BBQ takeout bags for Oakland, printed with your logo. Ribs, links and sides in one strong bag.

Oakland barbecue is family food

Oakland has a deep barbecue tradition, much of it carried by Black families who brought recipes from Texas, Louisiana and the South. Smoke from pits in East and West Oakland, hot links with a snap, sauce on the side and sweet potato pie for after. It's food made for sharing, and most of it leaves in a bag.

Weekend cookouts at Lake Merritt, game days, church gatherings, birthdays: Oakland barbecue orders are rarely for one. That means weight, grease and a lot of sides.

This page covers how to bag all of it. For the bigger picture on printed kraft takeout bags in the Bay Area, visit the home page.

Keep the bark, lose the steam

The crust on a good brisket or a rack of ribs is the reward for hours on the pit. Seal it in a tight container while it's still steaming and that bark goes soft before it hits the freeway.

Wrap meat in butcher paper first, then into a tray or box with the lid vented or cracked. Paper lets steam out and keeps grease in. Slice brisket at the counter only if the drive is short. For long trips, send it whole and let the customer slice at home.

Butcher paper first, then the box, then the bag. Each layer lets a little steam out, and the bark makes it home.

Sauce and grease go on the side

Barbecue sauce is great on the plate and messy in a bag. Pour it into sealed cups and stand them in the side pockets made by the 3.5″ gussets. If a cup tips, it stays in its corner instead of running under the meat.

Wipe any grease off the outside of trays before they go in. Clean containers keep the bag dry and the handles strong.

Packing a full Oakland order

• Heavy sides on the bottom. Greens, beans, mac and cheese and potato salad in sealed quarts, sitting flat.
• Meat trays above. Ribs, brisket, chicken and hot links wrapped in paper, lids vented.
• Bread and cornbread on top. Light and dry, so nothing squashes them.
• Sauce cups in the corners. Mild on one side, hot on the other.
• Dessert last. Peach cobbler or sweet potato pie flat on the very top.

Heavy orders need a strong bag

Barbecue is some of the heaviest takeout there is. Our bag is 12″ × 7″ × 14″ with a flat square base, made from 110 GSM kraft, and carries 22 lb by paper handles that are taped inside. That's a full slab, two pounds of links and three quarts of sides in one trip.

Every number is on the bag size and specs page. Running a pop-up out of a parking lot or a brewery on weekends? A low minimum order gets you started with 50 printed bags.

A logo with some smoke in it

Barbecue logos love fire, pigs, cows, crossed forks and old style lettering. Black and red look rich on brown kraft, and that's the classic barbecue look. If your brand uses lighter colors, the bright white bag lets them show.

We print your logo free on the front, up to 12 × 14 in. Setup is $0. Every box comes with 100 food tamper-evident stickers to seal delivery orders, and shipping to Oakland is free, arriving in 3 to 4 days.