How much time do you need to breakdown your site ?

[MilitantSquatter]

I almost always get it done in 1-1.5 hrs. My goal is to have everything cleaned, put away and loaded in the trailer with some time to spare before the awards.

I start organizing & cleaning up right after the chicken goes on the grates.

[BBQchef33]

Me..??

days.

no matter how much or how little i put out. I waste a chit load of time.

BUT..

Prior to the trailer, taking into account exhaustion and sore knees. at tleast 3 hours.

with the trailer, if we just work and get it done.. less than an hour, not including the time it takes to bolt down the cookers to the trailer floor.

[Muzzlebrake]

we are pretty good at getting it packed and loaded but am looking for a way to do even less work and more realxing after that last turn in........

really leaning towards a trailer

[Jeff_in_KC]

I take too much chit. :sad: At least two hours for us.

[Sawdustguy]

It used to be worse before we got the Battle Wagon.

[Nitrofly]

lunchmeat is usually one the last teams to break down..
this year at Peters pond it was us, ISS & the Turtles.. We left
noonish on sunday

[lunchlady]

We are so good at the relaxing thing... we are almost ALWAYS the last team to leave.

BUT, we don't care... we pick up, have a beverage, clean a little, have a beverage, do some dishes, have a beverage... you get the picture.
We need BBQ groupies!

[KC_Bobby]

I put 1 - 1.5, but it might be slightly over. We're usually finishing after the awards. I kind of like to sit and give my feet a break between 1:30 and 2:00 while I drink a beer or two.

This winter we're going to work on making some table carts that will roll off the utility trailer. Build in some drawers and cabinets to fill with supplies that generally get put in tubs. We're hoping that will speed up the set up and tear down.

I'd like to build it so it doesn't need to come off during the comps, about a 18" wider then the trailer on each side with 3 stainless sinks up front. Add some trailer levelers so we can slide the two Backwoods onto the gate. That would pretty much just leave tents, cooler and chairs to pick up.

[Jeff Hughes]

20 minutes on site, an hour at home...

[BigBarry]

We were last to leave at Merrimack and second to last (Phil you lazy bum) at New Paltz.

With just 2 events, we need to get better organized and I expect it to take 2.5 hrs next time.

[Plowboy]

We used to be the last team to leave. Then we got the cargo trailer. That got us out of their within 30 minutes after awards. Now with the vending trailer or a lot of simplification we can be done 30-45 minutes prior to awards.

This year I've really tried to focus on simplifying what I bring. I also try to was and reuse as much as possible. Instead of using a dozen aluminum pans, I now use hotel pans which store in my Cambro. The hotel pans act as trays in my Cambro which is where I store all almost all of the stuff I need for the contest: injector, brush, pigtail, and knife bag. At Laurie we used two 4' tables and the tailgate of my truck.

I watch the teams that cook a lot of contests: Lotta Bull, Pellet Envy, Buffalos BBQ, Trigg, and others. Granted some of these folks have trailers and motor homes, but you don't see more than a pit and a chair outside of Mike Davis' trailer. I've seen Pellet Envy and Buffalo's BBQ show up with a truck, a pit, an EZ Up, a cooler, and a light. Everything is done out of the back of a truck.

When you do a contest 100% alone, you appreciate minimizing. I'm still thinning out what I bring. I want to get to the point where I drop the hitch to a trailer, plug in, drop the awning, grab a chair, and drink a vodka/cranberry.

[G$]

We are ALWAYS waiting around a long time for awards. We break down everythong but 3 chairs and one EZ Up until right before awards.

So, 60 minutes, and 3 beers each. There are three of us though, and we have a refined efficiency, especially in the beer area. As for break down, we mostly just pile stuff in the horse trailer.

[ZILLA]

We almost always get it done before awards. If there is a crowd we may wait to hook up to the rig so we can get a good seat. Ya know up front so we don't have to walk so far to get our trophy's and prize money and all of that:rolleyes:.

[BBQchef33]

We were last to leave at Merrimack and second to last (Phil you lazy bum) at New Paltz.

With just 2 events, we need to get better organized and I expect it to take 2.5 hrs next time.

that did not count. :cool: We heard about the traffic so we took our sweet time.. James fixed the showers so we set it up again, took a couple hot showers, organized the car.. etc.. We didnt actually hit the road until after 9.

[Kung Fu BBQ]

I keep everything stored in drawers and it gets put away as soon as it is cleaned. Too many years in a kitchen has pounded into my head that you clean as you go. Some of my team mates think I'm a freak but even when I did an ironman I was packed up within like 2 hours... just me and a 15 y/o with cotton in his ears.

[burnin butts]

Usually takes us about an hour, but that depends on how much beer we have left. The more beer, the longer it takes!!!

[Puppyboy]

As I'm turning my my last entry, the wife has begun the break down. She picks up as we go so break down goes quickly.

[Jeff Hughes]

I've seen Pellet Envy and Buffalo's BBQ show up with a truck, a pit, an EZ Up, a cooler, and a light. Everything is done out of the back of a truck.



That's how Donny does week in and week out. I thought I ran light until I cooked next to him. He helped me cut back to another level. More is not better. Granted, he did turn one of my speakers towards his camp...

[Sledneck]

with the trailer, if we just work and get it done.. less than an hour, not including the time it takes to bolt down the cookers to the trailer floor.
Hmmmm lets see here. Newsday it took about 3 hours, at williepalooza even willie left before you were done :shock: :tongue:

[Sledneck]

I just toss everything in my van, i have to say it takes me about 20 minutes.

[tonto1117]

Depends on when I start Bioching........:-P . Seriously though with only two under our belt so far, and with both of them we had family and friends after the turn in's for food drink ect..ect..cleanup didn't get done till late. I do notice that folks who minimize and have trailers are done in a jiff...liking that idea alot!!!:cool:

[River City Smokehouse]

We usually start gettin to it right after the last turn in. We are usually done, locked up, hooked up, and ready to roll by the time awards star.

[cmcadams]

As long as my teammate keeps moving, it doesn't take long, though at that point it seems to take over an hour... I'd guess 45 minutes.

[Porkmeister]

I'm really lucky. We usually have a bunch of Family & Friends there so it gets done in about an hour or so. I act like I'm exhausted and sit and have a few beers and they pack everything in the trailer. Life is good. :rolleyes:

Mike

[parrothead]

We streamlined like crazy this year and we had our first ever "done packing up before awards". It felt great. It is mandatory to sit and have a beer right after the last turn in. Nobody can do anything. Then we get going on it.

I would say that the last one we were done just over an hour and a half. May have come in under with out that mandatory beer break.

[timzcardz]

You know, it seems like it takes me no time at all to break down. Oh wait, that's right, I don't compete!



If anyone wants to feel good though, it did take me two days to break down after cooking for my Mother's birthday party this past weekend. Just too darn tired to get it done the first day. Actually though, I'm still not sure that I'm done yet. I'll have to check when I get home tonight!

[The Giggler]

We had some catering crates made a couple years ago. They help, but are heavy to move around. Beyond that, there's a couple tables, two plastic 2 drawer units, a couple chairs, shelter, and a pit.

Streamlining has really helped to move things along. Spartan has its advantages. Cleaning up as you go is good too.

[Roo-B-Q'N]

I think we are in the 1 -1.5 time slot. We set out and bought a lot of stuff to hang and decorate the site with, but when it came down to it, we realized the more you put up/out the more you have to take down.

[Greendriver]

I put 1.5 - 3 and what I like to see is a few min to relax after last turn in and then let organization rule and everything has it's place and goes back in the same place.

[Dale P]

First to arrive, the last to leave.

[Chris Nickelson]

With the portable water heater we try to clean up as much of the pans and utensils as possible. That only leaves clothes and towels for cleaning later. With the new e-z up copy We got it takes a matter of minutes to knock down and pack up the tent. The tube type tent we use for big parties takes awhile. most of the time 1.5 hrs. sometimes if the awards are late we will slow down and pace ourselves. 2 + hrs.

[arlieque]

10 minutes at the most!

[LostNation]

I sometimes have a big team

http://www.lostnationvt.com/images/wildwood05_01.jpg

Doesn't take to long.

I like to just get the stuff home and I clean and re-pack everything. I have a good set up in my garage and it's pretty easy.

[paydabill]

Being a team of one mostly, I need about 1 hour and half.

However, with my iwfe there I can do it in 45 minutes. However, we clean as we go, and we put up stuff after we are done.

[scottyd]

With my new trailer we can break down in less than an hour. not a problem.

[SloppyQ]

If we clean as we go breakdown normally doesn't take more than a hour 1/2, but I prefer to take my time and I think I will this coming weekend.

[Rub]

Usually c ouple of hours if I'm just competing. Add in vending and the number jumps to 4 hours...

[smoke-n-my-i's]

I said 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. It all depends on how tired I am.... I have to break it all down and get the cookers loaded in the trailer first... then I can start packing the rest in. I use a 10x20 canopy tent, and that is probably the worst... it takes a little time to break it all down, and packed up. But I really love the size of it. Most teams use 2 of the 10x10 pop up's, so we have the same size.

I try to do the cleaning as I pack, but there seems to always be a box at the end that just gets stuff thrown in...

The best part is when the back doors close and the lock goes on.... then the wait for the calls, and the ride home.

Bill

[Mrs. Sawdust]

Before we got our Battlewagon it seemed to take forever. Now its better but still it seems like it takes longer than it should. As Todd pointed out the Pros seem to have very little "stuff" outside the trailer. We, on the other hand, set up what seems to be a full fledge campsite. We are going to make efforts to streamline our operation so we can setup and tear down in 1 hour or less.
See the problem really is, I am a woman and I always overpack and BBQ is no exception.:biggrin:

[Bigmista]

Without my teammates, I might still be at a contest breaking down. They are great. I'm usually the first one there setting up but by the end, Sylvie, Luis and Professor Salt are usually propping my fat arse up out of the way somewhere.

I couldn't do it without them

[Smokin' Gnome BBQ]

We are normally ready all but the tent b4 awards, some places its just to hot tp be in the sun..problem is tent needs to go in 1st! oh well!!!!!

[Solidkick]

When the four of us cook, we take a boat load of stuff because we usually are entertaining guests the night before and it runs us up close to 3 hours to pack up, less if the kids are there to help, but when it's just T and me, we scale way back and we can be ready to leave in about an hour.

[WannaBeBBQueen]

under an hour but we have 6 people packing up, it goes pretty quick.