# New BBQ in Brooklyn, NY - maybe you can help us?



## finndoo (Apr 21, 2010)

Hey Everyone - 

I am located in Brooklyn, NY and me and a couple of partners are just starting a new BBQ restaurant here. I have been looking through the blog and there are a lot of interesting articles and people, I hope to hear from you - we should be open around September, we are just starting out and we have been having an active discussion, and it goes like this:

"Should we use a professional, commercial grade smoker, such as an Ole Hickory or the like, or should we build our own, like they have in such great Texas BBQ's as Kreuz's and Smitty's?" 

What's upside and downside of each? Example, one argument is prof grade you can build fire, set thermometer and walk away - you can't do that with a home made BBQ - your help and your advice will be very welcome. Thank you all for helping us and hope to send out invites for the grand opening.

By the way - my name is Michael Youmans (German/Scottish/Chech background, just right for BBQ i'm told) Thanks again.

One last thing - we don't even have a name yet, if you would like to try that and succeed you receive a $250 gift certificate for food and drink to use at your leisure. (also, please don't think of this as an ad for the restaurant, if you don't want us to post an offer like this all you have to do is say and we'll retract, don't want to offend the moderators).


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## etcher1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Welcome 


to the *SMF* forum, You came to the right place. Good people and good info.


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## irishteabear (Apr 21, 2010)

Welcome to SMF, Michael.  Glad you joined us.


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## northern greenhorn (Apr 21, 2010)

welcome to smf, good luck w/ the business


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## caveman (Apr 22, 2010)

Welcome to SMF Michael.  Good luck with the business.  Enjoy your stay & we are glad to have you.  My take on your question: If you build it, they will come.  (Old movie line.  Couldn't resist.)  l think if this is a hobby turned to profit, build a custom smoker.  Otherwise you should very well go with a commericial smoker just to keep up with the masses if your expect your cuisine to bring them in by the droves.  Remember to serve only quality meals & be polite.  Always have fun no matter what.


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## ecto1 (Apr 22, 2010)

Welcome being in NY I don't know if you can build something like they have in the old meat markets here in Texas.  You would need some serious space and Health codes in the City might not allow it.  Alot of great BBQ is made on those old Hickory's as for a name how about Big City Smoke.


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## mballi3011 (Apr 22, 2010)

First off welcome to SMF Micheal and you will like it here for there are alot of good smokers and recipes here for your sharing. Now for your restuarant you don't have a name but I hope you can cook some good BBQ at least. Now we will help you with justabout anything you need but we would just ask you to be nice about using some of our hard work and wonderful things we have come up with over the years too... So go get to smoking and fix us up sme good ole BBQ.


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## ribsaretasty (Apr 22, 2010)

welcome aboard!!

what part of Brooklyn are you looking to open up in?


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## smokin relaxin steve (Apr 22, 2010)

Maybe start out w/ a custom build and as you grow (and i have faith you will grow) than maybe add on some commercial smoker(s)... Good Luck!

And as for Name ( i think simple is best and people usualy are big on where they are from) so - *The Brooklyn Smoke House*


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## m5allen (Apr 22, 2010)

Good luck with the business; not too many good BBQ places in NYC.  I lived in Manhattan for a little while and Virgils was really the only BBQ place I would eat at.  

As far as the smoker, I would say to stick with whatever is inexpensive and reliable at this point.  You guys are just starting out and I personally wouldn't throw the dime into building a custom smoker with the risk that the business could fail.  

Just produce some good BBQ, market your business and if you end up doing well, there is always time for reinvestment in the future.

For the names... maybe Brooklyn Blue Smoke or Brownstone BBQ?


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## diesel (Apr 22, 2010)

Welcome.  I am building a smoker but I have been cooking for a while and I know what I want.  If you have expirence w/ the different types of cookers and know what you want you can just buy one.  
If you build one you need access to tools and a place to do the work.  All the info for building a cooker is on this forum.  
for the name.. I had a neighbor that used to call us the back yard boys.  Maybe that would work for a catch name..  don't know.  but anyways.. good luck!


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## cowgirl (Apr 22, 2010)

Welcome to the forum Michael!


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## srivera1965 (Apr 22, 2010)

Man, how I wish there was a BBQ house in Bklyn when I was growing up! I'm afraid I don't have much input as far as which way to go - I would think you may end up doing a custom job with the city codes and all. But i sincerely wish you guys the very best of luck. Btw, whereabouts in Bklyn? Next time I'm in town (prolly next year) I'll be sure to stop by. As far as a name goes, hmm...is there a landmark close by like say Prospect park or the Brooklyn Bridge? Just thinking you could base your name off something like that. Keep us posted on how it goes!  :)


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## eman (Apr 22, 2010)

If you think you have a great product and you think you can make a go of it ,do a limited run each day. Then you don't have leftovers, ( lost profit).
 Open at 11a and close at 2 p for lunch. Cook a certain ammt . and when it's gone it's gone. 
 If you have a great product you will have the folks standing in line b4 the doors open.
 You can adjust the ammount cooked each day till you figure out how much you need to feed everyone that will come in in a set ammount of time.
  Dinner is a whole nuther animal, As you can never get a feeling on how many will show up on a partiular night.


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## meateater (Apr 22, 2010)

Welcome to the SMF. Glad to have you here. Lots of good folks, great recipes and knowledge. Looking forward to your first qview.


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## roller (Apr 22, 2010)

Welcome and good luck with your business..


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## bobberqer (Apr 22, 2010)

opening a BBQ restaurant in the confines of NYC is VERY different than opening a que place elsewhere...rules that apply here, do not apply elsewhere, and elsewhere's rules do not apply here.. landmine type of situation.. Good luck to ya


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## joed617 (Apr 23, 2010)

Michael, I haven't been on here for some time But I opened a bbq and blues joint back in 2007 ..  Good luck ..


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## brooklynq (Apr 23, 2010)

I'd love to talk to you about this. Drop me a note at [email protected]


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## finndoo (Apr 25, 2010)

We are opening in Park Slope area - Been living in Brooklyn for about 15 years and I love it...


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## insight (Apr 25, 2010)

Best of luck on the new business. I lived in Queens most of my life and one thing that was missing was ANY good BBQ. You better watch out for Mayor Bloomberg and his _scorched stomach_ regime. They have been on the ban smoking, salt, sugar, etc. bandwagon and I am sure they will love the idea of you attacking the ozone layer with thin blue smoke!!! Tread carefully because as you might know, NYC can be a tough place to do business.


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## finndoo (Apr 25, 2010)

Thanks to everyone for the smokey welcome.... Yeah, been eating one sort of bbq or another from around the world for most of my life - whole pig in Philippines, spare ribs in Thailand, beef and pork bbq in Korea, venison in California, etc. etc. and loving each and every time I get to do so.

Also, thanks to everyone for the input on whether to go natural or buy a professional grade - i actually think we are going to get a professional grade (or 2) to ensure quality and consistency, but at the same time we want a smaller one to do some "experimenting". This could be used to feed the bar and offer guests some free food in exchange for their reactions. And it allows us to open and close to increase the amazing smell of smoking food.

Yes, NY laws are tough - but not that bad, they allow smokers and open flame cooking here, you just have to have fire suppression and ventilation. Both of which cost money - :) (doesn't everything?)

So thanks and I hope to share some recipes, pics and even video VERY soon.

Oh - I think we have a name, please DO provide feedback if you want - the name, right now, is:

 cowpunk bbq


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## chef jeff tx (Apr 30, 2010)

*Howdy &  Welcome aboard the SMF!! Displaced NY'er here. 

Big Ups to Brooklyn!!
*


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## okiedawg (Apr 30, 2010)

Name: Pimping BBQ or  BBQ Pimps or Pimp Daddy's BBQ


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## richp692 (May 1, 2010)

Just watch out for the nimbys

 (04/29/10) GLEN COVE - Neighbors of a new barbecue restaurant in Glen  Cove say the smell coming from the adjoining smokehouse is too much to  stomach. 
Big Apple BBQ on Forest Avenue has been approved to smoke  its meat in-house and says its smokestack does not violate any  ordinances. 

The City of Glen Cove sent some recommendations to  the restaurant owners on how to modify the stack. The owners say they’re  willing to make changes, such as extending the stack and redirecting  the smoke, to resolve the problem. 

*Some nearby homeowners say that’s not good enough and want the  smokestack removed.

They also went after Smokin Al's in *Massapequa


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