San Diego wood-fired catering.
Slow-smoked brisket, tri-tip and live-fire stations across San Diego County.
Cooked over hardwood. Served at its peak.
Everything starts with the fire. Oak, mesquite and pecan. Slow temperatures, long cooks, and the kind of bark that tells you it was done right.
This is backyard cooking with a wedding-night standard of presentation.
Full-service from first call to final pour.
- 01
Slow-Smoked Brisket
12-hour brisket with a deep bark and ribbon-thin pink smoke ring.
- 02
Tri-Tip Carving Station
Wood-fired tri-tip, sliced to order tableside.
- 03
Pulled Pork & Chicken
Hand-pulled, served with house sauces on the side.
- 04
Hot Links & Chicken Quarters
Snap-casing sausage and wood-fired chicken quarters.
- 05
Live-Fire Stations
We bring the grill. Guests gather. Food comes off the fire all night.
- 06
Comfort Sides
Mac and cheese, baked beans, southern green beans, street corn.
Six ways to serve the room.
Every Qfire menu can be served in the format that fits your venue, your guest count, and the night you want them to remember.
Buffet
Beautifully set, chef-attended buffet lines. Hot food, fast lines, no chaos.
Family Style
Shared platters down the center of the table. Warm, generous, and dinner-party intimate.
Plated Service
Coursed, white-glove plated dinners with synchronized service for every table.
Onsite Live-Fire Grilling
We roll in the grill and cook over hardwood at your venue. Guests gather. Memories form.
Action Stations
Chef-driven carving and live-cook stations — picanha, brisket, pasta, raw bar.
Drop-Off Catering
Premium daytime catering for boardrooms and offsites — packaged, labeled, on time.
The full wood-fired menu.
Choose Your Meats (GF)
- Premium 1/3 lb All-Beef Hamburgers
- Premium All-Beef Hot Dogs
- Hickory Smoked Pulled Pork
- Smoked Pulled Chicken
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- BBQ Chicken (Leg & Thigh)
Premium Meat Options (Upcharge)
- Smoked Sliced Beef Brisket (+$3)
- Smoked Pulled Beef (+$2)
- Smoked Beef Ribs (+$5)
- Beef Tri-Tip (+$4)
- Wood-Fired Pork Spare Ribs (+$2)
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin (+$2)
- Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters (+$2)
- Hot Links (+$2)
- Grilled Pork Chops (+$2)
Vegetarian & Vegan ($4.99/selection · 10 min)
- Veggie Burgers
- Grilled Portabella Mushroom
- Grilled Cauliflower Steaks
- BBQ Jackfruit
Sides
- Potato Salad w/ Herb-Infused Dressing (V, GF)
- Gourmet Macaroni Pasta Salad Delight (V)
- Signature Smokehouse Beans (GF)
- Green Beans (V, GF, VG)
- Sweet Potatoes / Yams (V, GF, VG)
- Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese (V)
- Garden Salad (V, GF, VG)
- Caesar Salad (GF)
- Authentic Refried Beans (V, GF, VG)
- Elotes — Mexican Street Corn Salad (Warm, GF, V)
- Spanish Rice (V, GF, VG)
- Frejoles / Black Beans (V, GF, VG)
- Collard Greens (V, GF, VG)
- Southern-Style Smothered Cabbage
- Coleslaw (V, GF)
- Corn on the Cob (V, GF, VG)
- Mashed Potatoes (V, GF)
- Alfredo Penne Pasta (V)
- Baked Potatoes (V, GF, VG)
- Corn Bread (V)
Premium Sides (Upcharge)
- Loaded Red Mashed Potatoes (+$2)
- Grilled Asparagus (+$2, V, GF, VG)
- Pasta Salad (+$1, V)
- Fresh Whole Green Beans (+$2, V, GF, VG)
- Roasted Broccoli (+$2, V, GF, VG)
- Southern-Style Green Beans w/ Onions & Bell Peppers (+$2, V, GF, VG)
Bread
- Butter Bread Rolls (+$1.99)
Appetizers ($3.49/selection)
- Fruit Platter
- Veggie Platter
- Assorted Spiced Cheese & Crackers
- BBQ Daddy Meatballs
- Caesar Salad (GF, VG)
- Glazed Cocktail Sausages
- BBQ'd Italian Meatballs Wrapped in Bacon (+$3, GF)
- Chips, Red/Green Salsa, Guac & Pico (+$2)
Desserts ($2.99/selection)
- Peach Cobbler
- German Chocolate Cake
- Assorted Fresh-Baked Cookies
- Chocolate Cake
- Vanilla Cake
- Double Fudge Brownies
Drinks ($0.99/selection)
- Sweet Tea
- Unsweet Tea
- Lemon Tea
- Arnold Palmer
- Lemonade
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Blueberry Lemonade
- Raspberry Lemonade
- Fruit Punch
- Water
Dinnerware
- Picnic Style — Disposable Dinnerware, heavyweight white cutlery (+$0.75/person)
- Formal Plasticware — disposable plate, heavyweight plastic cutlery, dinner napkin (+$3.25)
- Glass Dinnerware — glass plate, water goblet, silverware, cloth napkin (+$6.25/person)
- Providing my own dinnerware
Add-Ons
- Onsite Grilling (+$225)
- Meat Carving Station (+$150)
- Bar Service — Bartender Only, Mixer Package, Beer & Wine, or Full-Service Liquor
From recent events.
View All
Everything worth knowing.
Wood-fired catering, done right, takes 12–18 hours of slow, careful cooking over real hardwood. That's why most caterers don't actually do it — they say they do, then fire up gas smokers or shortcut it with liquid smoke. Qfire doesn't. Every brisket, pork shoulder, and rack of ribs we serve is cooked over oak, hickory, mesquite, or pecan, the way it's supposed to be.
The difference is in the bark, the smoke ring, the tenderness, and the depth of flavor. Real wood fire is unforgiving — and that's exactly why guests can taste it instantly.
Your proposal, line by line.
No hidden fees, no surprise gratuities, no upsells the day of. Every Qfire proposal is itemized so you know exactly what your investment buys.
- Choice of premium smoked proteins (brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken, sausage)
- Signature Smokehouse Beans and southern sides
- Fresh cornbread and house sauces
- Wood-fire cooking on-site or pre-smoked and reheated to standard
- Buffet, family-style, plated, or boxed service
- Uniformed service staff
- Setup of chafers, serving equipment, and stations
- Disposable Dinnerware or upgraded rental packages
- Complete breakdown and trash removal
- Optional bar program
- Custom protein add-ons (lamb, tri-tip, whole hog)
- Dietary-friendly sides built into every menu
What experienced hosts get right.
After 2,500+ events, these are the calls that consistently separate an unforgettable evening from a stressful one.
Two proteins is the sweet spot
Brisket + pulled pork covers 90% of crowds beautifully. Add a third (ribs, chicken, or sausage) for variety on larger events.
Plan for the bark, not the photo
Real wood-fired bark looks darker than catering pictures online. That's a feature — that's where the flavor lives.
Sides do heavy lifting
Smokehouse beans, smoked mac, southern slaw, and cornbread carry the meal as much as the protein. Don't shortcut the side list.
Pick a sauce strategy
House sauces on the side let guests dress to taste. Pre-sauced is faster but flatter. We'll recommend based on your service style.
Build for second plates
Wood-fired food invites seconds. We portion accordingly so the buffet stays full from first plate to last.
Consider chef-attended grilling
For showcase events, add a live grilling station — picanha, ribeye, or salmon cooked in front of guests alongside the smoked proteins.
From first inquiry to final plate.
A simple, transparent path designed to remove guesswork. Most clients book in under 10 days.
- 1
Inquiry
Date, guest count, location, and a sense of what proteins you want.
- 2
Custom proposal
Itemized proposal within a few business days.
- 3
Reserve the date
Deposit applied to your final invoice.
- 4
Menu refinement
Refine the protein mix, sides, and service style over the next few weeks.
- 5
Final headcount
Lock guest count and dietary needs 7–15 days out.
- 6
We start cooking the day before
Brisket and pork shoulder go on the smoker the night before. Real wood fire takes time — and we plan for it.
- 7
Event day
On-time arrival, clean setup, hot food on the buffet, complete breakdown.
Before, during, and after your event.
- →Quote within a few business days
- →Menu refined across multiple touches
- →Final headcount locked 7–15 days out
- →Smoker fired up the night before the event
- →Clear arrival, setup, and service plan
- →Hot food held to standard, not over-held
- →Uniformed service staff
- →Buffet refilled proactively
- →Sides plated bright and fresh
- →Calm, professional kitchen presence
- →Buffet broken down without disruption
- →Trash bagged and hauled per venue
- →All Qfire equipment removed
- →Final walk-through with you or your planner
- →Follow-up note within 48 hours
What actually makes us different.
A short list of things our clients tell us they couldn't find anywhere else.
Real wood, real fire — not gas
Oak, hickory, mesquite, pecan. Live coals. No shortcuts. The flavor tells the story.
12–18 hour cook times
We start the smoker the night before so your food is right at service. Most caterers can't or won't.
Chef-driven sides
Sides matter as much as protein. Smokehouse beans, smoked mac, southern slaw, cornbread — all built from scratch.
Backyard luxury, scaled
From 25-guest backyards to 1,500-guest activations. Same wood, same fire, same standards.
The reassurance most caterers won't put in writing.
Itemized, all-in pricing
Every proposal lists food, service, rentals, travel, and gratuity separately. No surprise fees. No day-of upsells. The number you sign is the number you pay.
Licensed, insured, food-safe
Fully licensed and insured with ServSafe-certified leadership. Most premium venues already have us on their approved-vendor list.
Date held with a fair deposit
Your date is reserved with a transparent date-charge applied directly to your final invoice — not a sunk fee.
Menu stays flexible until 15 days out
Refine your menu, swap proteins, and adjust guest count as your plans evolve. The contract holds the date, not the menu.
Chef Terry personally designs every menu
You aren't handed off to a junior coordinator. The chef who appears on Food Network reads your inquiry and builds your proposal.
On-time setup, every event
We arrive early, set with calm precision, and finish service on schedule. Our reviews on Google and The Knot reflect it.
A deeper knowledge base.
The questions thoughtful clients ask once they're seriously considering booking.
What's the difference between wood-fired and standard BBQ?
+
Wood-fired uses real hardwood (oak, hickory, mesquite, pecan) with live fire and slow smoke — no gas shortcuts, no electric smokers. The flavor is deeper, the bark is darker, and the meat is more tender.
Can you do wood-fired catering indoors?
+
Cooking happens outside with proper ventilation and venue approval. Plating and service can happen indoors — we coordinate the layout with your venue manager.
What proteins are available wood-fired?
+
Brisket, pulled pork, pork ribs, beef ribs, smoked chicken, turkey, sausage, salmon, picanha, tri-tip, and tomahawks. Custom proteins (lamb, whole hog, prime rib) on request.
How early do you start cooking for a wood-fired event?
+
Brisket and pork start 12–18 hours before service. We manage the smoker overnight if needed — you'll wake up to perfect food on event day.
What sides come with wood-fired catering?
+
Signature Smokehouse Beans, smoked mac & cheese, southern coleslaw, cornbread, potato salad, collard greens, charred corn, and more. Full side list on the wood-fired menu.
Let's design your wood-fired menu.
Tell us about your event. We'll send a custom proposal within 4 hours.