Barbecue pit stolen from Killen's restaurant in Pearland

(Courtesy Ronnie Killen) (Courtesy Ronnie Killen) Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Barbecue pit stolen from Killen's restaurant in Pearland 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

Over the past few months, chef Ronnie Killen in Pearland has been perfecting his barbecue game with a series of pop-up lunches at his award-winning steakhouse.

Thursday night, someone stole the barbecue pit he had been using to cook his brisket.

According to Killen's employee Ryan Penn, the theft occurred overnight behind Killen's Steakhouse where the large pit was stored.

Killen and Penn noticed it was missing around noon today.

Penn says the pit -- which was custom-fabricated in Hoboken, Ga., -- cost Killen nearly $8,000 and had to be pulled all the way to Pearland. It had been seasoned to Killen's standards over the past months, too.

It was due to be cleaned today for another busy weekend at Killen's new barbecue restaurant location in the middle of Pearland, at 3613 East Broadway.

Penn doesn't know what someone would do with the pit.

"You can't scrap it, it's very recognizable," says the manager of the steakhouse.

"How do I get another pit big enough now?" asked Killen. "I thought someone was punking me at first."

The pit was made by Lang BBQ Smokers. With the cost of materials these days, Killen isn't sure when he can have it replaced. Friends in the industry are working to get him pits to use in the meantime.

He thinks that the thieves used something very sophisticated to break the pit's lock, which was found on the ground behind the steakhouse.

"It's nobody from Pearland, I think. I just want to get the word. Anyone who took it, I hope they are at least cooking good barbecue with it," says Killen.

The pit theft will not sidetrack the planned opening of Killen's barbecue restaurant , which will have built-in pits. This pit was one of a few that Killen uses, not the only one. It was his favorite, though.

Killen and his staff are now left worrying about how they will meet the demand for their meat every weekend without it.

Saturday's pop-up is still scheduled for tomorrow at 11 a.m., according to a Killen's Facebook post.

Penn says that they are now offering a reward of $5,000 for information that leads to the return of the barbecue pit.

Pearland police are currently investigating the theft.

This isn't Killen's first experience with barbecue-related theft. Back in early June, someone stole a 15-pound brisket off of one of Killen's other outdoor pits.