Pros and Cons of BBQ Trailer

[jfmorris]

Question for the group... so are you guys getting to the event like 6 hours early to setup and begin the cook? Or are you starting the cook at home and then driving to the event with your food in the cooker? Or, are you cooking part-way at home, sticking the food in a Cambro, then finishing at the event?

I do not think you want to be transporting a cooker with food or fire in it. Really bad idea for a lot of reasons. Possibly illegal too! From a practical standpoint, food and fuel will be sliding around at every turn, ashes blowing up out of the firebox and onto the food, draft across the chimney will suck air through the fire and make it blazing hot. Grease flying out behind as you go down the road. All sorts of badness is going to happen, and you will have just a mess of nasty ashy torn up meat from sliding around the cooker by the time you get to where you are going.

If you want to cook for a crowd, onsite, you have to realize cooking times - for traditional low and slow BBQ, about the only thing you can get done in 5 to 6 hours is ribs. Chicken is also a fast cook that folks like. Butts and brisket are all day or overnight cooks. If you go 275 to 300, and use the Texas crutch (foil) once the bark is set, you can start at 8am and be serving brisket and butts by dinner time, but not much faster than that. Also factor in time for setup, getting the fire going and the smoke clean and the cooker to your target temp of 250 or so. Even that 5-6 hour rib cook will take an extra hour of setup time.

I think if you want to serve brisket or pulled pork at an event and do it in 5-6 hours onsite, you will have to cook it offsite to the stall (170 or so), wrap in foil and into a cambro, then unpack it onsite and put it back on for a few hours to push it to 203F or whatever your final temp is. And this would also imply shutting down the cooker and killing the fire, hosing out grease, cleaning out the firebox, then hitting the road and firing it back up onsite. That is a LOT of work, and would almost be better done with two cookers - one for back home - maybe a cheaper cabinet smoker - and another for onsite and "the show".

[Coconut Monkey]

To answer a previous comment, I have a minivan with 3500 lbs towing capacity. So I should be OK to haul a BBQ trailer.

For Brisket and Pork Butts... I suppose I could cook those at home and bring to the site in a Cambro. Warm those up in the smoker while ribs or chicken or anything else is being cooked. The "show" is just that... as long as *something* is being cooked in the smoker I'm assuming the "show" status is satisfied.

[Jerod Broussard]

The Salt Lick smokes their meat, vacuum seals and freezes, then heats back up for serving.

[Bob's BBQ]

I love mine. I built it myself so I don't have as much invested. It's a show piece where ever I haul it. I mostly cook for family events, and cook on site. I have a big family so we've had about 100 people for graduation parties and wedding practice dinners. It's been a lot of fun.

[Coconut Monkey]

Well I took the plunge and put in the down-payment. This is what she will look like when she is done.

[HawkerXP]

Wow!

[Jerod Broussard]

Bad Baby Bad!!!

[holehogg]

That's neat.

[FireMan]

Fantastic!!!
Dumb question, that is a kettle on the front of that, right?
Man are you going to be a happy camper!

[Coconut Monkey]

Yes it is a kettle. I figured I would low and slow on the Meat Monster, and sear on the kettle.

John

[tbob4]

FireMan asked my question looks like you are going to have a lot of fun. Does the big unit have a separate firebox?

[Coconut Monkey]

It has an internal firebox. It's a pretty unique design. Peoria cookers, MMIF.

[tbob4]

I’m looking forward to you receiving it and seeing cooks. You have to post a photo of yourself working that thing. I’m sure there will be a huge smile.

[Coconut Monkey]

In case you are interested, here is the conclusion of my journey and research: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...-an-old-friend