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NTU Grad Who Started Cooking American BBQ Meats At 14 Now Sells Superb Beef Ribs Using $80K Smokers

The Singaporean pit master of American ’cue joint Jett Barbecue recently upgraded his home-based biz into a commercial kitchen with custom-built smokers from Texas — even his oak logs are from the Lone Star State. 

Everything is bigger in Texas appears to be a saying that Chua Jett Yong has taken to heart, quite literally. The 26-year-old owner of American BBQ joint Jett Barbecue uses two massive, 800-gallon custom-built offset smokers imported from Texas (they cost around $80K) to cook hulking slabs of premium USDA prime rib every week. Even the wood he uses – post-oak logs, which he splits into kindling himself – are flown in from Texas.

It takes18 hours of smoking and many more hours of prep to produce the only item on Jett Barbecue’s delivery-only menu: smoked bone-in beef ribs, served with sides like mashed potato, coleslaw and pickles. American 'cue, where meats are cooked low and slow over wood fire, is a labour of love after all. The smallest set, which includes two prime ribs weighing around 1kg, starts from $190 and feeds four comfortably.

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Quit accounting job to focus on BBQ biz

The NTU accounting grad launched Jett Barbecue as a home-based business from his parent’s detached house last June after noticing a demand for his beef ribs on his personal cooking Instagram page, where he hosted giveaways for his dishes. “It was a way to spread joy during Covid. I love cooking for my family and friends, so when I made extra portions, I started giving them away,” he shares. The young pit master has been experimenting with Texan-style barbecue since he was 14, after a family holiday in the States where he tried American smoked meats for the first time. Like many budding young cooks, YouTube was his tutor.

To his surprise, monthly slots for about 150 portions of his HBB’s signature beef ribs were often snapped up “within three minutes”. Jett resigned from his accountant job – a stint that lasted less than six months – to focus on running the biz full time. This August, he moved into a 2000-sqft commercial space at Mandai, where he now produces up to 1,200 portions of ribs a month. The entrepreneur took out a loan and invested about $200K into the venture.

Flew to Texas to hone skills

In February, Jett flew to Texas to hone his barbecue skills and meet potential suppliers. “I wanted to confirm [that what I’ve been doing] is what authentic Texan barbecue is like and I wanted to make sure that I use the best ingredients, equipment, including the wood from Texas,” he says.

During the three-week trip, he trained with American pit masters like Brett Boren of Brett’s Backyard BBQ (shortlisted in Texas Monthly’s 50 Best BBQ Joints 2021), who were eager to share their knowledge (“after ensuring I was not opening a shop in Texas”). He also met James Beard award-winning pit master Aaron Franklin when dining at his iconic eatery Franklin Barbecue. “I wanted to take a photo with him, but he was too busy and had to run,” he says.

Also ordered custom-built rigs 

He also bought two heavy-duty offset smokers from Texas-based Moberg Smokers (known for its custom-built rigs fashioned out of old propane tanks). These bright red offset smokers (“my favourite colour”) cost about $80K and arrived at Jett’s kitchen last month. Both are wood-fuelled – the fire is built in a firebox on the side, stoked from charcoal and post oak. Each rig can smoke up to 120 portions of ribs at a time.

Once spent 56 hours in the kitchen

As the lone pit master of the biz, Jett is used to spending long hours – especially during weekends, when the meats are smoked – in his commercial kitchen. “It’s more interesting than an office job. This is my passion and I can see myself doing this for a long time,” he says, despite only drawing “a small allowance” from his venture. “I’m focused on repaying the loan and reinvesting the profits into the business first,” he adds. “I don’t have time to spend money anyway.”

The beef ribs have to be smoked for about 18 hours, during which he is on standby to tend to the fire. To meet orders, he once spent an uninterrupted 56 hours in the kitchen, only retreating to a small air-conditioned office on the premises to nap during breaks.

Though he has hired three staff to help with prep work, like cooking the side dishes and packaging the food, Jett does not intend to delegate his smoking duties to anyone. “It’s the only way I can ensure the quality [of our barbecue],” he asserts.

Why no brisket?

Brisket is a cornerstone of Texan barbecue, so we were naturally curious why the cut isn’t offered on Jett’s menu. “It’s just harder to get prime brisket from the US [compared to other cuts like ribs] here. I don’t have the order volume to secure a stable supply,” he explains.

Deliveries on Fri to Sun & orders for X’mas start 18 Dec

Will Jett eventually house his beautiful smoker in a restaurant? “After an 18-hour shift, I’m already so tired. I cannot imagine having to greet customers after that. I also don’t have a million dollars to open a restaurant big enough for what I want to do,” says the candid entrepreneur.

While this means we won’t be able to witness the pit master in action anytime soon, his smoked ribs are up for grabs every third Sunday of the month on Jett Barbecue’s website for the following month. Deliveries are made only every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

According to Jett, this rather restrictive ordering system is necessary to maintain the standard of his ribs. “We order our meat and wood logs from the US and only smoke a limited quantity of ribs a day,” he explains. “We scale up during festive seasons by working double shifts. For Christmas weekend, we’re [preparing] roughly 600 portions.”

If you wish to order some for your Christmas dinner, festive slots will be released on Sunday 18 December at 8pm – we strongly recommend setting an alarm to avoid disappointment as all slots are usually snapped up within the same day.

USDA Prime Beef Dino Rib Set, $190 ($210 on 24, 25 & 31 Dec & 1 Jan), feeds four (8 DAYS Pick!)

Delivered in a warmer bag, our set comes in a parchment-lined cardboard tray (with a plastic-panelled cover that offers a peek of the neatly-arranged food). Secured with twine, there’s a homespun charm to the package that feels rather festive to us.

With perfectly rendered fat, the two prime ribs are so buttery and tender that it simply glides off the bone. The smoky outer crust, simply seasoned thickly with salt and black pepper the Texan way, adds a satisfying crunch, while the meat carries a subtler woodsy aroma that doesn't distract from its beefy flavour. We also like how the team thoughtfully chops the more sinewy underside of the rib into smaller pieces for an easier chew.

House-made pickled cucumber and onion, as well as fresh arugula offer a welcome brightness to the meaty platter. Though you can definitely go sauce-free, the house-made barbecue dip is excellent. Slightly sweet, smoky and tangy, the ketchup-based sauce gets a pleasant kick from paprika and cumin that makes it one of the better dips we’ve had. The other option, also house-made, is a creamy, appetising horseradish sauce that adds a lovely, lush texture to the beef.

Comes with house-made coleslaw & fab mashed potato

All sets come with a pint of coleslaw and mashed potato. Crunchy, tangy and refreshing, the lightly-dressed slaw does its job of breaking up the richness of the beef. The French-style mashed potato, made from scratch, is a standout.


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We asked if a copious amount of butter was used to achieve its luscious, velvety texture – to which Jett sheepishly responded: it’s made with lots of love. We chose blissful ignorance and continued digging into the impeccably smooth mash, topped with finely chopped chives

Bottom line

One of the best Texan-style barbecued beef ribs we’ve had – the superb balance of smoke, seasoning and succulence is a testament to the young pit master’s skill and reverence for the craft. The same attention to detail applies to the sides – especially the luscious, addictive mash – and dips, while the rustic but neatly-arranged platter makes it presentable for parties. Prices are comparable to Texan-style BBQ stall S’Mao (their USDA rib goes for $16 per 100g without sides) and steeper than home-based biz Cuts & Slices ($70 per kg). We think the painstakingly prepared, satisfying meat platter is worth the splurge — especially during this festive season of decadence. 

The details

Orders are released on Jett’s Barbecue’s website (www.jettbarbecue.sg) every third Sun of the month at 8pm for Fri to Sun deliveries in the following month. More info via Instagram.

Photos: Aik Chen 

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No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.

Related topics

Jett Barbecue Texas Style BBQ Beef Ribs Ribs barbecue american food Christmas smoked meat brisket smoked brisket beef smoker pitmaster Wood home based business mashed potato wood fire

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