Salary Range for BBQ Chefs
Barbecue chefs are the professionals who prepare and cook the succulent meat that keeps devotees of this traditionally American delicacy coming back for more. While some restaurants might split the duties between a number of line cooks, the more serious the restaurant is about its barbecue, the more likely it will have one person devoted solely to performing this task.
Typical job skills required of a barbecue chef include butchering and cooking meat, preparing sauces and marinades, grilling other foods, preparing fried snacks such as onion rings or french fries, and keeping a brigade of assistant cooks and prep cooks organized.
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Average Salary
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The salary range of barbecue chefs is between $20,000 and $30,000 per year. In general, barbecue chefs in the South and Midwest make lower salaries than chefs on either coast.
The average salary of line cooks is slightly higher than that of barbecue chefs---ranging from $22,000 to $32,000, according to Star Chefs, which compiled a survey of restaurant salaries over the past four years, broken down by position and type of restaurant.
Typical Schedule
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Some barbecue chefs have early morning hours to prepare the meat for lunch or dinner service. They likely are responsible for butchering meat and preparing sauces, stocks and other components of the menu.
Others have evening hours and are in charge of cooking the food for patrons during dinner service. They typically spend most of their time working on the line cooking food to order or plating foods, such as pulled pork, that were prepared earlier that day by other cooks.
Chefs can also serve as expeditors, who have to coordinate individual plates and groups of meals to make sure entire tables of customers are served at the same time.
Regardless of the schedule, barbecue chefs can expect to work a minimum of eight to 10 hours a day, including nights and weekends. -
Do I Need Education?
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According to the Star Chefs survey, getting a culinary education does not necessarily translate to more money for cooks and other restaurant workers. The only workers in the culinary arts who seem to make more on average are those who have worked outside of the United States, and this typically does not apply to those who work at barbecue restaurants.
Getting Your First Job
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The best way to get your first job and get on the road to becoming a barbecue chef is to ask around. Make a list of restaurants in your area and show up after lunch service has ended---about 3 p.m.---if they are open for lunch, or between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. if they only serve dinner. Do not show up unexpectedly during the middle of lunch or dinner service; no one will have free time to talk to you, and you may alienate yourself with them enough that they won't want to talk to you even when they are free.
Ask the sous chef or head chef if you can volunteer in the kitchen once a week or more---or even volunteer your services as a dishwasher or a prep cook to get your foot in the door. Most restaurants have a high employee turnover, so there are very good chances someone will offer you an unpaid position. Use this time to see and learn as much as you can and, sooner or later, you will very likely be offered a job.
The Country's Best BBQ
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While many cities boast good restaurants, there are four areas of the country renowned for their barbecue, and each is known for having its own style and flavorings. They include: Texas, which is primarily known for beef; North and South Carolina, which are known for their pork; Memphis, Tennessee, which is famous for dry-rub pork ribs; and Kansas City, famous for sweet barbecue sauce and primarily ribs.
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References
- Photo Credit barbecued ribs by BBQ Junkie
