BBQ Pitmaster

JOB SUMMARY: Pitmaster 

Reports to: Restaurant Chef 

Compensation: $70,000 - $80,000 annually 

Company: Q39 LLC  

Job Purpose:  

Our passion is creating craveable, memorable dining experiences. Our passion is creating craveable, memorable dining experiences. The Pitmaster Sous Chef is responsible for maintaining exceptional food quality and cleanliness, ensuring adherence to Q39 recipes, smoking standards, and health regulations. This role leads the smoking and preparation of all barbecue meats to Q39 quality standards, while also leading and training back-of-house teams, driving a positive and productive work environment, completing daily ordering and line checks, and achieving targeted scores on EcoSure and local health inspections. 

Key Accountabilities: 

• Pitmaster Leadership – Prepare and cook barbecue meats daily according to Q39 recipes, portioning, and cooking standards, ensuring consistent food quality. 
  • Operate smokers and execute all core barbecue tasks (loading, wrapping, temp checks, glazing, rib and brisket prep, pork, sausage, chicken). 
  • Perform smoker care and maintenance to ensure consistent performance and food quality. 

• Team Management – Train, develop, and oversee back-of-house staff, provide coaching on performance, safety, and teamwork, and assist the Kitchen Manager with labor scheduling and shift coverage. 

• Inventory & Ordering – Place orders, maintain pars, verify deliveries for quality and accuracy, and monitor food cost and waste through portion control and standard procedures. 

• Equipment & Facility Oversight – Ensure all kitchen equipment is clean, maintained, and operational, including preventative maintenance programs. 

• Compliance & Safety – Lead adherence to all federal, state, county, and municipal health and safety regulations; implement corrective actions for policy violations. 

• Daily Operations – Complete line checks, coordinate with management on quality, resolve operational issues, and document incidents, repairs, and employee performance using 7Shifts. 

• Continuous Improvement – Support execution of all Q39 guidelines, recommend performance enhancements, and ensure consistent implementation of back-of-house procedures. 

Requirements:  

• Must have experience working in a high-volume environment. 

• Experienced in a variety of kitchen stations and multiple cooking styles 

• Must be able to trim and portion cuts of meat. 

• 1-2 years of full-service kitchen management experience 

• 3+ years of restaurant cooking experience 

• Read, write, and speak English fluently, Spanish is a plus. 

• Display basic knowledge of operation of computers and tablets. Including MS word, excel and outlook.  

• Excellent communication skills