MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minnesota chef whose business has been suffering because of the coronavirus pandemic showed up to work to find his 2-ton custom-built barbecue smoker was stolen over the weekend - but was found Monday, thanks to a tip from a good Samaritan.
Thomas Boemer, chef and co-owner of Revival and Revival Smoked Meats, said the steel-and-aluminum smoker, which is roughly the size of an SUV, was stolen from the parking lot of his former Corner Table restaurant in south Minneapolis, the Star Tribune reported.
“It’s my most prized possession,” Boemer said. “It was a dream come true for me to get this smoker. To have this happen during all of this, it’s just too much. When I drove up and saw that it was gone, I just sat there. It’s gut-wrenching.”
The unit built by Georgia-based Lang BBQ Smokers can handle 80 racks of ribs, or 60 briskets or whole pigs. An attached charbroiler is used for oysters and sweet corn and a separate lower-temperature holding box can smoke 20 King salmon filets at a time. Boemer had planned to smoke hundreds of hams for Christmas.
“It’s the most fun thing there is for cooking,” said Boemer. “You drive up, park it, fill the neighborhood with the most amazing smells and people line up.”
On Monday afternoon, a good Samaritan filled Boemer’s heart with joy when they called the restaurant and said they saw the smoker parked in a Minneapolis alley. Boemer said he raced over and called the police, who later helped him hitch the slightly damaged smoker to his SUV.
“It was a joyous moment in the alley,” said Boemer, suggesting a reward may be in order for the good Samaritan. “I have to figure something out, big-time. And then reward the heck out of them.”
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