A life in BBQ: Talking restaurant business with Real Urban Barbecue's Jeff Shapiro (Episode 116)

Published: July 24, 2017, 4 a.m.

I'm joined by Real Urban Barbecue owner Jeff Shapiro at his new location at 5238 Touhy in Skokie ("Smokie"). I've been going to his Highland Park location for years, and was a fan long before he broke ground just west of the Edens. Before we started the podcast interview, he took me on a tour of the restaurant. You can see that on the Car Con Carne YouTube page (https://youtu.be/zabYQ3hnO_4). During the episode, we talk about:

  • Scouting and vetting processes needed to open a successful restaurant
  • Why Skokie?\xa0
  • Burnt ends: What are they, and why are they so damn delicious? (Turbinado sugar helps.)
  • St. Louis ribs can't get arrested in Chicago
  • Me: "I want to drink the barbecue sauce." Jeff: "I've got a straw."
  • The 24 hour cooking cycle: How is that managed?
  • My misbehavior as a teenager at the local Holiday Inn
  • The sides at Real Urban Barbecue keep me coming back. Jeff doesn't share my boundless love for his Brussels sprouts
  • "This whole time, I should've been eating like an adult."
  • Smoking garlic: "It's unbelievable"
  • Why are rib tips only\xa0an Oakbrook thing?
  • How do you know when you're being too aggressive with growth in business?
  • The need to have a "snack side" for the trip home
  • My son interrupts the show to ask for pulled pork

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