The truck
A kitchen on wheels, a smoker in tow
A small step van with a window, and behind it a steel trailer smoker that burns split hardwood all night.
The truck is the easy part. The smoker is where the work is. It's a 500-gallon offset on a trailer, built from an old propane tank, with a firebox on one end and a chimney on the other.
We burn sugar maple and white oak, split and seasoned for a year. No gas, no pellets, no electric assist. Someone tends the fire every forty-five minutes through the night before a service, which is why the truck takes Mondays slow and why there is only so much brisket.
Everything is cooked the night before or the morning of, then held hot in an insulated cabinet on the truck and sliced or pulled when you order.
How long things cook
The night before a Friday
- Thu 19:00
Fire on
The firebox gets going while the briskets come up from the cooler, already rubbed.
- Thu 21:00
Brisket and pork go in
Around 110 °C, fat side toward the fire. About 14 hours for brisket and 12 for pork shoulder.
- Fri 6:00
Wrap and rest
Brisket is wrapped in butcher paper and rests in a warm cabinet for at least two hours.
- Fri 8:00
Chicken and burnt ends
Chicken thighs go on for two and a half hours. The brisket points are cubed, sauced and go back in.
- Fri 11:00
Window opens
Everything is sliced and pulled to order until the trays are empty.