Cooking Evolution

[CandySueQ]

It all started with a rack of loin ribs and a pound of Conecah sausage! Repeat 4x, then half chicken, next brisket (x3) and BBQ meal for someone recovering from surgery. Currently, I'm planning to cook pulled pork, pulled chicken, baked beans, potato salad and slaw for a wedding rehearsal dinner for 36 in a couple of days. The dinner is at a location close to me with a great food warmer. I'll pack the Cambro in the back of my Ford and start prepping meat with a 4:00 delivery time to the warmer and frig.

Ribs are circled with a skewer and cooked on a drum. When done, I cook the sausage on the same cooker. Cut ribs and sausage into hot dog lengths and in a foil pan.

When doing brisket, I've been cooking on a Weber Kettle using the double snake method. When I wrap it, I transfer to the oven on 200 and let it finish. I slice the entire brisket and arrange in a foil pan, defat the juice and pour some over the brisket. Seal it up tightly with foil before pickup with reheating instructions.

Figuring pricing wasn't easy! I decided to keep it simple and double the costs. For the rehearsal dinner, I went shopping just for the event and will double the receipts for the final price. I found a quantity calculator online that tells how much to make for how many. This is very useful and I've bookmarked it. I think I'm likely not being paid for my time doing this, but since this has all been word of mouth for folks who lead out from friends, I'm okay with that I'm really enjoying the challenge of it. It's not "maybe money" like cooking a BBQ contest, but I am using skills that I've learned in competition.

Next I think I'm going to grab a biz name "CandySueCooks" and get some business cards made. Do up reheating instructions in paper form and labels for small batch canning projects! I'm not retired!!!

[Mosca]

What I take from this is that a Competition Pitmaster does her briskets at home on a Weber Kettle using the double snake method.

All hail the conquering Weber Kettle!

[CandySueQ]

Here's the logic! Low and Slow for cheapo briskets. I saw this method on ATK and always wanted to give it a try. 3 briskets later with consistent good results with about $60 commodity briskets (either select or choice) buying by size and price, I'm sold on this technique. Think I'm going to try it with pork butts for the Friday cater. I have 2 kettles.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

And the Weber kettle is about to get an evolution into something even greater... just wait...

[Mosca]

I like that it is ridiculously common sense. Cooking is so simple, and we go out of our way to see it as complicated. But all it is, is, fill a volume with heat and insert meat. Sure, there’s more, but a Kettle and a brisket is an equation 98% solved.

[Oak Smoke]

What a perfect revelation! Candy Sue cooks affordable briskets on affordable cookers and likes the results. Those new members coming here can see that they don’t need a wagyu brisket or an expensive smoker to bring something in from the backyard they’re proud of. Thank you CandySueQ. Merry Christmas!

[CandySueQ]

And Merry Christmas to you and yours, Oak Smoke! I have a theory that brisket freeze up during the rest is due to meat reaction to Hot & Fast. Not sure how to prove that though. Best thing is the folks I'm feeding really like it! One of the 3 briskets went to a friend who's been eating my brisket for years. Comp briskets included.

[TripleB]

I was judging at a competition in Palmdale, CA (if I remember correctly) 8 years ago or so and Harry Soo smoked all four meats on Weber “14 Smokey Joes. Don’t remember how he did, but he did it just to show you did not need expensive smokers to put out good BBQ.

[CandySueQ]

I saw Harry do that very thing in Coachella at King of the Smoker years ago! He may have been building a small smoker out of flowerpots too... I never understood Tang in rubs though.

[smokenoob]

@CandySueIsCookin’ having fun now! Wish I was there to DJ for ya! 😁😎

[RonB]

You go girl.

[Huskee]

That makes me feel good, I too would simply double the food price the few times I've done a big gig. Not a money making endeavor but everyone goes to bed that night happy.

Happy cookin!

[CandySueQ]

I survived this endeavor! I will share a couple of observations. #1 -- adding side dishes doubles or triples the amount of time required to produce same. Meat only would have been much easier for me. #2 -- doubling cost of supplies is sufficient for meat only. Adding sides meant I pulled basics out of my pantry which was not part of the compensation computations! A half dozen eggs and chopped homemade dill pickles for the potato salad for example. Every experience is a learning opportunity!

[surfdog]

I always used to do 3x for cost, but I don’t know what your overhead is.

Regardless, I ALWAYS added 10% as a contingency for things that didn’t go to plan or things forgotten or whatever. ;-) I’ve done the same with my photo biz for years. It’s my “Whoops, didn’t see that coming” safety net.