Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Smashing the 3 Leg Pig

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Smashing the 3 Leg Pig

    I can honestly say this report is more an exhibition of the Pit People than it is of me.

    Decided I’d had enough and reached my ceiling working out of my wagon at the truck dealership and at the end of October last year I called it a day. I had a few thoughts of whereto but nothing set in stone. I was giving up a guaranteed income for the meals the company was paying for and some other minor business on the side. I felt there was no further growth for me personally and financially.

    During the month of November I spent my time being lazy while I pondered things. I got a call from a Pub owner who I met with and know find me and my wagon parked outside his pub. The pub (JADES) in a small center does not have a huge amount of feet through it, but is nicely positioned next to a busy supermarket and very busy petrol (gas) station.

    To get the wheels rolling I decided on a limited menu. Burgers, Russian and Cheesegriller Sausages (both shop bought) and fresh hand cut Chips (fries). I have become the owner of potato peeler calluses.

    I serve Smash burgers and have become convinced there is no better burger on the planet, so simple and delicious. Very few people these parts are familiar with the term Smash Burger and one of the best examples of this was somebody asking "What’s the difference between a smash burger and one on a roll."
    Becoming somewhat of a Burger Legend in the area. So much so that one person told me I’ve ruined his life. He is a Burger Buff and is now unable to eat any other burger but mine. I am constantly asked if I sell the patties I use on my burgers. "No I don’t", followed by a long explanation and all I’d be selling them is minced meat that they can get from their butcher.
    Word and mouth got me started and has now boomed ever since people started posting about my burgers on "Telegram" under the local "Sherwood Ads and Chat group." I don’t do social media besides lurking on twitter but have concluded it can be a powerful medium to get word out there and this without any of my own doing..
    Most people’s first visits to my wagon start with saying "I have heard you make the best burgers." and almost always makes me wonder what they have conjured up in their head is a "best burger" because a smash burger is a simple burger and they may have come there with a different mental image. What sets a smash burger apart from the rest is the taste.

    My burgers are smashingly good because of what I have learnt here about smashing. I am using a 75 – 25 mix and follow simple steps like pressing the outer edges of the patty down onto the flattop after smashing. I use a good shop bought BBQ spice instead of just a plain salt and pepper seasoning (S&P is my preference.) A toasted burger bun that has a sweetish taste. The BBQ sauce is none other than Huskee original shawsh that I add a little tamarind paste and a dash of Chipotle Tabasco. I do not do the lettuce and tomato thing only chopped raw onion.
    A good quality processed cheese slice and homemade bacon are 2 of the most popular "add on top" items and a fried egg is another option. When I do have smoked cheese, I grate a small amount onto the bun and it just seems to take the burger over the top.
    My tools consist of a plaster trowel and paint scraper. Trowel for smashing and scraper for flipping and scraping the surface after frying. Brings a lot of amusement to my patrons.
    On weekends customers sometimes wait for more than an hour to get their orders. Mostly due to me not been able to keep up with the sides of fries with the burgers. One of these days I will have to consider a side kick to help out, but for the time being its working okay.



    The smashing taken care of brings me to the 3 Leg Pig.

    People can only eat so many burgers a week although there are a few customers who come at least 3 of the 5 days I’m open.
    On the back of the success of the burgers I introduced Smoked Pork Belly 3 ways. Available only on Fridays from around 6pm.
    If I haven’t mentioned it "I love Pork Belly" and so do so many of my supporters now.
    On Fridays I smoke Belly Pieces, Ribs, and PB Burnt Ends and have never had any left-over bar that that I hide for myself. I have more demand for my ribs than I can supply. I cut the ribs from the belly myself because the spare ribs sold in the stores are the discarded belly bones from food processing companies with a small bit of meat between the bones. and the SA consumer knows no better and just accepts that’s how spare ribs are. I currently buy 4 whole bellies at a time. Three bellies for Fridays that yield enough for the belly pieces and burnt ends and 3 racks of ribs. The fourth belly I butcher for bacon.

    I will be changing my opening hour to a later time in the very near future so that I can bring more options to the menu. I plan on having a different smoked meat special every day and am working on a few meal ideas I’ve gathered from the People of the Pit.I am looking to keeping it simple to start. Like pulled pork and beef served different ways. Chicken will also be on the menu. Mainly cooks that will take no longer than 6-8 hours.

    I am excited to be getting back to being able to smoke more often than just once or twice a week.


    #2
    Sounds like things are coming together for you. Great to follow a dream and have it work.

    Comment


    • holehogg
      holehogg commented
      Editing a comment
      More like fulfilling a long time passion than a dream.

    #3
    I knew you would spring back after leaving the auto dealership behind. Hope will you soon be able to hire on a person to keep up with sides as your fame spreads.

    Comment


    • holehogg
      holehogg commented
      Editing a comment
      My problem with help is I don't give them a chance, in other words I still want or try to do it all myself. Bad trait.

    #4
    Congratulations, the only thing to say is that your food seems to be a smashing success. It seems that our tastes are very similar, with the exception of the hot sauce. Last week I tried a Kenji smash burger shortcut which seemed to work pretty well. Instead of smashing the burgers onto the grill, You put the hamburger on a flat surface, cover with a big piece of waxed paper and roll them to the desired thickness. Kenji cuts them into squares, I pulled mine into more uneven shapes. This way you don't have the meat sticking to the spatula, and the thickness is more consistent. Might work better on a production line, too. Keep up the great work, and keep writing.

    Comment


    • holehogg
      holehogg commented
      Editing a comment
      I weigh each patty (consistency and costing) make cylinder type balls and keep in the fridge. Onto the flattop as needed. I offer 3 different weighted patties.

    #5
    I hope you keep having fun and success in your new venture.

    Comment


    • holehogg
      holehogg commented
      Editing a comment
      I am truly in a happy place at the moment even though the financial rewards are not quite there yet.

    #6
    You seem to be killin' it. I am happy for your success.

    Comment


    • holehogg
      holehogg commented
      Editing a comment
      Love what I'm doing at the moment.

    #7
    Smashing Success!!

    Comment


    • holehogg
      holehogg commented
      Editing a comment
      Aiming to get to the level of you guy's

    #8
    You were kind of quiet for a while. Was starting to get concerned. But. Wow! On to another exciting adventure. Wishing you all the success you can stand. So I assume this is where that missing bacon went.

    Comment


    • holehogg
      holehogg commented
      Editing a comment
      Was not in flight just working hard building the business 😊

    #9
    Sounds like it's time for a road trip to SA!

    Comment


    • holehogg
      holehogg commented
      Editing a comment
      Flying would be the safer option😊

    #10
    Happy for your success. Sounds like you're working a lot of hours, but it also looks like it's not work to you a love for cooking.,

    Comment


    • holehogg
      holehogg commented
      Editing a comment
      The only unwelcome hours are the cleaning up afterwards daily and the deep clean every week.

    #11
    That's exciting! Glad to hear it.

    Comment


      #12
      What a great story. It's wonderful that things are coming together for you and that, most importantly, you love what you're doing.

      I wish you well.

      Kathryn

      Comment


      • holehogg
        holehogg commented
        Editing a comment
        Many thanks Kathryn. The cooking and the interaction with my customers are the highlight of everyday.

      #13
      holehogg So glad to hear you are back in business, and that your smash burgers are such a success! I have to think keeping the menu somewhat simple will be the key to success, especially until you grow things big enough to hire some help. Good luck, and I look forward to hearing more about your continuing adventure!

      Comment


      • holehogg
        holehogg commented
        Editing a comment
        Thank you Sir. Keeping it simple lessons the possibility of failure.

      #14
      Wow. You said a million great things above. What you said above is nothing short of AMAZING!!!

      The manner in which you stated it makes you sound like a long time vet of the industry.

      Love the sauce. FABULOUS!!

      Your attitude, skill set, mindset and realistic views will make you a continued success.

      ”Becoming somewhat of a burger legend in the area.” My African brother... Fulfilling, prosperous and long careers are made this way.

      I can not express in words the sincere joy and satisfaction I feel for you in reading this post.

      Scale appropriately. Buy right and remember you are in demand. People wait for your product. People will notice if you produce for production rather than passion. Let them wait.

      Word of mouth is making you and it will break you 10x.

      Handle your business first. If your not profitable now something needs to change.

      It’s unreasonable to expect that if you can not make money now with those long wait times that you will be making money with longer wait times and more offerings. Fine tune your margins and processes. Know what you need to make on product, each hour, each plate, each customer and each shift.

      For future reference consider something within your business that creates a barrier of entry to guard against any yahoo with cash moving in on your business. So when they try and fail they immediately set themselves up to be second best thereby cementing your place as the leader and best in class.

      As always my friend.

      in that market with that food. Wow!!

      You sir are truly impressive.

      Comment


      • holehogg
        holehogg commented
        Editing a comment
        You Sir are an Inspiration Scholar and a Gentleman. Thanks for the support and advice. When I grow up I want to be just like you ☺

      #15
      holehogg I have IMMENSE respect for folks like you that put themselves 'out there' like you are. It is something I just don't have the guts for. I wish you great success, and only wish I lived closer so I could be a customer.

      Comment


      • holehogg
        holehogg commented
        Editing a comment
        Thank you Sir. I'm not going to tell you the burgers in the post. We know how that will turn out 🙈

    Announcement

    Collapse
    No announcement yet.
    Working...
    X
    false
    0
    Guest
    Guest
    500
    ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
    false
    false
    {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
    Yes
    ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
    /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here