The stereotypical image of a Texas barbecue pitmaster is someone who toils before a roaring fire, stoking the flames in the firebox and slicing smoked meats to order on the chopping block. It’s a hot, perilous and physically-demanding occupation.

But few people realize that pitmasters often spend as much time in front of a computer as they do a firebox. Even more than other food-related businesses, barbecue is a numbers game. Many pitmasters are as proficient at populating spreadsheets as they are filling smokers with briskets.

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Like all businesses, the most important calculation is that the amount of money coming in (income) is greater than the money getting paid out (expenses). In the restaurant industry, this profit margin is usually about 10 percent.

Recently, though, with the spike in the costs of raw materials and labor, the margin is getting squeezed. This is offset by pitmasters trying to find costs savings, for instance, using a........

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