Pit-smoked. Precisely crafted.
We apply the rigor of a research kitchen to the ancient art of open-flame barbecue. Every cut, rub, and smoke time is measured — so every bite is unmistakable.
The Method
We work directly with two ranches — one in Texas Hill Country, one in the Ozarks — for animals raised on pasture with no added hormones. Grade and aging are logged by cut, not batch.
Every rub is weighed on a 0.1 g precision scale. Salt, pepper, garlic, and variable aromatics are dialed per cut and rest time so the seasoning penetrates — not just coats.
Our custom offset pits run on a feedback loop: thermocouples in the cook chamber report to a PID controller that modulates airflow. Pit temp variance stays within ±1°F.
Every piece rests in a monitored cambro for a minimum of one hour before slicing. Juice redistribution is the final step in the formula — we don't skip it.
The Story
Barbecue Lab started as a pop-up in a parking lot in Austin. Marcus and Priya had spent three years competing on the regional BBQ circuit — winning trophies but never quite replicating a cook twice.
They decided to treat the pit the way engineers treat a system: instrument it, measure everything, and iterate fast. The food got dramatically better. More importantly, it got consistent.
Today we smoke 400 lbs a day out of our brick-and-mortar on East 6th, sell out by 2 pm, and keep a logbook of every cook so we can make tomorrow's batch better than today's.
As seen in
"The most technically precise BBQ I've eaten — and somehow the most soulful." — Texas Monthly, Best BBQ 2024
Come Find Us
1204 E 6th Street
Austin, TX 78702
Wed – Sun, 11 am – sell out
(usually by 2 pm)
We bring the pit to you.
catering@barbecuelab.com