Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael & Juan Pablo Graunke & Llano.
Hi Michael & Juan Pablo, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We were coworkers at Owlbear Barbecue in Denver, along with our friend and coworker, Teven, under the tutelage of Karl Fallenius, who honed his craft at Franklin’s in Austin, TX. From the summer of 2019 through the winter of 2021-22, the three of us cooked nearly all of the smoked meats served at Owlbear, leading the restaurant to a Westword Best of Denver award for Best BBQ in 2021. Unfortunately, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic interrupted our momentum and created the economic context that forced Karl Fallenius to shutter Owlbear in January of 2022. When Karl mentioned to us that he was planning to sell his 500 gallon custom-built offset smokers, the three of us devised a plan to capitalize on the opportunity by taking over operations. However, on Owlbear’s last weekend of service, Teven tragically passed away in his sleep. The Owlbear crew banded together and gathered around Teven’s hospital bed to join his family in paying our last respects, suspending BBQ service a day early to come together and support each other. It became clear, at this point, that we needed to press forward in order to make this dream a reality in memory of Teven. By May of 2022, we had acquired the restaurant space and equipment, including the signature smokers. We continued the legacy of live-fire BBQ we had collectively started in this space on Larimer St., maintaining the classic dishes from Owlbear’s menu while utilizing our newfound BBQ techniques to expand beyond Central Texas-style BBQ. Drawing upon our personal upbringing and various global inspiriations from the realm of live-fire cooking, we took the rebranded Pit Fiend Barbecue in a new and more adventurous direction.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Despite our many advantages, we have faced countless challenges in reestablishing the existing high standard for BBQ that put Owlbear on the map. Economic trends relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing international conflicts have lead to sustained higher prices on food & fuel, which has significantly increased our operating costs. In addition, regulatory changes within the city & county of Denver have dramatically increased costs for many restaurants, including employment. The widespread exodus from the food service industry following deteriorating working conditions during the pandemic cost the entire restaurant industry by eliminating many talented and experienced professionals who moved on to other careers – while we feel extremely fortunate to have assembled a strong team with the capacity to produce top-tier BBQ, it has come at a significant cost that strains our daily resources as we strive to provide the highest calibur product to our customers without breaking the bank.
We’ve been impressed with Pit Fiend Barbecue, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are the only BBQ restaurant in Denver to utilize all-wood, 100% live-fire cooking on Central Texas-style offset smokers. We are best known for our Central Texas-style brisket, but our hidden gems are the Colorado grass-fed lamb prepared in a Moroccan style, and the heritage-breed Duroc pork tenderloin, rubbed with locally-roasted Novo espresso. We also specialize in vegan BBQ – not just our vegan smoked lion’s mane mushrooms and pulled Yucatan-style jackfruit, but our vegetarian & vegan sides as well, in particular our Colombian-style pit beans. As owners, we still work daily in the restaurant cooking and serving food, and we work diligently to instill in our staff the same commitment to excellence that make us proud to serve high-quality BBQ in Denver, and support our staff accordingly with a liveable wage plus additional benefits. This broad commitment to excellence across our entire team propelled us to win Westword’s most recent Best BBQ award in 2023, which has yet to be surpassed.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
We both trained on the Franklin Guide to Barbecue (book), and we both use amazing-ribs.com as a regular resource, but the bulk of our expertise was instilled upon us by the talented pitmasters who previously trained us on the pits – Teven Hudgins, Karl Fallenius, and fellow Owlbear cooks James McFaul and Grant Israel. We also consider it a foundational pillar of our success that we are open to new experiences, learning everything we can from the many talented individuals that surround us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pitfiendbbq.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pit_fiend_bbq
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pitfiendbbq
