Selling @ Farmers Markets & Smoke Control. Help, please

[Hoosier Chef]

you will get complaints from the food vendors... especially those not doing well because you stlole their lunch biz. LOL. The vendor that is in best with the org sponsoring it... thats the one that will make your life miserable.

best thing is burn hot and clean and say... what smoke? People will still smell the smoke.

You are right. There is already another BBQ lady there, but she is small scale and not great. She isn't going to like me much...lol.

extending the stack if done right will also help increase air draft therefore make a cleaner fire and get it up... in fact, since smoke often goes ahead and blows back DOWN as it cools I think the taller stack helps more in increasing draft and thereby making cleaner smoke than simply bringing it higher.

I'll look into that setup. Thanks.

 

[Hoosier Chef]

Give the booths downwind some of that Q & they will be feeling great about being next to you. Fed people tend to be happier people. Plus use the more traffic angle.

I agree with BamaRambler. Go for normal the first Saturday and be ready with a backup plan if need be. As you stated most of the cooking would be done prior to the market opening so you'd be toward teh end of the cook which is minimal smoke and lots of great food smell.

Good thought. Bribe with Q. Yeah, I plan to get there waaaay before anyone else. The smoke should be a lot cleaner at that point and will have an incredible smell. I'm feeling better about this.

We did a 1 year stint at two smaller farmers markets in California. We ran Traeger pellet grills on a trailer. I understand your concerns as I shared them we we got started.

These items were on my checklist:

1. Be the FIRST to the market for set-up so others don't see the "dirty work"
2. Clean any residual grease that may create unnecessary smoke.
3. Light the fire WAY before anyone else shows up and get it burning clean. Cook things a bit hotter than you otherwise might to ensure this...plus you may need to speed up the on site cooking process if you're popular.
4. Make sure to have something that smells good on the cooker as other vendors set up. People naturally find it hard to complain if things smell great!
5. Offer samples and food to the other vendors - they all get questioned by the customers asking "Is the BBQ any good?" you want them to be able to say yes!
6. Look and act professional - sharing your process with both customers & vendors.
7. If it is a Organic & Local market, minimize disposable items as your effort in sustainability.

As always, just my .02

Great tips. I appreciate it.

Talking outta my arse here, but if you can use something like a Stoker to push air in, couldn't you use something like a computer fan to pull air out. I'm thinking along the lines of the high powered exhast fans you see in restaurants, but on a smaller scale. Maybe a small fan on top of a lenth of tube would help pull the smoke up and then out and up. Those fans could run for hours off of a Car Start battery pack.
I know we tossed this idea around in another thread where someone washaving probs with a neighbor, but don't know if the idea has ever been tried.

Bob

That is definitely an option. I'll search it.

Along these lines, a few years back at a wine festival we went to, I started up a conversation with one of the vendors. All of his product had been pre cooked and was in warming trays. I asked him what he had cooking in the pit. He said, nothing. Just a small fire and onion peels. The smell was very nice. He claimed that was what brought him business. I've done this at home with the ends and skins, it DOES make for some very appetizing smoke.

Definitely good thoughts.

Thanks, all. This has helped tremendously. If anyone ever runs across a thread on extending the stack, I'd appreciate if you'd link it here.

I am very new to this forum, so I am feeling very welcomed.

Have a good weekend.

 

[Hoosier Chef]

After a bit more research, I found this site below. Does anyone have an opinion on using a chrome straight truck pipe on top of my smokestack, should smoke become a problem for other vendors. This would give the stack more height, with the hopes of removing smoke from the vendor area. It could have a few benefits, as well. It would definitely draw more attention to my rig and would send smoke traveling further for people to see and smell it. It would probably look pretty badass up on top of the rig..... A few people have discussed the added benefit of circulation.

Thoughts?

http://www.mcssl.com/store/truckpipesnow/chrome-straight-stack-pipes

 

[JS-TX]

I don't the know the layout, but could you setup downwind from most of the vendors? A lot of great tips here, I definitely agree with making sure you have a clean burning fire. Perhaps using lump and taking it easy on the wood? Nice looking rig, that helps as opposed to having an old rusty rig.

 

[Southern Home Boy]

This is just me talkin' and I've never had the pleasure of cooking on a rig like you've got, but it seems to me that if you're generating enough smoke to bother people, you're generating too much smoke to cook right.

If you're firing up in the morning before others show up, your fire should be nice and clean by the time anyone else gets there.

 

[Brian in So Cal]

Keeping my fingers crossed you don't get set up by a (dare I say it) Vegan vendor!!:becky:

By the way nice looking rig.

 

[Rick T]

Can you pick the location of the space?
If so get on the down wind side of the market.

 

[h20loo]

Talking outta my arse here, but if you can use something like a Stoker to push air in, couldn't you use something like a computer fan to pull air out. I'm thinking along the lines of the high powered exhast fans you see in restaurants, but on a smaller scale. Maybe a small fan on top of a lenth of tube would help pull the smoke up and then out and up. Those fans could run for hours off of a Car Start battery pack.
I know we tossed this idea around in another thread where someone washaving probs with a neighbor, but don't know if the idea has ever been tried.

Bob

I was thinking the same thing... well not so much about my arse! I was thinking that a house furnace style fan plumbed to blow up past the chimney would help disipate the smoke.

 

[BBQ PD]

Trying to put it all in prospective; Q is Q, an Q produces some of the best aromas on the planet, and if done right, there really isn't much smoke, but loads and loads of wonderful aromas. The reality is you are never going to please everyone, just like the vegetarian who gets upset at you because you aren't thinking of them, and the vendor who doesn't like the aromas of Q. It's been my experience that the vast majority love it, and for the few that don't, it will be nearly impossible to please them.

 

[TIMMAY]

Update?

 

[Grillman]

Been there....a few years back I had a smaller rig at a big church Memorial Day event;
the smoke was OK until the wind came...even a little breeze took the smoke wherever
it wanted to.
It may be best for you to use charcoal with some wood chunks for the hickory smell.
Or at least bring charcoal with you in case there are complaints from those vendors'
next to you...then you can switch to charcoal if needed

 

[aggravation4u]

Chrome Stacks on BBQ

It's best that you use a Curved pipe or Aussie Pipe for your grill, this way you wont get rain or moisture traveling down the pipe and into your grill. I have also seen BULL Horns be used.

I checked the site out that you posted and ended up buying them on the truckpipestore. I talked to the owner and he gave me a discount code to use on them. If you are interested in it, let me know.

Smokey

here is what I ended up getting from them
http://www.truckpipestore.com/a-great-deal---oem-closeouts/04-20374-032

 

[DaveMW]

Keeping my fingers crossed you don't get set up by a (dare I say it) Vegan vendor!!:becky: QUOTE]


Good one! :laugh: