Salt Pepper Oak uses custom equipment and unpretentious methods to prep proteins

In an unassuming shed outside Salt Pepper Oak, two 1,000-gallon steel smokers work overtime. Nicknamed “Too Phat” and “Lottie Mae” by proprietor Vincent Hunt, the oak-fed beasts help one of the Capital Region’s newest barbecue eateries turn out a signature menu of brisket, pork belly, turkey breast, pulled pork and ribs, not to mention smoked wings with crispy skins and, on Fridays, smoked shrimp.

The jovial Hunt opened Salt Pepper Oak in Baton Rouge in April 2025 after running it as a weekends-only concept near Diamondhead, Mississippi, for two years. Many in the Capital Region had already heard of it thanks to Hunt’s social media chops, as videos of him trimming briskets went viral on TikTok. But if that was the initial lure, the succulent flavor of Salt Pepper Oak’s toothsome meats has earned it repeat business. So have elevated sides like fire-roasted elote, creamy maple Napa slaw, borracho beans and smoked gouda grits.

After initially opening with a limited menu and hours, business grew quickly, prompting Hunt to add pitmaster Tim Armour, build out his kitchen team, and expand to six days a week. The restaurant now also serves breakfast Tuesday through Saturday mornings, and many Industriplex-area workers head in for rib-sticking fare like smoked birria breakfast tacos, brisket with grits, and eggs with smoked bacon, sausage or brisket.

“I truly enjoy people responding to our food,” Hunt says. “It’s not just typical barbecue. We take a lot of time with it.”

A crowd favorite is the two-meat special, ordered with brisket and pork belly. Hunt says Baton Rouge diners have a particular penchant for brisket, further shown in their fondness for the restaurant’s ground brisket smashburger served with fries cooked in beef tallow rendered from brisket fat.

Hunt says Salt Pepper Oak stands out not just for its all-wood, no-gas approach, but a certain technology developed by Hunt’s twin brother, Andrew, with whom he originally started the restaurant. Andrew fabricated the smokers from reclaimed fuel tankers and added thermostat controllers to ensure consistent results, Hunt says. (Once Andrew started posting about his smokers on social media, demand soared. He left the restaurant business to focus on selling them.)

The name “Salt Pepper Oak” riffs on an Anthony Bourdain quote about the barebones ingredients truly required for sublime ’cue. Indeed, Hunt relies on a salt-and-pepper rub. But there’s more to it than that. A lot of trial and error led to a formula with a couple different types of pepper ground in a 10-mesh, or coarsely ground, style, balanced with the right amount of salt.

“It’s really nice and peppery,” Hunt says. “And when you taste the brisket, that’s what you’re going to taste: all that delicious fat and meat.”

This article was originally published in the June 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.