BBQ Catering from a commissary kitchen.

[FLAQUE]

I have found out to do catering I will need a HD approved commissary. I'm now curious about cooking the meat on the smoker? I will use an offset on a trailer. Does the HD allow that even though it's not inside the commissary? I know I'll have the meat stored at the kitchen and will also prep it there as well. Just curious about the cooking part. I'm positive other brethren have run into this situation before. Thanks.

Jason

[HandsomeSwede]

I'm in NY so keep that in mind. I built a rolling kitchen on wheels because my HD said if my cooker was outside, even with an approved commissary a temp permit would still be needed, unless all prep and then breakdown of food was done in that commissary. Thus, you take your cooker out to a gig/festival = temp permit needed because you are prepping outside your commissary. My solution: take my HD certified commissary everywhere I go.

[sparky']

in california the commisary cost me $35 hour and i cook behind the building.

[Bwhst11]

Im from Pennsylvania and had the same question... I Called HD and they told me that I would have to send a proposal in to get them to approve the set up. Any one else have this situation?

[jasonville43]

Here in Indiana the local health department told me that I had to have a commisary to get the catering license and understood that darn near everything I do is outside and he is fine with it!

[82's BBQ]

I only have to use my commissary for salad preps. Meats can be done outside as long as they go right on the smoker.

[midnight]

Short answer is to call your local HD. In my state I only need the commissary for prep and clean up. If its a vending gig/ festival all I need is a copy of my catering license and a portable wash station with a 3 compartment sink and a hand wash station : 3 plastic totes and a water cooler w/spigot for the hand wash covers it for me.

[JS-TX]

I might be wrong, but I believe in TX the HD requires your smoker has to be screened-in or in a smokehouse of some sort to keep bugs out.