Famous Dave’s is a popular barbecue restaurant chain known for its slow-smoked meats, signature sauces, and down-home atmosphere. With over 200 locations across the United States, Famous Dave’s has perfected the art of barbecue over its 25+ year history. But how exactly does Famous Dave’s cook their meat to get that addictive smokey flavor?
Meat Selection
The first step to great barbecue is starting with high-quality meats. Famous Dave’s only uses choice cuts of meat from suppliers they trust to deliver consistency. For pork, they select pork shoulders and spare ribs. For beef, they use brisket and short ribs. Chicken rounds out their meat selection for poultry lovers. The cuts are chosen to have enough fat content to remain moist during low and slow cooking but not so much that the meat is overly greasy.
Seasoning and Rub
Before the meat hits the smoker, Famous Dave’s coats them generously in seasoning rubs. Their signature rib rub contains brown sugar, paprika, garlic, salt, and other spices to form a flavorful bark on the outside of the meat. The recipes for each meat type are proprietary secrets, but they likely contain some combination of brown sugar, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and dried herbs like oregano. The seasoning rub helps add a flavorful crust and enhances the flavor from smoke absorption.
Smoking Process
The smoking process is what really sets Famous Dave’s meat apart in terms of juiciness and flavor. Their locations use specially designed smokers that circulate hickory smoke around the meat at low temperatures for many hours. The most common smoker used is called a Southern Pride smoker. It has rotating racks inside a closed cabinet with a firebox off to the side. Wood logs are burned down to coals and embers in the firebox, then the smoke enters the cabinet to envelop the meat.
For ribs and chicken, the smoking time is roughly 4-6 hours. Brisket and pork shoulders need longer, averaging 14-18 hours. The temperature is kept between 215-275°F the entire time. At these low “low and slow” temperatures, the collagen in the meat breaks down into gelatin which keeps the meat incredibly moist. The smoke penetrates deeply into the meat to provide authentic barbecue flavor.
Mopping Sauce
During the long smoking times, pitmasters will periodically “mop” the meat with a liquid mixture. At Famous Dave’s, their mopping sauce contains vinegar, mustard, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and other ingredients. Mopping helps further flavor the meat and moisturize the exterior bark to prevent drying out.
Resting
Once the meat reaches the proper internal temperature (195-205°F for brisket, 175-185°F for ribs), it needs time to rest. The resting period allows the juices to reabsorb back into the fibers. Slicing meat immediately after cooking results in dryness. Famous Dave’s lets brisket rest for 1-2 hours and ribs for 30-45 minutes before serving. During this time, the temperature equalizes and the juices redistribute.
Slicing and Serving
The pitmaster carefully slices the rested meat across the grain to maximize tenderness. Burnt ends of brisket and rib tips are chopped up since those pieces won’t make nice slices. The meat can then be sauced or served dry along with traditional barbecue sides like baked beans, coleslaw, corn bread, and potato salad. Famous Dave’s offers all of these pairing options on their catering and dinner menus.
Signature Sauces
No barbecue meal is complete without sauce! Famous Dave’s has five signature sauces that guests can pour over their meat to suit different flavor preferences. Here is a rundown of each sauce:
Rich & Sassy
Famous Dave’s original sweet and tangy sauce pairs especially well with ribs. It contains tomato puree, brown sugar, and honey.
Texas Pit
This sauce has bold smoky flavors from chili and cumin that complement brisket.
Georgia Mustard
As the name implies, this sauce has a mustard base with apple cider vinegar and brown sugar mixed in.
Devil’s Spit
People looking for heat enjoy this sassy sauce made with habanero peppers.
Sweet and Zesty
For a sweeter, thicker sauce, this balances brown sugar and spices.
Quality Control
To ensure consistency across locations, Famous Dave’s has implemented several quality control measures. Their proprietary seasonings are mixed at a central commissary kitchen and distributed to restaurants pre-measured. The smokers are designed to minimize pitmaster involvement and automate temperature and smoke controls. Meat temperatures are meticulously monitored. Finally, regional executive chefs make surprise visits to sample the food and provide feedback.
Franchisee Training
Franchise owners and their head pitmasters go through an extensive training program at Famous Dave’s headquarters. They master the optimal prep techniques, seasoning, smoking, resting, and saucing that results in the Famous Dave’s flavor. Ongoing annual training refreshers are required. This approach ensures that guests receive the same delicious barbecue whether they visit a Famous Dave’s in Texas or Maine.
Conclusion
It takes skill and patience to perfectly smoke meat with the right amount of time, temperature, moisture, and smoke. Famous Dave’s has turned great barbecue into a science after years of experience. While the process requires precision, the result is succulent, juicy, and flavorful meat that melts in your mouth. Next time you bite into Famous Dave’s falling-off-the-bone ribs or fork-tender brisket, you’ll appreciate the care that went into it.