Long weekend

      With last weekend being Labor Day I did BBQ again . I had 6 butts pre sold  and wound up cooking and selling 20 . I think it may have been my last time . I made a nice profit for the time and money but it wasn't Fun . I always enjoyed doing it before but this time it felt like I was just going through the motions. I will have to see how I feel about it in the future.

     I had planned on going out west this month but my wife isn't willing unless I make a hard time line and reservations for the whole trip. If I left by my self we all know how that would end.  So I have agreed to sit on the couch with her till death it seems.

      On a brighter note I did fix the tractor that had a missing freeze plug.  The old one tapped right back into place simple as can be.  It also had a split hose I cut down and reclamped . With Fall almost here its time to get anti freeze and add to all the vehicle's . You know when you have 8 radiators to treat it gets expensive quick.

First BBQ in 18 months.

        This weekend was the first time I have done BBQ since the Saturday after thanksgiving in 2016.  WoW that is hard to believe . I had 2 customers come to the house last week to ask if I would cook them a couple of butts each. I had been thinking about it old habits and I am a little bored . I had put my trailer and a sign up on Friday when I would be selling Saturday. Well I cooked a couple of cases of butts and a few slabs of ribs  hauled up to the HI way  and sold out in 3 hours . My customers all said they missed me. 

       Was nice to make a few hundred and the bad thing was I could have sold triple what I cooked. I told everyone I would be ready and have plenty come the 4th .

A chub of sausage saved me 400$

   Yesterday's post was about re packing potatoes . In boosting on hand food prep's I have been keeping 3 cases of  Boston Butts and a case of Ribs . By getting them on sale and freezing them I can have a lower cost when doing the BBQ and have a good meat supply if things go to hell. Plus it rotates regularly. A case of butts weighs 80 plus pounds and ribs 40. At this time I have 80 lbs. of cut pork to smoke for sandwich's. 24 packs of smoked sausage and 36 chubs of Dean's sausage. My butcher found the sausage in the back of his freezer 2 days past the sell by date sold them to me for 1$ a pound. Now I have over 400$ my cost in meat once smoked and sold it is 1400$ plus.

   This morning my wife made biscuits and sausage gravy . I was out back getting ready to cut the back yard , she asked me to bring in a chub of the Deans because she used the last in the house. I got a OH SHIT moment when I opened the chest. Defrosting  every thing was just beginning to thaw. The meat was still frozen but fading fast. The 2 liter ice bottles I use to cool my distiller had saved me from a full thaw. The compressor had locked up tight. 

    I have 2 freezer's but the second one is small and it was holding corn my wife was going to cut for fried corn, Its her project tomorrow . I got every thing swapped and repacked but if I hadn't gone for that chub of sausage I had no reason to check it before Thursday morning.

  While a freezer going out can cost a person a lot of money its not the end of the world .?! But if it is an EMP that caused it ,it could be the beginning of the end of the world . A second freezer would be useless. My choices would be Smoking, Canning or Brining.

  I will continue with a freezer but I think I need to diversify some in meat storage.

  

Sweating and Smoking.

     I hope everyone is having a safe and enjoyable 4th of July weekend. Here it has been HOT!! been bumpin 100 . There are 2 things that people hate on holiday weekends  RAIN and 100 degree's in the shade. It keeps people either inside or in the water.

   Memorial day and the 4 th are when families tend to get together and talk ,grill out,  play and have a few beers. Un fortunantly it is when I am my busiest . This year I have surpassed what I have ever done before with the BBQ .

   Today I had a man come and get 2 butts and a slab of Ribs. I had the smoke bellowing like a freight train sweat and grease felt like it was an inch thick on every inch of my body. The man looked at me and said " THANK YOU" if you weren't here I would be suffering like you have to be in this heat cooking. He said you have earned your pay day this holiday.

  

   Yes it has been a miserable 4 days of BBQing but I know I have spared 80 plus weekend grill masters from the task. I did this post while waiting for 12  Rack of ribs to finish so I can get my last 16 butts going for tomorrow.  I have pre orders that will be picking up before 10 in the morning.

    I hope the next revolution starts in early October so it will be cooler weather for future generations to celebrate.

  Be Safe, Have Fun, and Tip the cook !!!!!

So right and proven so wrong.

     Well had a huge weekend doing BBQ. Still had customers coming to the house 3 hour after I was sold out yesterday. Total Profit was just over 1200$. That means I had money to buy 4 cases of butts and ribs plus the money for that property. I decided to walk the property before I sent off the money. Make sure it was a sure thing.

     I waked the property end to end looking for the utility connections, None to be found no where. The power pole had been dragged up at some point but no septic or water could be found. The property was nice but had a lot of scrub brush taking over , So I went up on the road to find the water meter, nadda couldn't find it. While on the road the lady across the street came out to find out what I was doing.

    I told her I was thinking on buying the property and was looking for the water, septic and power hookups. She knew the family. I was informed the Aunt lived in the house and her nephew had the mobile home on the lot I was looking at. The mobile home used the houses water and septic . So my lot doesn't have any.  She said when the aunt died her daughter got her house and told her cousin he need to get his own water and septic tank she wasn't going to pay his bills like her mom had. He moved instead.

   So I have to pass while 930$ is a great price  water and septic will cost  6500 to 7500  so no profit to be made. Glad I took that walk when I did !!!!! My wife gets her way  and I wait for a better deal.

Small time investing .

      Took a chance and set up on the road with the BBQ stand this evening. Normally I never sell on Thursday but I had a full grill smoking while more was cooking. It was sit and watch it in the front yard or advertise  I was ready, by doing it on the side of the road.

    Free advertising won out so I spent the afternoon under a beach umbrella on the road side smoking 8 butts and 6 slabs of ribs watching traffic  waving at customers and friends. I was getting a jump on this weekend  OR SO I THOUGHT !!!!

   About 4 o'clock people started stopping. First it was sandwiches ok I had trim meat from the butts (I trim the butts to 7 lbs so I can sell them for 20$) then it was whole butts and ribs. When I left I had 2 butts and 2 ribs left smoked and 240$. It seems a lot of people are taking Friday off and leaving town.

    Now here is the investing part, I didn't expect this money I made about 160$ profit for 4 hour of fun. That is 2 extra cases of butts or 20 ea. The sale is this week only for 1.28 a pound all my other suppliers are 1.63 to 1.68. 40 cents may not seem like a lot but  I use 120 lbs. a week  about 12 to 16 butts. If I spend a little now to cover June  I will get a 30% return on what I invest or spend now. Butts always are sold at loss for the 4th of July but the price will be high till then.

If I spend 500$ on meat now I save 150$ over 30 days. I got to do it I hate to but I can't think of any other investment that has this return in such a short period.

    Yea I am rambling but its midnight I just smoked 8 more butts and 6 more slabs. The oven has 8 more butts starting and ribs will follow at 8 in the morning then back to butts while I go back to the road. My butcher is going to hate me ,I better take him a  butt when I go begging for 6 more cases.

Memorial day weekend starts early !!!!

 Monday morning I was drinking coffee at Big Lagoon in Perdido Bay and my Phone rang.  A customer wanted to reserve 2 BBQ Butts and a slab of ribs to pickup Saturday at 11. Well no problem we were leaving at 12 to head home . We broke camp got the camper set to hit the road and headed home. We ran into road paving and a 10 mile traffic jam at 2 and I had just cleared it and got going 65 mph with idiots wizzing by at 90 thinking they could make up a hour in traffic.   My phone rings again . At this point I have a white knuckled grip on the wheel and my wife say its for me.  Who? A women. I get the phone and that glare you may die from my wife. Its a customer wanting  6 Butts chopped and panned with 2 slabs of ribs single rib cut plus sauce ready to pickup Friday before 5. Its for a wedding ok no problem. I hang up and fall in behind a Snieder truck they are governed to 65 max. HOW MANY WOMEN HAVE YOUR PHONE# ?  A LOT ! women hate to cook REMEMBER. It was a long drive thank god no more calls .

  Now I have been doing this for a long time and know I will be having a big weekend. I went today at 8 am and picked up 40 butts and 18 slabs of ribs  plus reserved 20 butts and 18 more ribs to get Saturday.  While talking to the butcher he ordered a butt plus 3 others ordered butts and ribs. Pre orders I like because most of them people want them chilled so I can pre do them they are for tavaling to families or the lake. I started cooking today at 10 pm and will finish Monday at 2 . Triple A says this will be the busiest travel memorial day weekend ever. This is why I went to the gulf last week . This Summer is looking to be a blow out!!!!

Took a large BBQ catering order.

     Today I had a regular customer call and place an order for 8 smoked pork butts next Wednesday . She is the head of a pet adoption agency and has served my BBQ at many of their fund raiser dinners and functions. She is a trained chef and caters dinners and fund raisers for other charities. This order is for a catering dinner up in Kentucky. She said they had it Saturday at her fund raiser and asked her to do their event next Friday . It is nice to know my BBQ  is beginning to be requested in a circle that has the means to purchase from any that claim to be "World Famous". I don't make any claims except its consistent ,good and reasonable priced.

    Ok because of this catering order I will have a lot of extra trim meat . I take 8 to 10 lb. butts and trim to 7 lb. give or take 1/4 lb. I could save the trim till the next weekend cook and serve it in sandwich's but I plan on canning it like I did the hamburger. I may put some up smoked and not smoked. Chicken will be put up to mainly because leg and thighs are 39 cents this week.

   

If i cant build i can cook .

     This new food trailer is going to be my last venture in business . Now while its to hot to work on the trailer I have been looking and trying at many different food items to sell out of it . The basics of meat and 2 veggies are a no brainer due to this area having a large 60 plus population. But that is a lunch only crowd and has to be 6.99 price point. I need to decide on a tween menu for the 16 to 23 group and a menu for to go dinners for folks to take home after work for a family.

     All I have come up with for the tweens is a fried assortment of
Chicken fingers 3, cheese sticks 4, mushrooms 8, loaded hushpuppies and fries.
 Chicken Casa Dias large . Skillet personal pizza
   The reason I need kiddy food is where I will be sitting is 1/2 a mile from a high and middle school . Lots of kids and moms will pass daily.
    For the take home dinners I have to come up with dinners for 4 or 5 that is under 20$ and a cost point of 7 to 8.

      For the last 4 years I have made it on BBQ only the new stand has to have more.  I will keep searching  the build is the easy part now I have to develop a menu to draw them in . Thinking about doing hot legs (same as hot wings but with legs)

To hot for work .

    No update on the new build when the heat index is almost 110 this old boy ain't working!!!! I am at the lake that's where everyone should be its 20 degrees cooler plus I have water and beer there . I came home for tonight to do the BBQ and make a large sale that was pre ordered . I will set up for a short while Saturday before I head back to the lake.

    My wife and her sister are having a girls weekend. Then me and the wife will take 2 days us time. I think my wife is trying to make up for refusing to take my dream trip . I wanted to be in Mesa Verde Colorado this weekend . Arches and Canyon land next week. then on to Bryce canyon the north rim and a week in las Vegas  before Death valley, Sequoia and Yosemite .

     I had this trip planed for my slow time of the year but it was a desert trip in the summer which is why my wife refused. She didn't want to take the squatty trailer because of the heat and no bathroom in it .

    I wrote this Saturday to post later when I was at the lake but seems while I was home the wifi at the campground got struck by lightning so now I am home.

The 4th and a new trailer in the works!

      This year the 4th was un believable . Saturday I had 24 pork butts and 12 slabs of ribs sell in less than 2 hours. I had to stay up most the night to be ready by 10 o clock . The total for 3 days was a staggering 60 butts and 42 slabs of ribs. If I could have done 20 more of each they would have been gone to. With my setup as one man I was at my max to do GOOD BBQ . Yes I could have done more it I had took  short cuts but I have a reputation and wont compromise . In the last year I have read a lot of BBQ books and know more now. There is a lot of different ways to cook great BBQ but the one thing all have in common is time and love of the end product. One line in BIG BOB GIBBSONS book rings true to a real pitman "what's the fire telling you" A fire talks to a pitman .

      I spent this morning stripping the old deck off a camper frame and will post pictures of it tomorrow . This is going to be my BBQ trailer next year .I bought it 7 or 8 years ago for a storage building till a roof leak got to bad .Now its down to the frame and going to be rebuilt as a tiny house /cabin to sell and cook out of. It will take 2 months to get it done and cost 1500 to 2000 to finish but it will be a LEGAL full service kitchen capable of any type of food.

      I had planned on a 6 week trip out west to all the national parks but my wife refuses to go. This build was going to take place next year and I as going to return to full time work but looks like I will move it up a year. The new trailer will be built for a complete breakfast lunch and dinner menu with propane stoves ovens fryers and smoker I already have on hand.

    It will be very busy for a few weeks but I will be posting pictures of the build as I move forward .

Home at last

    We got home late Thursday night . We let our son and his wife use the camper and they will bring it home Sunday . We had fun but 12 days was a little long for a single destination trip .

     I had to hit the door running and got the BBQ ready for Friday. got home at 9 and was cooking by 10 . Now that was changing gears ! Had a decent weekend .

     On our way we stopped at the casino both going and coming back ,going I won 230$ on the way back we lost 180$ back so we had 4 hours of fun and  50$ for the gas tank. :)

Every one is at the lake .But me

      Friday I watched as campers and boats and flat trailers with totes and grilles headed up the road to the lake. Everyone was headed to camp or stay with friends at the lake it didn't seem to matter who what or how the road was packed . School let out Thursday and with the long weekend everyone wanted to be away.

      In years past traffic was never this heavy but the last 3 years the lakes seem to be the go to getaway for more folks . It seems that the longer trips are not  in the budget but the lake and river is still doable. Even us we plan on going to a friends next week to just getaway and use her yard as a camp site. All  it will cost me is a gallon of moonshine and her and my wife are a hoot when they get plastered .

    My BBQ grill hasn't cooled down since Wednesday night and I see no relief before Monday. So far I have worked my way through 4 cases of butts and 1 of ribs . I have sold butts headed to the lake ,river, Smokey MTs and Florida. I appreciate people thinking enough of my cooking to take it on vacation to me it is a great compliment .I still have 2 days of cooking left to go and I have to go and dress 12 butts and 6 racks of ribs for tomorrow . Next week is my turn at the lake . Then I have 2 weeks scheduled for Big Lagoon mid June .

Learning from the pro,s

      I got my new internet yesterday about 4 and spent last night just playing . Today I decided to be a little more serious in what I was looking at  . For 12 years I have been doing my roadside BBQ and for where and what it is I have a decent loyal customer base but there is always room to learn. Now I have no desire to do competition BBQ  its a rich mans game I do want to see some of their tips and tricks on cooking.

    Before a 7 minute YouTube clip took me 45 minutes to view but now I just watch . For some this is old hat to me its WOW. So I sat and watched BBQ cooking ,meat trimming ,seasoning blends and different sauces from some award winning restaurants' and competition teams. Some of what I saw was very useful such as holding quality till serving time. Have you ever noticed rush time food is better than when a restaurant is dead . That's where hold practices come in. Learned a few sauces I will be trying out . I make 1 sauce now but want to add 1 spicy and 1 sweet for folks .

    Now not everything I saw has a place but I liked seeing it and can see why it worked for them . That's one thing I learned at an early age was " more than one way to skin a cat" . I like to cook my butts 8 hours low and slow no smoke and 4 to 6 with smoke  at the end. What I saw says I am backwards ( no surprise there ).I did learn a better trimming method from one video .

   Even if you are good at something if you get a chance to watch some one who is accomplished in that field take the opportunity you may learn a few tricks. Pro,s  learned from others so you can learn from them and most have websites and You Tube channels so you can do it from home.

Hobbies can be more than fun.

     I have a few hobbies that occupy my time.Some are just fun .Others are educational . And a few hobbies are profitable.I think most people have interest that fit into these classes.
    A lot small businesses start out as hobbies my BBQ started that way.I know several local breweries started as hobbies.Stop and think do you have a hobby that you could turn a profit?If your a prepper is your hobby useful after a collapse.give it some thought.

   

A look at Big Red my baby.

     OK I have been doing BBQ for 10 years on and off.For the last 3 years it has been all i have done.When I started it was a whim i had a convince store 5 miles from any restaurants so on Friday and Saturday i sold BBQ at the store.Me and my son used drum smokers mounted on an old pop up camper trailer.Back then i was a busy man had a lot of irons in the fire.BBQ became my sons he was making good money for a 14 year old kid then he hit that "that's good enough "stage.Basically he ran it into the ground twice.
      That is a back ground of our start.About 6 years a go i was playing on Ebay just looking and i ran across a Big Red smoker it was in Andalusia AL about 160 miles away.Starting bid was 400$ so i bid a max bid of 450$ Long story short i got it for 405$.It was a 6 hour round trip.The man that i got it from said it cost him 1200$ in 2005.The company that built it is really a fab shop for construction steel they build smokers and trailers when work is slow so they keep their welders and layout men busy

     This is what it looked like when i got it it was a 200 gallon propane tank upright smoker with 3 racks and room to smoke 16 boston butts.Three rounds of wood will last 8 hours when smoking but i needed it to do more for holidays and i wanted to do ribs so i got a second 200 gallon tank and it now looks like this.

    This is BIG RED the front grill can hold 24 pork butts and 12 slabs of ribs.The upright will do 12 butts and 4 racks of ribs.Now i smoke everything in the upright because it gives a deeper smoke the front holds it at temp and adds light smoke.
    Now to cook great Q takes time I cook for 10 hour with gas then smoke it 4 to 6 hours.Anyone can make good smoked meat all it takes is time and a box to hold smoke.I started with barrel smoker made out of a barrel with expanded metal rack on old tent pole rods.A wooden box will work. GOT MEAT START SMOKING!!!!
    The original BBQ trailer has morphed with time it now looks like this.If my son straightens up i may give him a 4th chance

Weekend Done!

     This weekend kicked my butt.I cooked and sold 44 Butts and 32 slabs .I am a greasy sweaty smoked mess.Made good money but I worked for it.Had a lot of people making 2 trips because it went fast when served.Had one man that has never baught from me even though i have known him for years buy a slab for his wife come back because she wouldnt share.I love seeing people smile when they pick up an order.

my baby

Price of pork a sign of whats comming!!!

       What does the price of pork have to do with the future.Huge and rapid price increases!! On March 19th I bought pork butts for 1.32 $ a pound by the case a week later it was 1.48 then it jumped in one week to 1.98 now its 2.08 a pound case price.
     Beef has climbed .60 $ to 1.00 a pound and a lot of other items have increased.Processed meats will be following.Gas has gone up 40 cents a gallon in a month .
     If you still have food storage shortages you better act soon.Some of the prices are because of low inventory cattle herd is at 1952 levels  Hogs remember China owns Smithfield the largest pork producer in the nation.Even chicken is up 15 cents a pound and we all can say Tyson.
     We have all read about hyper inflation remember it starts slow then becomes a water fall.This may or may not be the start but why chance it. Stop and think what do you use or eat that has gone up this year more than 10% ,Then try to think what has decreased or stayed the same that you use.

Buckboard bacon almost ready.

       Sorry for not posting in a while me and the wife have had bad colds.Plus this cold weather busted pipes at my daughters house that i had to fix.
       The pork butts are at day 10 today but i am going to wait till Friday before i  smoke it. I smoke my BBQ on Friday every week so i will add it in the mix.I think its brinning good been turning it every day got over a cup of liquid in the bag so i know its drawing it out.

Buckboard Bacon

     Today i started making Buckboard bacon.I have been wanting to make some for over a year now.I have read about it on other blogs and wanted to have a go at it.Normally i BBQ 8 to 16 Boston Butts a weekend so i always have them on hand.This weekend i cooked 14(not bad for January on the side of the road)and had 2 left over .I debone 1 and cut it in to2  4 lb pieces.The cure i used was from this blog http://simplyselfsufficiency.blogspot.com/2012/02/buckboard-bacon.html   the only changes i made was i used 8 oz salt and 8 ounces brown sugar and no nitrate salt.I used 2 oz of rub from the BBQ in the mix (my preference).
   In 10 to 12 days i will be cold smoking this overnight and then finish smoking it to 140 to 150 internal temp.I hope it turns out close to this  pictures marbling.

     The name Buckboard seems to have come from cured and smoked pork carried on wagon trains out west. It was packed in a box or barrel of buckwheat.To head west a family was required to have 50 lbs of salted cured pork packed in Buckwheat.Remember this was late May through  September.