If your mouth has been watering since you first heard Pecos Pit Bar-B-Que was coming to West Seattle, you've no doubt seen the work in progress at the corner of 35th SW and Fauntleroy Way. They've transformed the once humble building into a drive-through destination, set to open in "late June."

It will feature a drive through, and parking in a lot just adjacent for up to 16 cars, with seating inside for 37 and outside for 24 more.

The decor is distinctly American with signature Pecos touches, white tile with red trim tiles, marble, theater style lights, brushed copper trim on food service units, and lots of wood. The seating inside is on stools, outside at picnic tables. The design work was done by Sue Genty working with owner Gerry Kingen.

Kingen bought the rights to the name and of course the "only sauce" from Ron and Debra Wise who founded the brand and have operated under the name since 1980, building a cult following in their location at 2260 1st Avenue South.

The plans for this new location and others have been in the works for well over a year as the menu and processes of production were worked out.

There has been some concern in the neighborhood that the business will introduce a lot more traffic, but Pecos management believes the effects will be negligible. They point to the parking lot as a way to keep the number of cars simply passing through to a minimum.

For now, you can order ahead by phone at (206) 708-7691 or park and go in, or use the drive through, though plans are in place to allow online ordering in the future. They are looking at doing delivery, especially for bulk orders or catering but will keep that process in house, preferring not to use a delivery service.

Jeremy McLachlan, VP of Food & Beverage, said their goal is to get people their order within three minutes of ordering but at first they will be just a little slower as they get systems up and running. Sandwiches are assembled to order, that's not unusual but, "You can drive through and get a whole brisket." he said. They come out at around 9 to 10 pounds, might cost around $100 but would feed 10 to 15 people.

The "central pit" can produce between 1200 to 2400 pounds of smoked meat goodness every day. The meat is cooked and brought in fresh every day and stored on site in special temperature controlled systems to keep them at optimum freshness.

The process of smoking the meat in this way, slowly for 12 hours at lower temperatures, not only infuses flavor and tenderness, it makes the meat lose volume, "Pork will lose 30% of its weight, but the brisket will lose about 60%," McLachlan said.

Pecos gets the meat from a local meat supplier where it sourced from Washington, Nebraska and elsewhere.

On the Menu

Pecos Pit will offer one beer only, Smoking Hot Pale Ale (brewed for Pecos exclusively by Pikes Brewing), a single cocktail called Two Lips Lemonade (made with moonshine) with mint and lemons, plus shots of moonshine in house, but also an array of soft drinks.

The menu offers wood smoked chopped port butt, chopped or sliced beef brisket or sliced chicken sandwiches in 8oz, 4oz and 2oz sizes with mild, medium or "damn hot" bar-b-que sauce. Options allow you to add onions, cheese, extra sauce, cole slaw, pickles and more.

Also available are russet or sweet potatoes, a salad with Pecos pit touches, and something they call the Walkaround Bowl, which consists of cheddar cheese, beans, and coleslaw.

Side dishes include Potato Salad, Pecos Pit Beans, Cowboy Caviar (black-eyed peas, tomatoes, corn, and avocado), Coleslaw and chips.

Bulk pork, beef or chicken are available too.

As they get underway Pecos will have about 60% of their materials be compostable with more becoming available as they reach higher volume.

Hours and opening

Pecos Pit will be open Sunday through Thursday 11am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 10pm.

There will be a few training days prior to the official opening but closed to the public followed by a Grand Opening celebration with local dignitaries. Final plans are still being formulated.

The company, started by Gerry Kingen and Kathy Kingen, is now called Pecos Pit International Franchise LLC and they are currently in their third round of funding with plans to take the business regional, then national, and eventually worldwide.
Investors are asked to email info@pecospit.com