New smoker

[Smokergrill]

Hi I’m Keeley from the UK
i purchased a bubba grills smoker from lonnie smith in 2006 which he organised all the shipping for me from New Orleans to united kingdom.
I only used 4 times at food and drink festivals selling ribs and beef batch’s and then opened a cafe in a public park selling coffee ice cream etc.
i have lost my contract to a higher bidder at park so I now need to use my bubba grills again which I’m currently scared . I feel like I haven’t enough knowledge and contacts for festivals in the uk .
i have 13 years old twins a single mom and I feel overwhelmed so I need advice how to apply to events again .
a new menu and a different look so my application stands out .
please help me

[barelfly]

Welcome from the Land of Enchantment! Enjoy your time here!!

[Draznnl]

Welcome to the Pit from Florida's Suncoast.

[mcook2201]

Greetings and welcome aboard from North Carolina, USA.

[Ace]

Welcome to the Pit Smokergrill
If I'm reading your post correctly, it seems that you're looking for some new menu ideas? If so, you might check out the Recipes Only tab at the top of this page. Lots of ideas there...

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/recipes-technique-food-cooking

[58limited]

Welcome!

Can you post a photo of your smoker so we can get an idea of the size and features? Smoked meats would be great at a festival but I was also thinking grilled meats such as fajitas for tacos would be good.

[SheilaAnn]

Hey hey from da LBC! Ask away, the knowledge here is priceless!

[DavidNorcross]

Welcome from Virginia!

[captainlee]

Welcome from Colorado!!

[Skip]

Welcome from Minnesota.

[Finster]

Welcome from The First State, USA!!

[LA Pork Butt]

Welcome to the Pit rom Dallas, Texas, USA! I am guessing BBQ isn’t traditional UK food, so one of your challenges is to get people not try it. One idea would be to look for BBQed food that would be a step up of some traditional UK food. Depending on how adventuresome UK folks are you could offer something they have never had before. That might be a bit more risky. In making decisions you will need to know what was offered at previous fairs and what they were selling for. Of course you will need to figure your costs and what profit you can make. Since you ran a business in the park before I think you can figure out how to do this again. If you have records of when you did BBQ at festivals you can draw from that experience. Good luck!

[Purc]

Bradley Robinson formerly of Leroy and Lewis BBQ (ranked #2 BBQ in Texas by Texas Monthly) has Chudds BBQ on YouTube and here are several of his videos on BBQ in England

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55VXqXQYTWo&pp=ygUTY3VkZCBiYnEgaW4gZW5nbGFuZA%3D%3D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU50ZcLfmK0&pp=ygUTY3VkZCBiYnEgaW4gZW5nbGFuZA%3D%3D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsgykSRDhRQ&pp=ygUTY3VkZCBiYnEgaW4gZW5nbGFuZA%3D%3D

I hope these help.

[Donw]

Welcome. Before offering any advice we would need a lot more information and details. Do you have a written business plan? What is your target demographic and the type of food you want to offer? If you enter a market, will what you are offering be unique enough to standout? And most importantly, with all the overhead and costs involved in food operations, will you actually have enough customers willing to pay what you need to charge to make a profit? Your actual location is important too. Setting up in Manchester would be quite different than setting up in Godalming.

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit.

Here are some thoughts that came to mind reading your post:

First, you need something that's quick and easy to prepare as well as different. The easiest way to do that is to cook the items in advance and assemble when ordered.

I have 2 suggestions that fit the above criteria. Smoked wings and tacos, (mentioned by 58limited above), could be smoked in advance and assembled/served fairly quickly. You would need some type of warmer to keep the proteins warm.

If you do wings, you will need some sauces to coat them with. (Here is a link to one US restaurant's sauces to give you some ideas.) You would have to decide what would work in the UK.

For tacos, chicken, beef, and pork are popular here and smoking them takes the flavor up a notch. Good luck.