McClure's BBQ: Upheaval. Again. Oy.

[Gamma1210 52]

Tipsy, is the rub offer still available? My FIL wants some. Also my ribs with your rub are about an hour from being ready. They look awesome.

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

Tipsy, is the rub offer still available? My FIL wants some. Also my ribs with your rub are about an hour from being ready. They look awesome.

yep. and awesome!

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

Soft opening Saturday in Mississippi. Killer blues band lined up (Nick & The Ovrolos) along with a secret after or pre party for the guys in Galactic & Break Science (they play at partners Biloxi location that night). The music will be killer. The food will be pretty good too . Gonna be a long week.

Sucks though.....missing an Icon visit to nola which means I don't get to eye candy his sweetie.

[[icon] 9,553]

Soft opening Saturday in Mississippi. Killer blues band lined up (Nick & The Ovrolos) along with a secret after or pre party for the guys in Galactic & Break Science (they play at partners Biloxi location that night). The music will be killer. The food will be pretty good too . Gonna be a long week.

Sucks though.....missing an Icon visit to nola which means I don't get to eye candy his sweetie.

She loves her some tipsy too... Was bummed to hear ya were going to be out of town.

Sorry GB. We will still be dropping by your place for lunch Saturday, as I've talked it up to the point the guys & girls I'm bringing are extremely excited to go. If we didn't have a wedding that night we'd truck over for the grand opening!

So stoked for ya

Edited September 23, 2014 by [icon]

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

Heck ya...the after party for the Galactic show is coming over. My partner is going on WWOZ here in a couple hours to promote the whole thing, the newspaper over there is running a piece on us, and my MS partner is going on a couple radio shows too it sounds like. This kick off day should be huge.

[Rohn Jambo 812]

Have a kick-### opening, Tipsy.

[In The Zone 1,275]

Not that you need it Tipsy but good luck with the opening.

[Judge Smails 3,597]

Good luck Tipsey. Now, to be selfish, are you back in New Orleans Oct 4-5? Will be in town - looking to stop by and get sample the legendary Q

[Swing 51 635]

Heck ya...the after party for the Galactic show is coming over.

We Love 'Em Tonight - I'm jealous!

[AcerFC 4,781]

Can we get some negative news for a change

:wink:

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

Good luck Tipsey. Now, to be selfish, are you back in New Orleans Oct 4-5? Will be in town - looking to stop by and get sample the legendary Q

i couldn't tell ya right now. i expect ill be working at one of em hopefully here

[Fennis 2,280]

Can we get some negative news for a change

:wink:

he was only #3 on some top 10 list.

[[icon] 9,553]

Hit McClures on Magazine saturday afternoon with the GF and another couple who had never been. Sadly Tipsy was over in Ocean Springs opening the new location, but he left a message for us to hold some Burnt Ends

Started off at Le Bonne Temps across the street for one of their famous bloody marys. Strong vodka pour with their excellent home made mix. Garnishes include Olives, okra, green beans, Celery, cherry tomato, and a nice coating of McClure's Smoked salt on the rim.

Walked in and the current menu awaited us on the blackboards above the counter. I opted for an "All Meats All Sides" to allow the new couple to taste everything. The GF went for one of Neil's burgers (bacon and blue) and a brisket taco. The other couple opted for a Burger, and brisket/shrimp tacos.

The girl behind the counter verified I was "Matt" and brought out an extremely generous portion of Burnt Ends for everyone to taste. Lots of praise on them by the new couple who weren't lucky enough to taste them at Memphis in May this year.

All meats platter was great as always. Brisket was a touch overdone, but still very good. Everything else was awesome. Nice hunks of bark in the pork. The tacos and burgers received rave reviews as well. The bun Tipsy uses for that burger is to die for, BTW.

We rolled out with a couple "to go" containers for snacks later as the AMAS platter was simply stupid-big.

As always, a great experience. Hated I missed ya, GB. But thanks again for the great hospitality.

[PinkydaPimp 2,127]

Hit McClures on Magazine saturday afternoon with the GF and another couple who had never been. Sadly Tipsy was over in Ocean Springs opening the new location, but he left a message for us to hold some Burnt Ends

Started off at Le Bonne Temps across the street for one of their famous bloody marys. Strong vodka pour with their excellent home made mix. Garnishes include Olives, okra, green beans, Celery, cherry tomato, and a nice coating of McClure's Smoked salt on the rim.

Walked in and the current menu awaited us on the blackboards above the counter. I opted for an "All Meats All Sides" to allow the new couple to taste everything. The GF went for one of Neil's burgers (bacon and blue) and a brisket taco. The other couple opted for a Burger, and brisket/shrimp tacos.

The girl behind the counter verified I was "Matt" and brought out an extremely generous portion of Burnt Ends for everyone to taste. Lots of praise on them by the new couple who weren't lucky enough to taste them at Memphis in May this year.

All meats platter was great as always. Brisket was a touch overdone, but still very good. Everything else was awesome. Nice hunks of bark in the pork. The tacos and burgers received rave reviews as well. The bun Tipsy uses for that burger is to die for, BTW.

We rolled out with a couple "to go" containers for snacks later as the AMAS platter was simply stupid-big.

As always, a great experience. Hated I missed ya, GB. But thanks again for the great hospitality.

omg. those burnt ends....... they look fantastic!

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

Whoa...what a weekend. The opening was good....i would have liked more folks to eat that day but I honestly don't think we could have handled much more, especially in the first few hours. I could have used more support from my partners in the week leading up, but neither one of them are really operations guys so they don't get that I didn't need to be pressure washing chairs on the patio at dusk the night before we opened...but I digress.

I got back to NOLA around 9 pm friday night and helped my overnight guy get the meats on the pit and made sure we were clear on everything I needed in the morning. I decided to cater all the food from NOLA simply to make it easier on the new crew in MS. It was also a good way to have everyone taste everything made the way I expect. And the kitchen is not yet fully operational over there so this made it much easier.

5 am...a kiss to the sleeping family (even the dog doesn't get up when I leave pre dawn) and off to the shop...loaded up with food & supplies and off to MS by 830. 945 I get to MS and we unload...get the sides warming, fire meats for dinner, and get the dining room set. We got open on time and had a nice trickle of folks come through in the first few hours. Dinner was a little slow, but offset by a great late night showing. Our party was a huge success. We had live music going until 5 am, and the party didn't quit rolling until dawn. I was on my feet for a total of 22 hours before I bailed to the hotel....way too old for that crap. Asleep by 430 am. Back to the bar at 10 am. Sent kitchen manager home for day as he was ill. Worked until about 7 ...pretty darn slow. Only sold about 700 in food yesterday but I've had many days worse than that over here so I won't complain. The word is going to spread very quickly in that small community. The feedback we have had has been STELLAR. The late night menu is killing it...very easy to impress a drunk guy/gal with better than average pub fare. The burgers sold incredibly well.

We have many kinks to work out. I will never open another place with no real cushion financially again. I also hate their computer system. The front of house doesn't have a clue whats going on with the food yet...but they are excited about it. I like everyone working for me over there so far. The crew is happy we are stepping in with the food but also happy to see someone actually stepping in to run the place on a daily basis..financially its a cluster goat rodeo as far as someone paying the bills on time and keeping the place fully stocked. But...its improving already. I fully expect my % take each month to exceed anything I'll ever do at this NOLA spot within a short time frame. Having that late night scene takes every bit of sting away from a slow food day. And having a good outlet for leftovers with that bar menu...oh man.

So tired. Really wished I had not scheduled myself so heavily in NOLA today. My legs are toast.

[glumpy 95]

Fantastic!

[Judge Smails 3,597]

Tipsey - hope to see you Saturday. PM me if you are in town!

[Mrs. Rannous 5,103]

I just got tired reading all that. It was the Iron Man Triathalon of BBQ.

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

Tipsey - hope to see you Saturday. PM me if you are in town!

i am working the dinner shift here on Saturday

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

Lost my kitchen manager in Mississippi.

Losing my general manager in NOLA.

Lost a cook a week ago that was my friend and trusted with keys to place.

Wife lost her job.

It isn't always an awesome story. Forgive me for lack of details on this at moment. I've got my hands full.

[AcerFC 4,781]

oof, gl gb tipsy

[regularguy 1,693]

Lost my kitchen manager in Mississippi.

Losing my general manager in NOLA.

Lost a cook a week ago that was my friend and trusted with keys to place.

Wife lost her job.

It isn't always an awesome story. Forgive me for lack of details on this at moment. I've got my hands full.

Damn. Good luck with all that.

[bryhamm 870]

Lost my kitchen manager in Mississippi.

Losing my general manager in NOLA.

Lost a cook a week ago that was my friend and trusted with keys to place.

Wife lost her job.

It isn't always an awesome story. Forgive me for lack of details on this at moment. I've got my hands full.

Damn. Good luck with all that.

+1

[Fennis 2,280]

Lost my kitchen manager in Mississippi.

Losing my general manager in NOLA.

Lost a cook a week ago that was my friend and trusted with keys to place.

Wife lost her job.

It isn't always an awesome story. Forgive me for lack of details on this at moment. I've got my hands full.

Does your wife have the skills to be GM? What could go wrong?

[regularguy 1,693]

Lost my kitchen manager in Mississippi.

Losing my general manager in NOLA.

Lost a cook a week ago that was my friend and trusted with keys to place.

Wife lost her job.

It isn't always an awesome story. Forgive me for lack of details on this at moment. I've got my hands full.

Does your wife have the skills to be GM? What could go wrong?

I started to make a crack about time for McClure's to become a real family business, but I'm assuming the lack of benefits could be a dealbreaker.

[Brony 7,578]

Lost my kitchen manager in Mississippi.

Losing my general manager in NOLA.

Lost a cook a week ago that was my friend and trusted with keys to place.

Wife lost her job.

It isn't always an awesome story. Forgive me for lack of details on this at moment. I've got my hands full.

whoa. I hope this is all just a speed bump when you look back on it.

[Tiger Fan 3,867]

hang in the tipsy

[[icon] 9,553]

Lost my kitchen manager in Mississippi.

Losing my general manager in NOLA.

Lost a cook a week ago that was my friend and trusted with keys to place.

Wife lost her job.

It isn't always an awesome story. Forgive me for lack of details on this at moment. I've got my hands full.

Oh ####... sorry GB

[Mrs. Rannous 5,103]

Lost my kitchen manager in Mississippi.

Losing my general manager in NOLA.

Lost a cook a week ago that was my friend and trusted with keys to place.

Wife lost her job.

It isn't always an awesome story. Forgive me for lack of details on this at moment. I've got my hands full.

I thought time existed so everything doesn't happen all at once. Good luck sorting that all out.

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

Kitchen manager in MS wants to manage more than work. And he hates on the owners girl whom has been acting gm for months. He also freaked out over every ticket and is just a bad fit. It sucks...i like the guy.

GM in NOLA is just a point in her life that she needs to find another direction. She will stay on for at least another month and possible fill in spots beyond that.

Cook/friend that quit is a hunting guide. I suspected it was coming all summer...he is not a kitchen guy by nature and while I enjoyed him being here, I know his heart was only in helping me this last year. He didn't really even need the job. He will continue to help me with special occasions. Even came to help get MS. open this weekend.

The wife. They finally realized how much she hated her job. I wanted her to be able to quit this coming year on her terms. She is depressed about losing the job, not about being home though. She has wanted to quit for two years since I started following my bliss....god bless her for hanging on this long. Would have been nicer to wait for a few more months, but it happened so we gotta deal. So micromanaging of our budget should make this ok. She is going to work on my marketing, catering biz, and may eventually take a couple of shifts here. She is also extremely artsy craftsy and will work on that stuff and I will sell it here at restaurant, online, and possibly other artsy stores ...her stuff is definitely good enough. I'm happy she can stay home with the kids whenever they aren't at school too. With two restaurants 100 miles apart that "job" is the most important one I needed to be filled.

Overall it sounds like a lot...but I have lost staff before ...it will be ok. Its a pain and bad timing, but everything happens for a reason I guess.

[AcerFC 4,781]

I've been looking for a reason to quit my job. The commute from Nola to ny can't be too awful. Where do I send my resume

[Judge Smails 3,597]

Tipsey - hope to see you Saturday. PM me if you are in town!

i am working the dinner shift here on Saturday

I think our only opp is during lunches. Restaurant August on Sat night, GW Fins on Friday, etc. Not sure if you are open Sunday - that's a possibility too depending on whether we go to the Saints game. Hope to see you - we're comin' in for sure, just not sure when.

[msommer 8,981]

Kitchen manager in MS wants to manage more than work. And he hates on the owners girl whom has been acting gm for months. He also freaked out over every ticket and is just a bad fit. It sucks...i like the guy.

GM in NOLA is just a point in her life that she needs to find another direction. She will stay on for at least another month and possible fill in spots beyond that.

Cook/friend that quit is a hunting guide. I suspected it was coming all summer...he is not a kitchen guy by nature and while I enjoyed him being here, I know his heart was only in helping me this last year. He didn't really even need the job. He will continue to help me with special occasions. Even came to help get MS. open this weekend.

The wife. They finally realized how much she hated her job. I wanted her to be able to quit this coming year on her terms. She is depressed about losing the job, not about being home though. She has wanted to quit for two years since I started following my bliss....god bless her for hanging on this long. Would have been nicer to wait for a few more months, but it happened so we gotta deal. So micromanaging of our budget should make this ok. She is going to work on my marketing, catering biz, and may eventually take a couple of shifts here. She is also extremely artsy craftsy and will work on that stuff and I will sell it here at restaurant, online, and possibly other artsy stores ...her stuff is definitely good enough. I'm happy she can stay home with the kids whenever they aren't at school too. With two restaurants 100 miles apart that "job" is the most important one I needed to be filled.

Overall it sounds like a lot...but I have lost staff before ...it will be ok. Its a pain and bad timing, but everything happens for a reason I guess.

You'll pull through. Short term the biggest hit might be the Kitchen Manager in MS, not a lot of slack in a newly opened operations and it's where you have the least network so replacement could drag out...

[regularguy 1,693]

My biggest concern was for your wife, but honestly, that sounds like a blessing in disguise. If you guys have functioned through the uncertainty and chaos of the last couple of years, I'm sure this will work out just fine too. Trading some income for the wife's happiness and extra time is always worth it (assuming it's financially feasible at all).

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

Tipsey - hope to see you Saturday. PM me if you are in town!

i am working the dinner shift here on Saturday

I think our only opp is during lunches. Restaurant August on Sat night, GW Fins on Friday, etc. Not sure if you are open Sunday - that's a possibility too depending on whether we go to the Saints game. Hope to see you - we're comin' in for sure, just not sure when.

open sunday. here by 4

[Tiger Fan 3,867]

Walked into a party yesterday that was fully catered by McClures

• Brisket - I hadn't had this since the first time I went to McClures and got the all meats/all sides, so I think it got masked a little bit. Made it a point to eat it first by itself...the smoke flavor was outstanding
• Pulled Pork - solid as always, great mixture of "crispy" skin with the "regular" pork
• Wings - first time having these. Very juicy and came off the bone, but believe it was under seasoned for my liking and didn't have the "crispy" skin that I really like with wings. I know you said you smoke then fried them, but I guess it seemed to me like they were just smoked. Not saying they were bad by any means (they got lots of compliments from the group), just not what I expected
• Beans - I try to get the beans every time and these were hands down the best ones. Just perfect.
• Sausage - I've posted this before...I'm not a huge sausage fan...I eat it, but it's never my first choice. But the sausage is phenomenal, Seriously. Perfect Side item

So again, another great meal...and interested to hear thoughts on the wings. I'm a big wing fan, so I definitely want to try again, I was just expecting something else.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Tiger Fan

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

Walked into a party yesterday that was fully catered by McClures

• Brisket - I hadn't had this since the first time I went to McClures and got the all meats/all sides, so I think it got masked a little bit. Made it a point to eat it first by itself...the smoke flavor was outstanding
• Pulled Pork - solid as always, great mixture of "crispy" skin with the "regular" pork
• Wings - first time having these. Very juicy and came off the bone, but believe it was under seasoned for my liking and didn't have the "crispy" skin that I really like with wings. I know you said you smoke then fried them, but I guess it seemed to me like they were just smoked. Not saying they were bad by any means (they got lots of compliments from the group), just not what I expected
• Beans - I try to get the beans every time and these were hands down the best ones. Just perfect.
• Sausage - I've posted this before...I'm not a huge sausage fan...I eat it, but it's never my first choice. But the sausage is phenomenal, Seriously. Perfect Side item

So again, another great meal...and interested to hear thoughts on the wings. I'm a big wing fan, so I definitely want to try again, I was just expecting something else

i too wish they were crispier. but after traveling in togo containers and sitting around for a bit I'm not at all surprised they didn't seem fried at all. They don't travel well.

Meanwhile as I type this some dude just ate 2 dozen by himself while his friends consumed three racks of ribs between 4 guys. Unreal...its as if they were competing.

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

And i missed Smails. And Icon last week. I know I'm getting another store going, but I have to be here for these weekends. We served 800 people since I last worked...

[sbonomo 1,267]

Walked into a party yesterday that was fully catered by McClures

• Brisket - I hadn't had this since the first time I went to McClures and got the all meats/all sides, so I think it got masked a little bit. Made it a point to eat it first by itself...the smoke flavor was outstanding
• Pulled Pork - solid as always, great mixture of "crispy" skin with the "regular" pork
• Wings - first time having these. Very juicy and came off the bone, but believe it was under seasoned for my liking and didn't have the "crispy" skin that I really like with wings. I know you said you smoke then fried them, but I guess it seemed to me like they were just smoked. Not saying they were bad by any means (they got lots of compliments from the group), just not what I expected
• Beans - I try to get the beans every time and these were hands down the best ones. Just perfect.
• Sausage - I've posted this before...I'm not a huge sausage fan...I eat it, but it's never my first choice. But the sausage is phenomenal, Seriously. Perfect Side item

So again, another great meal...and interested to hear thoughts on the wings. I'm a big wing fan, so I definitely want to try again, I was just expecting something else

i too wish they were crispier. but after traveling in togo containers and sitting around for a bit I'm not at all surprised they didn't seem fried at all. They don't travel well.

Meanwhile as I type this some dude just ate 2 dozen by himself while his friends consumed three racks of ribs between 4 guys. Unreal...its as if they were competing.

. I can't wait for Memphis in may to have those wings again!

[[icon] 9,553]

i am going to make a point of eating more this year at BBQfest this year. I say that every year, and every year I have like one plate of food a day Max because I'm too busy.

Glad to see you doing so well on weeknds tipsy!

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

icon...lets just eat brisket every meal this year

[[icon] 9,553]

icon...lets just eat brisket every meal this year

:adjustsbudget:

[Tiger Fan 3,867]

Walked into a party yesterday that was fully catered by McClures

• Brisket - I hadn't had this since the first time I went to McClures and got the all meats/all sides, so I think it got masked a little bit. Made it a point to eat it first by itself...the smoke flavor was outstanding
• Pulled Pork - solid as always, great mixture of "crispy" skin with the "regular" pork
• Wings - first time having these. Very juicy and came off the bone, but believe it was under seasoned for my liking and didn't have the "crispy" skin that I really like with wings. I know you said you smoke then fried them, but I guess it seemed to me like they were just smoked. Not saying they were bad by any means (they got lots of compliments from the group), just not what I expected
• Beans - I try to get the beans every time and these were hands down the best ones. Just perfect.
• Sausage - I've posted this before...I'm not a huge sausage fan...I eat it, but it's never my first choice. But the sausage is phenomenal, Seriously. Perfect Side item

So again, another great meal...and interested to hear thoughts on the wings. I'm a big wing fan, so I definitely want to try again, I was just expecting something else

i too wish they were crispier. but after traveling in togo containers and sitting around for a bit I'm not at all surprised they didn't seem fried at all. They don't travel well.

Meanwhile as I type this some dude just ate 2 dozen by himself while his friends consumed three racks of ribs between 4 guys. Unreal...its as if they were competing.

Completely understand. Will definitely order them next time I'm in

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

don't get me wrong TF...they aren't even as crispy here as most people were accustomed to. The smoking hurts that for sure.

[Tiger Fan 3,867]

don't get me wrong TF...they aren't even as crispy here as most people were accustomed to. The smoking hurts that for sure.

I hear yab but like you said I'm sure an hour or so in the foil containers (no idea when they picked them up) probably lost some of the texture

[Judge Smails 3,597]

And i missed Smails. And Icon last week. I know I'm getting another store going, but I have to be here for these weekends. We served 800 people since I last worked...

Sorry I missed you Tipsy. Your crew did well holding down the fort. All meats, all sides, extra ribs and sausage. All this talk about great brisket is killing me, because it was 86'd at 2:30pm. Oh well, gonna get 'it next time. Ribs were fantastic. LOVED the links. Chicken with white sauce was very good. I'm usually a pulled pork freak, and it was good, just a little dry compared to the rest. All the sides were great. Guy in our group doesn't like collared greens but was devouring 'em. Beans, potato salad, slaw, mac and cheese, all outstanding. By the way, I sauntered back down Magazine afterwards and McClure's was way more hoppin' than Saucy's. Great to see you make your dream happen.

Just a ridiculous weekend of food, music and activity. Today was the Saints game and Gretna festival afterwards. I'd be 800 lbs in rehab if I lived in this city.

[msommer 8,981]

icon...lets just eat brisket every meal this year

:adjustsbudget:

Adjusts belt, more likely

[KGB 116]

Hey guys. Need some last second help. Wife, son and I need to fly in and stay 1 night (sat) somewhere this weekend. Then too the cruise port the next am.

Any recommendations?

[tipsy mcstagger 2,023]

Hey guys. Need some last second help. Wife, son and I need to fly in and stay 1 night (sat) somewhere this weekend. Then too the cruise port the next am.

Any recommendations?

all about the budget.....hundreds of rooms down that way. I'd go marriot convention center

[KGB 116]

Hey guys. Need some last second help. Wife, son and I need to fly in and stay 1 night (sat) somewhere this weekend. Then too the cruise port the next am.

Any recommendations?

all about the budget.....hundreds of rooms down that way. I'd go marriot convention center

200 or less. Ok I'll check out there.

Well see you soon!