good Q, I offered to take over the job but their not interested in re-converting. Haters, I told them they where Haters!

[bignburlyman]

At our Dillons store (Kroger chain) they frequently set up a trailer smoker right next to the front door and sell racks of ribs right off the cooker. They even have a register outside. There seems to be a lot of activity but I have not bought any so don't know how good it is. It is a propane fired cooker.

[dwfisk]

Have a friend that has a small family grocery and butcher shop (he and his family also have a cattle ranch) and they added smoked meats to their lineup as a way to minimize waste. They are pretty picky about custom cutting to order or only having very fresh cuts in the display case (why I shop with them) so as soon as something has been in the display case past their tolerance, into the smoker. He also hapens to be a great cook. There is something pretty cool about getting anything from traditional ribs & chicken to a 10 oz smoked tenderloin for lunch or quick dinner!

[Single Malt Slacker]

That concept is pretty common down south. There are two gas station/grocery store/BBQ joints within 5 miles of my house (Clarksville, TN). I drive past one every day and there is always that sweet smoke smell in the air. They make consistently good Q and they are always busy.

[ModelMaker]

The Fareway chain here in Iowa use the smokers that use little hockey pucks to smoke pork chops for the meat case.
Never had the desire to try 'em.
Ed

[Haveuseen1?]

Very common in North Alabama. We have grocery stores that have smoker trailers that they park in front of their stores on the weekends. You can get butts and ribs. A good number of gas stations have locals that set up in the parking lots selling, butts, ribs, and chicken. There is even a really nice plant nursery here that cooks chicken 1/4's on Saturdays. The chicken is free and you even get free cokes in a glass bottle. Love that place!

[scm1226]

The chain on Long Island is called Best Market. It used to be called Best Yet, but they recently went through rebranding.

Eric

Which branch? I have not seen it at the branches by me.

[Fwismoker]

The closest we have around here is a port-a-pit in the grocery store parking lot.

[motoeric]

Which branch? I have not seen it at the branches by me.

West Babylon and Huntington for sure. I'm confident that other locations have it as well, but you should probably call and ask.


Eric

[motoeric]

Wow. I guess that the north east is the odd man out. I'm really shocked at how prevalent this seems in other parts of the country.

Thanks for letting me know.

Eric

[IamMadMan]

Are you referring to Best Market?

Eric

No Eric, we don't have a Best in our area. The stores here are a small private chain of called Murphy's Markets....

[midwest_kc]

The Hy-Vee's around here have electric smokers they use, for the most part. About a month ago the one by me started advertising their "In-house pitmaster" and apparently he smokes all their deli meet daily, as well as doing ribs, chicken, pulled pork, etc. There's a pit in front that appears to be a stick burner, but I haven't really looked, because I didn't think anything about it. Yesterday I was in there and they were running a Carolina Style Pork sandwich with beans for $5.00. Beans weren't much (I think they were just plain Zarda beans that had been cooked probably in the oven), but the pork was better than in a lot of resturaunts.

I did think it was funny they kept asking me if I wanted things that should just come on a Carolina Style sandwich - "Do you want the slaw on the sandwich?" Do you want the Carolina sauce, too?" - It wouldn't be a carolina style sandwich without it, would it?

[rookiedad]

east patchogue has confirmed this!!! :whoo:

[KC Transplant]

They're all over in KC. A lot of the gas stations have people that smoke and sell their food there. The best ribs I've ever had were at a little gas station in LaCygne KS. They only sold them on Thursday and Saturday and you better get there early because they only do one load in the smoker and when they're gone you're outta luck.

[Baines11]

Nothing like that around Mi that I have seen.