The menu
Menu & rub architecture
Four things come off the pit, and each one is built in layers: a salt base, a flavor body, a smoke finish, and time. Here is what is on the board and why it tastes the way it does.
Today off the pit
Menu changes with the pit. Please tell us about any allergies when you order.
Why a rub is architecture
A good rub works in layers. Salt goes first. It pulls moisture to the surface, dissolves, and carries flavor back into the meat. Sugar and paprika bring color and gentle sweetness. Pepper, garlic, and mustard give it body. Heat comes last, and just enough to notice.
We won’t publish our full recipe, but the structure below will get you most of the way home.
Rub layers at a glance
| Cut | Base | Body | Pit temp | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime brisket | Kosher salt, coarse black pepper | A little garlic, nothing sweet | 225°F | 203°F |
| Baby back ribs | Salt, paprika, brown sugar | Garlic, onion, celery seed, mustard, cayenne | 250°F | bend test |
| Pork shoulder | Salt, black pepper | Paprika, a touch of sugar | 250°F | 203°F |
Memphis dry-rub baby backs
“Dry” means the rub is the star. The ribs come off the pit with a crackly, mahogany crust, and the sauce sits on the side for anyone who wants it. We cook baby backs at 250°F for about five to six hours. The test is a bend: lift a rack from one end and the surface should crack, with the meat just starting to pull back from the bone. If the meat falls off the bone, it has gone too far.
14-hour prime brisket and the chemistry of bark
Bark is the dark, savory crust on a brisket. It is built by three things working together. The first is evaporation: the surface dries, which lets it get hot enough to brown. The second is the Maillard reaction, where proteins and sugars turn into hundreds of roasted, meaty flavor compounds. The third is smoke, whose phenols settle onto the damp surface and darken it. Pepper and salt are plenty. Anything that burns easily, like a lot of sugar, turns bitter over 14 hours.
We cook prime brisket low, around 225°F, wrap it in butcher paper when the bark is set (usually in the 160°F–165°F range, right after the stall), and take it to about 203°F or until a probe slides in with no resistance. Then it rests for at least an hour, wrapped. You can model your own cook with the smoker calculator on the homepage.
Vinegar-pepper Carolina pulled pork
This is the oldest style on the menu and the simplest. The shoulder is smoked over almond until it hits about 203°F, then pulled by hand. A sauce of cider vinegar, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and a little salt goes on while the pork is still warm, so it soaks in. Vinegar cuts through the richness and keeps each bite bright. There is no tomato and no sugar bomb.
Cast-iron skillet sides
Everything on the side is cooked in cast iron, because it holds heat and browns what it touches. The cornbread is baked in a hot skillet with a crisp edge. Beans simmer with trimmings from the pit. Collards get smoked pork and a splash of vinegar, and the mac and cheese is finished under the broiler. The slaw is vinegar-based, cold, and crunchy, there to wake up your palate between bites of rich meat.
Planning a party? The catering guide shows how we carve, hold, and serve all of this for groups of 15 to 200.