BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – It’s dark and early on a Thursday morning. Hue Pham seasons slabs of brisket with a special all-blend of spices. Then the meat goes onto the grill.
“It’s a lot of work,” said Pham. “Four to five in the morning we’re up here getting stuff started.”
Pham loads stacks of Post Oak Wood into this offset smoker. He packs the pit with brisket, ribs, turkey breast, and sausage.
“We start our first smoke Thursday to get the sausage pre-smoked,” he explained.
It’s a labor of love to babysit a brisket for 12 to 14 hours.
By the time the sun comes up you can smell that savory scent of barbecue just about everywhere.
People start lining up long before he even opens. Just looking at menu will make your mouth water. Well, at least for some.
“We like to keep it simple here. Strictly BBQ. No vegetarian options,” said Tuan Pham. “You’ve got your brisket, your ribs, your chicken leg quarters. We make our in-house sausages and one of the most underrated items on this menu is our turkey breast.”
Co-owners of Offset Smoker BBQ Hue Pham and Tuan Pham officially opened in June 2024. Before that, they traveled to Austin to sample some of the best barbecue in the country. Hue Pham would eventually learn from some of the best pit masters in America.
They created their own spin on Central Texas BBQ, bringing their own recipes to Baton Rouge.
In the back sit two 1,000-gallon smoke pits, which work to smoke and perfect their signature brisket.
After it comes off the smoker the meat sits in a food warmer precisely set at 140 degrees. The meat sits all night long so it can re-absorb the juices and flavor.
“From what he’s learned in Texas, smoking the brisket is one thing but equally as important is resting the brisket,” explained Tuan Pham. “You never want to just cut the brisket as soon as its finished. You’ve got to let it rest. The longer the better.”
Take it from someone who’s tried every item, you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. Though some customers have preferences.
“My favorite is the turkey and then the sausage,” said Todd Gianfala, a loyal customer.
Gianfala comes at least once a week, nearly every week.
“I usually come on Fridays and sometimes, we’ll double down. We love BBQ,” said Gianfala. “We’ve had barbecue all over Texas and their turkey is really good.”
Good things take time especially when you try and do it right.
“Everything is made in house,” Hue Pham said. “Our sauces are made in-house. Everything is made from scratch. Sausages are made from scratch. Our seasoning, our all-blend, we came up with it. [Since] it’s all housemade it takes a little bit of time.”
Remember to show up early because once it’s gone you have to come back the next time they’re open.
Offset Smoker BBQ is open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. until they sell out. It’s located on Government St. near Jefferson Hwy.
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