BBQ Pitmaster

Q39; Lee's Summit (MO); On-site; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Q39 in Lee's Summit, MO, is looking for a Pitmaster Sous Chef to oversee the cooking and preparation of barbecue meats. The role includes maintaining food quality, adhering to recipes, and ensuring compliance with health regulations.

The ideal candidate will have significant kitchen management and cooking experience, contributing to team training and operational efficiencies. A salary range of $70,000 to $80,000 per year is offered.

Qualifications

• Experience in a high-volume kitchen environment.
• 1-2 years of full-service kitchen management experience.
• 3+ years of restaurant cooking experience.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook barbecue meats daily according to Q39 recipes.
• Train and develop back-of-house staff.
• Place orders and manage food cost and waste.

Skills

Kitchen management

Barbecue cooking techniques

Communication skills

Multi-station cooking

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

MS Outlook

Job description

Job Details: Job Location: Q39 LSMO - Lees Summit, MO 64081. Salary Range: $70,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year.

Job Summary

Pitmaster Sous Chef. Reports to: Restaurant Chef. Company: Q39 LLC. The role maintains food quality and cleanliness, ensuring adherence to Q39 recipes, smoking standards, and health regulations. The Pitmaster leads the smoking and preparation of all barbecue meats to Q39 quality standards, trains and manages back‑of‑house teams, oversees daily ordering and line checks, and achieves 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.
• 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.
• Place orders, maintain pars, verify deliveries for quality and accuracy, and monitor food cost and waste through portion control and standard procedures.
• Ensure all kitchen equipment is clean, maintained, and operational, including preventative maintenance programs.
• Lead adherence to all federal, state, county, and municipal health and safety regulations; implement corrective actions for policy violations.
• Complete line checks, coordinate with management on quality, resolve operational issues, and document incidents, repairs, and employee performance using 7Shifts.
• Support execution of all Q39 guidelines, recommend performance enhancements, and ensure consistent implementation of back‑of‑house procedures.

Qualifications

• 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.