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My First BBQ Sale

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    My First BBQ Sale

    I'm the guy that's wants nothing to do with the restaurant business. I worked in one as a kid and saw the sweat and toil, along with the expectation of consistent quality that convinced me that's not my cup of tea. That being said I love to cook and have done so for many years. As I continue to add to my bbq cookers however, the thought has occurred that maybe by selling some of this stuff I can pay for the expense and maybe even continue to add to that collection (along with the outdoor kitchen currently being planned). Sooo my wife has asked several folks at church if anyone was interested in pre-cooked bbq and lo and behold a lady friend asked about a brisket. So last week we smoked one for her. I only charged her $100 for a 12# prime one, probably could have gotten a lot more. What I'm hoping is that word of mouth will bring in more occasional customers and I can branch out into other meats.

    I know some of you smoke and sell product but this is my first venture. Kind of gets the adrenaline pumping. And that brisket, she could not have been more complementary !! Nice little rush for a little bit of work !!!

    Forgot to take a pic of the finished product, we had to get it out the door. Here she is seasoned up and ready for the smoker....

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    #2
    When cooking for an individual, how did you determine what to put in the rub? Or does everyone in Texas expect just dalt and pepper?

    Comment


    • Troutman
      Troutman commented
      Editing a comment
      I used BBBR in the one above.
      Last edited by Troutman; May 20, 2018, 12:05 PM.

    • DeusDingo
      DeusDingo commented
      Editing a comment
      if there's no dalt in it i'm walking!

    #3
    Nice little rush for a little bit of work !!!.

    I can relate to the rush but "for a little bit of work" I find it's a lot of work to me, but all worth it.

    Comment


      #4
      I sold my first one today too.
      7 pounds of butt, beans and slaw. Threw in some homemade sauces. I'm trying to figure out what to charge. I'm thinking about $25 over cost. Click image for larger version

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      Comment


      • RonB
        RonB commented
        Editing a comment
        Figure the time actually spent doing it and multiply that times what you consider an appropriate hourly wage.

      • Huskee
        Huskee commented
        Editing a comment
        $25/hr x 12 hrs ... hmmm woudl someone pay me $300 for a brisket? 🤔

      • Potkettleblack
        Potkettleblack commented
        Editing a comment
        Do I factor not only salary at work, but also fringe? I could get some absurdly expensive prices for sous vide cookery like this.

      #5
      Depends on who your selling to, friend or stranger. Mine was a friend but still charged 3x my cost. Brisket cooked sells for $17-20/lb here otherwise.

      Comment


        #6
        Interesting proposition. However, if we tried that in California without a certified kitchen it would be considered a felony. I'm sure I could plead to a misdemeanor and get credit for time served, but the $5,000 fine would be tough.

        Comment


        • ComfortablyNumb
          ComfortablyNumb commented
          Editing a comment
          Glad I type slow, at least you brought it up first!

        • RonB
          RonB commented
          Editing a comment
          Just charge $10,000 for the brisket - 2 X cost.

        • HouseHomey
          HouseHomey commented
          Editing a comment
          Right!

        #7
        I don't want to rain on anybody's parade, so please just consider this food for thought. Two things to be considered are laws and liabilities. For those of us in the States we can be sure there are local laws about licensing and kitchen requirements. Ignoring them can earn anything from a slap on the wrist to some hefty fines. Doing BBQ for close friends will not likely get the attention of the food police, but if you get a reputation around town you might at some point answer the knock on the door and find an inspector there. Liability is a concern as well, restaurants and caterers carry insurance to protect themselves in the event someone gets sick, or worse, from their food preparation.

        So how can you protect yourself? Limit yourself to friends and people whom you know. Nothing in writing and cash only.

        Comment


        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          Kind of sucks that this is one of the first things that come to mind.

        • Troutman
          Troutman commented
          Editing a comment
          That’s why I prefaced my statements by saying I am not in the restaurant or catering business. It’s strickly friends, family and people close to the vest. Glad it was pointed out never-the-less.

        • Huskee
          Huskee commented
          Editing a comment
          In my neck of the woods the law is only involved if you cook on-site, and charge, both. If I cook at home and bring my offerings to a grad party it's legally no different than a dish-to-pass event. The money I charge covers the supplies.

        #8
        Congrats on the Sale!

        Comment


          #9
          Fun! I take orders from work mates for pulled pork & beef. One time I gave a sample of my pulled beef to a workmate when I delivered him his pulled pork and he had me make him a double load of all beef the next week. It's fun doing that for a little cash and while giving them a deal so they buy from me and not someone else. Helps pay my charcoal and wood bill for my own needs.

          Comment


          • Troutman
            Troutman commented
            Editing a comment
            My point exactly Huskee

          • HouseHomey
            HouseHomey commented
            Editing a comment
            Gotta keep that woodpile stacked.

          #10
          Way to go. I have two ladies (sisters), one I still work with, they buy the brisket and I just up-charge. They recommend the South Carolina Mustard Gold if I do pulled pork.

          I've done turkey and ham also. That ham is a tough one, practically reheating.

          I just make sure and let them buy the protein.

          Comment


            #11
            When I cure and smoke some bacon I usually buy an extra belly or two because I have some friends who are hooked on it. $10 a pound. They get some great bacon and I make a few bucks here and there. I have thought about offering pulled pork by the pound and maybe whole chickens from time to time.

            Comment


              #12
              Have you ever been in line at the store around the 1st or the 15 th of the month and see whatvseniors are buying. A great % are buying crap. Frozen crap, prepared junk, canned etc... at one point I got so mad that I offered to cook something for the guy in front of me.

              Apparently it came out wrong. I thought he was going to deck me. That salty old dog scared the crud out of me.

              Seriously though as a result I used to cook/sell food to about a dozen seniors. Lots of chicken, salads veggies and such. Sauces, meatballs, meatloaf and other comfort style food. Lower salt, less junk and just honest good food.

              i was doing well but could not keep up them plus referrals. Then all of the "Cottage food" laws were put front and center. Too much liability,especially with seniors so I gave it up.

              the cottage food laws in Ca has helped but they do not include TTS foods without an inspection. Even if you use a separate space like a garage and convert it to a kitchen (where allowed) the cities have no idea what their inspecting and have no index as it's the county that inspects here. It's currently a giant mess. I know some one with a cookie business and has had quit the time with the city.

              Anyhow CONGRATULATIONS on the sale!

              It's a very nice compliment and feeling when people want to pay for your food. Never trust the words of some one who is eating for free, they are just happy to be eating. If they pay you and come back then you have a more honest opinion.

              Comment


              • PappyBBQ
                PappyBBQ commented
                Editing a comment
                Yeah, my wife has a cookie business here in LA. (Shameless plug, jenscookiejar.com) Dealing with the city is a major pain in the, er, um, fanny.

              #13
              I've only done a few cooks for people that I was not going to eat. I only charged money for meat and supplies. If they added cash or liquid refreshment, well that was a bonus.

              Comment


                #14
                Hate to hijack my own thread (lol), but it seems like Cali has gotten into even more of folks' business than maybe they need to be. I'm sure Texas has similar rules and regs and yes I understand the whole concept of food safety and folks running around potentially getting other folks sick. Being in the development business I have been around the building a several dozen restaurants over my career and am very familiar withe the code enforcement people here in Houston. In large cities like Houston or LA or Chicago, trust me, they don't have the resources or the man power to stop individuals from preparing food for others on a consentual basis.

                I suppose if I was dealing in diary products or product that could potentially fall out of the safe zone that's one thing. If I setup a food truck on the corner and started selling sandwiches to the public without a licence that's another. Doing a brisket or pork butt that's been brought up to over 200* then cambroed and never falling below the 140* minimum before delivery is another. It's no different then the guy in the park selling hot dogs from his smoker trailer at Little League games, or cooking for a group of 30 people at an office party or one of a dozen other examples I can think about.

                Should we have food laws, well heck yea. But food, served responsibly, even in your own home between small groups of friends or family or even acquaintances is not going to stop and is never going to be regulated. And if they want to come arrest me then so be it. A couple of extra bucks to fuel my hobby is not a crime as far as I'm concernned.

                Comment


                • ComfortablyNumb
                  ComfortablyNumb commented
                  Editing a comment
                  What got my attention was the spreading of the word at church and you hope for a reputation. If the word gets to the authorities, they have the resources to visit. Hell, even a kid with a lemonade stand isn't off limits. https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkai.../#57f9a3742a52

                • Troutman
                  Troutman commented
                  Editing a comment
                  That's all well and good. We can certainly agree to disagree about what I pursue and how I pursue it. Again this is a hit and miss little side thing I will probably get maybe a half dozen requests for over the course of a year. Somehow I don't think Big Brother is watching.

                #15
                It's a shame that things have to be so regulated these days. I've not cooked anything for money ever, but after smoking 84 butts one time for the high school cheerleaders as a fundraiser (my daughter was one of them), I thought about the legalities. We bought the butts at Costco for $8-10 each, sold them for $30 each, profit for the cheerleaders was sales minus cost of meat, charcoal, and foil. My time was free (as a cheerleading parent), and I used my smoker plus two borrowed trailer reverse flow smokers. Lots of grease and hours of cleanup led me to vow not to ever do it again at that scale...

                Comment

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