how to cook for vending?

[Smokin Mike]

I need to relearn how to cook for people not judges,

what kind of rub do you venders use on the big meats?, do you precook at home? is that o.k. I want a great product, but not comp style.

I have the same questions about ribs, I never tried precooking, and probally needs to fall of the bone?

Thanks everyone,

Mike

[chad]

You do want to take care of your customers.

I use whatever basic rub I have around - right now I'm working on a blend of CookShack (part of a gallon Tim gifted me with) and about 5 other rubs I needed to use.

I good meat rub is all that's required.

Depending on the size of your cooker and/or storage reheat/keep hot capacity pre-cooking is not a bad thing.

If you cook ribs to about done, wrap in foil, put in a cooler/cambro and hold for a while I can pretty much guarantee they'll fall off the bone.

[Jacked UP BBQ]

I make my own rub, I use seasoned salt, onion, garlic, white sugar, and paprika all mixed together until it is not too salty.
I pre cook everything except chicken
ribs - I leave the membrane and only season the tops cook all the way and freeze
butts - i rub and cook too 205 and pull, light sauce and cryovac and freeze
brisket - rub, cook to 195 slice or pull light sauce and then cryo and freeze
chicken - cook on site

[tony76248]

I buy my rub in 25lb sizes for $35. Try this website, they make rubs for many restaurants as well as Adkins brands which are sold at Krogers locally. One of the restaurants they do make rub for is Main Street BBQ in Euless.

http://www.adkinsseasoning.com/Store-bulk.html

They have a few different rubs that they market under the Adkins brand. I noticed that there are also a few products not listed here at the site. I will usually get the spicy bbq rub and split it down the middle adding turbino sugar for my pork and kosher salt for the beef. I then have about two gallons of each rub for less than $15 per gallon. Not bad $ wise. I have even sold pound bags of this rub at catering jobs I have done.

I do not use these for comps as much as I used to (I have used them on my ribs), but they do work well and I have done pretty well in comps using them.

They will also mix up custom blends!

[Fastball]

Not to get off topic here, but OC Assasin, how do you thaw large amounts of pork and brisket for serving? I just cook, wrap, and hold. I would like to try your way.

[Jacked UP BBQ]

Depending on the situation and set up. The boil in a bag method works great for brisket and pork. You can do it from frozen in a turkey fryer (with water). Once it is hot, you can put it in a pan and throw it in the holding box and get another one boiling. Keep this out of the eyes of the customers in most cases they will think the product is boiled. If you time this all well you can have a little production line working.

[Fastball]

Thanks OC. I think that may be something I'll try for small gigs. I'm a little worried about doing it for say 250.

[Jacked UP BBQ]

I would never do that for a catering gig. I would only do fresh for catering. I ONLY use this for vending.

[Fastball]

ah, that makes sense. I haven't done any vending...yet. trying to avoid that if possible.

[Qcrue2U]

Here in California, NO MEAT can be pre cooked. All food must be prepared and cooked on site!

Furthermore, I have found that depending on the time frame of the vending event, the coals, lump, take too long to cook the food. Each person that asks for food and the food is not ready, that is a lost sale.

[ASUBBQ]

Pre-cooking ribs, shocking cold and re-heating works fine and you can get a great product.

[SoEzzy]

Originally Posted by Smokin Mike

do you precook at home? is that o.k. I want a great product, but not comp style.

Most HD's don't allow cooking at home and serving the public, though if you have a commissary you can often cook at the commissary, (if that's inside the HD regulations), and do other prep, etc.

Do the whole thing straight if that's at all possible.

Better to do it within the rules, and properly from the start, it's way less aggravation than having your pit and vehicle confiscated, which is what they do out here on the second offense.

Keep up realistic insurance too!

[blues_n_cues]

Originally Posted by SoEzzy

Most HD's don't allow cooking at home and serving the public, though if you have a commissary you can often cook at the commissary, (if that's inside the HD regulations), and do other prep, etc.

Do the whole thing straight if that's at all possible.

Better to do it within the rules, and properly from the start, it's way less aggravation than having your pit and vehicle confiscated, which is what they do out here on the second offense.

Keep up realistic insurance too!

not so bad here but i don't chance... my time is built into the price..i took 5 years off & before now my price was good @$5 a plate- competing against a chain(bill miller's boiled crap)in texas... now i'm rich @ pricing @$12.00 per avg.no i'm not rich but i do it all on site & lose sleep because the bottom line is every good gig brings more.....a simple rule is don't serve what ya won't eat & the work comes back 3 fold....
simple rub w/ just a bit of heat- most customers will drown it in sauce anyway so if there's a beer vender- hook up. it really depends on the venue....cheap benefit or custom wedding....

[Bigmista]

Originally Posted by Qcrue2U

Here in California, NO MEAT can be pre cooked. All food must be prepared and cooked on site!

Furthermore, I have found that depending on the time frame of the vending event, the coals, lump, take too long to cook the food. Each person that asks for food and the food is not ready, that is a lost sale.

Not if you have access to a commercial kitchen.

The rule is you can't cook in your home.

[Qcrue2U]

Bigmista...
Thanks man... forgot all about that!
That also opens up the can of worms that the product must be maintained at proper temperature or kept on ice while moving from commercial kitchen to the event location.