Bad BBQ

In Hawaii, there are not many bbq brisket places, more Korean BBQ/Yakiniku. While I have been smoking first on a Weber and now my UDS for a good few years I would LOVE to open a part time food truck or do farmer's market's for brisket, pulled pork, etc. Maybe a flair of Southern BBQ and Asian as well. Hopefully, I'd be not put in that same bad BBQ category but I guess one can only tell by trying.

There are a lot of reasons, I think one of the most common reasons folks who start up roadside end up serving bad BBQ is that they start off as backyard guys, who give away their food, and nobody criticizes free food. From there, the ego takes over and you simply cannot believe anyone else, and you keep making the same food that made you famous among friends and relatives.

It's also actually, quite hard to vend BBQ, it doesn't hold well, doesn't cook fast, takes up a lot of space etc...but, you know all of that. Still, I think most BBQ guys dream of being that guy, famous for his ribs, brisket or sauce, talking of Food Network about how you just cooked for your family and BOOM!

Not a caterer myself but yeah there has been more. Just one. I been meaning to try it as he has a Southern Pride sitting outside his trailer. Kind of excited to see a bbq stand. We lost the only other one not to long ago. Heard his wife had cancer poor fellow sold it and they moved it.

I have wanted to do it myself but just not a good time for that. Oh well nice to dream for now.

I have all but given up on trying BBQ. I have tasted some pretty sorry Q. I just focus on my own BBQ and try to keep my hobby something that I love to do. I have looked at the restaurant/catering side, done tons of research and realize that if you do have really good BBQ then long hours and sleepless nights are in your future. I will leave that to the professionals and just keep working on making my own better.

nealeugene said:

I have all but given up on trying BBQ. I have tasted some pretty sorry Q. I just focus on my own BBQ and try to keep my hobby something that I love to do. I have looked at the restaurant/catering side, done tons of research and realize that if you do have really good BBQ then long hours and sleepless nights are in your future. I will leave that to the professionals and just keep working on making my own better.

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I do cater, vend & compete (not much anymore), in BBQ. I will also admit that every time I try someone else's bbq its never as good as mine, and this includes some pretty well known chain restaurants. I really think this is pretty much what we all do, "man I tried that guys pulled pork sandwich, it cant even compare to mine". Thats our nature. The taste of bbq is pretty much subjective, thats part of the reason I dont compete much anymore, its all in the hands of the judges and their particular tastes. I have won a peoples choice award at a comp, then completely bombed out with the judges. I do agree, there are bbq vendors popping up everywhere.
We try to do our best, put out the best possible product to our tastes, and hope the people love it. If they dont, they will let you know soon enough.

I'll throw my 2 cents in and take my bashing lol. We are those guys that went from backyard guys and inviting everyone over to eat....for free. I agree, NO ONE complains of free food. So we had the talks while drinking a beer of the day someone will actually pay for our stuff and blowing up our balloon egos that are stuff is really that good. Fast forward to a year later and we are looking for a building to do full time catering out of. I think what our product has going for it is we serve what we make for ourselves. If I wouldn't make it for myself on a random Thursday, I'm not serving it to someone else. I'll give credit where it is due though, I wouldn't be where I am now without the knowledge from here. Flip side is you have to execute it. Another darker side I have learned though being on the other side of the table now. 98% of people we have found don't care or don't know what good BBQ is most of the time. They just cover it up with sauce. Sides are almost more important cause that's what they actually taste. We, as in us here that really really know good Q, are the 2%. That can tell when I overcooked the Brisket a little, or the Pulled Pork is a touch under smokey, and such. It is a whole different beast serving to the general public. But like Sunrise said, we strive to put out a product we would make ourselves or serve our friends in the backyard every time.