Why we sell out, and how to get there first
A brisket takes sixteen hours from fire to board, so the pit holds what it holds (sample).
The brisket went on at seven last night
Texas-style barbecue on Railyard Road. Post oak, salt and pepper, and a fire someone watched all night. We slice by the half pound at the counter from 11:00 until it is gone.
Meat, wood and pit temperature
18:00
21:00
00:00
03:00
06:00
09:00
11:00
Brisket
Post oak, 250°F. On 19:00, off 09:00
14 h
Pork shoulder
Post oak and hickory, 250°F. On 21:00, off 09:30
12.5 h
Pork ribs
Hickory, 275°F. On 04:00, off 10:00
6 h
Turkey breast
Pecan, 275°F. On 06:30, off 10:30
4 h
Sausage
Post oak, 225°F. On 08:00, off 10:30
2.5 h
On the smoke Resting in butcher paper Doors open at 11:00. Tonight’s pit (sample).
Wednesday to Friday
11:00 until sold out
Saturday and Sunday
10:30 until sold out
Monday and Tuesday
Closed, the pit is cleaned
Burnt ends
Saturdays, gone by 13:00
Hours (sample). We post on the top bar when the pit is empty for the day.
Smoked meats by the pound
Sliced to order and weighed on the scale in front of you. A quarter pound is the smallest cut; half a pound is a good lunch.
Meat
½ lb
1 lb
Brisket
Fatty or lean: ask the cutter
$15
$28
Pork shoulder
Pulled to order
$11
$20
Pork ribs
About four bones to the half pound
$12
$22
Turkey breast
Sliced thin
$11
$20
Sausage
Beef and pork with jalapeño and cheddar
$8
$15
Burnt ends
Saturdays only, usually gone by 13:00
$14
$26
Sides, small or large
Pinto beans
$4 / $7
Coleslaw
$4 / $7
Potato salad
$4 / $7
Mac and cheese
$5 / $9
Pickles, onions, white bread
Free
Something sweet
Banana pudding
$5
Peach cobbler
$6
Example prices. When a meat sells out, the cutter crosses it off the board.
How the counter works
One line, one cutter, one scale. On Saturdays the line starts before we open; it moves faster than it looks.
1
Join the line
It runs along the fence by the pit room. Read the board while you wait.
2
Order by weight
Tell the cutter which meats and how much. Half a pound a person is plenty for most.
3
Add sides and drinks
Sides come small or large; drinks are in the cooler at the end of the counter.
4
Pay at the register
Card or cash. Your tray comes on butcher paper.
5
Sauce, pickles and a seat
Help yourself at the sauce station, then find a place at the picnic tables.
Whole cuts to take home
Whole briskets, racks of ribs and pans of sides for parties and Sunday dinners. Order two days ahead: a brisket spends fourteen hours on the pit before it is yours.
Whole brisket
About 6 lb sliced, feeds 12 to 15
$165
Rack of pork ribs
About 12 bones
$34
Pulled pork shoulder
3 lb, feeds 10
$62
Large pan of a side
Serves 10
$26
Example prices.
Barbecue for a crowd
Birthdays, office lunches, weddings and team days, from 20 to 300 people. We deliver and set up, or you collect it hot from the pit room.
Pit plate
Two meats, two sides, bread and pickles
$19 a person
Full spread
Three meats, three sides and banana pudding
$26 a person
Carved at your event
A cutter and a whole brisket, from 50 guests
$34 a person
Example prices. Minimum 20 people.
Someone watches the fire all night
The pit crew works in two shifts. One cook lights the firebox at six in the evening; the next takes over at two in the morning. Every hour they add a split of oak, check the pit temperature and write it in the log (sample).
Pit notes
Thin blue smoke: what the night shift watches for
Thick white smoke means a smothered fire. Good barbecue smoke is almost invisible (sample).
The rest is part of the cook
Why the brisket comes off at nine and still is not ready until eleven (sample).
Find the pit room
Low Creek Smokehouse
9 Railyard Road, Springfield (sample)
- Covered picnic tables for 80, and the lawn when it is busy
- Free parking in the yard behind the pit room
- Step-free counter and two accessible tables
- Dogs welcome at the outside tables
