This Chopped' winner is back in Oakland with some of the Bay's best smoked brisket and ribs

"Armstead is also running things mostly solo—self-financing the restaurant, planning inventory, shopping for ingredients several times a week, and using the two custom-built Southern Pride smokers. Doing a lot of the work himself helps keep costs down—his plates cost $18-$25 ($18 for pork ribs that come with a chunk of blue corn bread and a side dish, and $25 for half a smoked chicken). In addition to his mom, he has the help of three staff members."

"In November, Armstead quietly opened Saints Smokehouse to the public as a weekend pop-up. He is currently operating Wednesdays through Saturdays. Soon, he hopes to officially open his restaurant, a project that has been in the works for four and a half years. On a Wednesday in May, a line formed at Saints Smokehouse before the door opened at noon."

"After stopping at three local restaurant supply stores to gather all the ingredients, Armstead meets his mom, Cecilia Armstead, who helps him prep at his new restaurant in downtown Oakland. He starts the slow cooking process of marinating and smoking the brisket, and marinating the chicken and ribs. The next morning, he is up at 5:30 to start the smoker again and make the side dishes mac and cheese, collard greens with smoked turkey, purple cornbread, and honey buttered yams."

"Armstead is not new to barbecue—he started as a vendor at the Ashby Flea Market in Berkeley in 2015 and opened Crave BBQ in Richmond's Hilltop Mall as well as Grammie's Down-Home Chicken & Seafood in Oakland. He later competed on Chopped, winning his episode in 2019. The smoked ribs are one of the signature items at Saints Smokehouse."

Rashad Armstead prepares smoked barbecue for Saints Smokehouse in downtown Oakland, starting early with ingredients like pork ribs, cheddar cheese, and jumbo yams. He and his mother, Cecilia Armstead, handle marinating and slow cooking, including brisket, chicken, and ribs, then prepare sides such as mac and cheese, collard greens with smoked turkey, purple cornbread, and honey-buttered yams. Armstead has barbecue experience from vending at the Ashby Flea Market since 2015 and running other restaurants in Richmond and Oakland. He previously competed on Chopped, winning in 2019. Saints Smokehouse opened quietly as a weekend pop-up in November and runs Wednesdays through Saturdays while he works toward an official opening.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org