Smoked turkey is the strongest argument City BBQ makes for itself. Turkey breast is the item most likely to expose a bad barbecue kitchen — it is lean, unforgiving and dries out in minutes — and City BBQ smokes it well enough to sell year-round at $17.39 a pound. At Thanksgiving that becomes a straightforward proposition: let them cook the hard part and cook the sides yourself.
City BBQ prices at a glance
The prices referenced on this page, collected up front. They vary by location and change without notice.
| Guests | Turkey breast | Cost at $17.39/lb |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 lb | $34.78 |
| 6 | 3 lb | $52.17 |
| 8 | 4 lb | $69.56 |
| 12 | 6 lb | $104.34 |
| 20 | 10 lb | $173.90 |
The short version
- Most City BBQ restaurants are closed on Thanksgiving Day itself. Pre-orders are collected in the days before, usually the Tuesday or Wednesday.
- Book two to three weeks ahead. Smoker capacity is fixed and holiday turkey slots sell out well before the deadline you assume exists.
- Smoked Turkey Breast is $17.39 a pound year-round, and one pound feeds roughly three people as part of a spread.
- Holiday programs are run at location level across roughly 80 restaurants — call your restaurant rather than relying on a national page.
How much turkey to order
The everyday City BBQ rule is a third of a pound per person as part of a mixed barbecue spread. Thanksgiving is different: the turkey is the centrepiece, people go back for seconds, and leftovers are half the point. Budget half a pound of turkey breast per adult.
The second meat is what people remember
Turkey is what the table expects. A pound or two of something else is what gets talked about, and City BBQ is priced well for it — Beef Brisket at $22.79 a pound, Pulled Pork at $16.19, Smoked Sausage at $16.19. Two pounds of brisket alongside a four-pound turkey transforms a table of eight for $45.58, and any leftover pulled pork becomes the best sandwich of the weekend. The wider per-head math is worked through in the City BBQ catering guide.
Which sides to buy and which to cook
City BBQ sells sides in individual portions and in pints, and the pint upgrade inside the samplers prices out at roughly $3.00 to $3.84 more per side — useful context when you are deciding what to outsource.
- 3-Cheese Baked Mac ($3.59 individual). Buy it. Baked with a crust, and genuinely hard to match at home while you are managing an oven full of other things.
- Baked Beans with Brisket ($2.99). Buy it. Real brisket in the beans; nobody is making that on Thanksgiving morning.
- Corn Pudding ($2.75). Buy it. Sweet, closer to a dessert, and the most Thanksgiving-shaped item on the whole board.
- Collard Greens with Pork ($3.35). Worth it if your table wants a Southern vegetable that is not green bean casserole.
- Green Beans with Bacon ($2.75). Skip. Easy to cook yourself and it takes one burner.
- Vinegar Slaw ($2.75). Not a Thanksgiving side, but excellent on turkey sandwiches the next day.
Note that beans, greens and green beans all contain meat, which matters if you are feeding vegetarians — the City BBQ allergen guide lists the traps, and the Small Party Salad at $29.99 is the easiest fix. For dessert, Peach Cobbler at $5.99 travels better than the Triple Chocolate Cake at $4.79.
Reheating without ruining it
This is where a good pre-order gets wasted. The turkey is already cooked. You are warming it, not cooking it again.
- Ask for it unsliced when you order. A whole piece holds moisture far better and takes two minutes to carve.
- Wrap in foil with a splash of stock. 275°F for 25 to 30 minutes for a three-pound piece.
- Never microwave sliced turkey. It goes rubbery and grey and there is no recovering it.
- Rest ten minutes before carving.
- Sides: covered dish, 300°F, 20 minutes. Give the 3-cheese mac three minutes uncovered at the end to bring the crust back.
Timing, precisely
Three weeks out, call and ask when holiday pre-orders open and what is on the list this year. Two weeks out, place the order and get the collection day and time confirmed. Collect on the Tuesday or Wednesday, refrigerate immediately, and reheat on the day. Restaurant opening times around the holiday are in the City BBQ hours guide — assume closure on Thanksgiving Day and an early close the evening before. Everything else on the board, with current prices, is on the City BBQ menu.