Couple of questions.......FEC 120 and 240

I can't answer your question but recommend you move it to either the FEC OWNERS FORUM or PROFESSIONALS ONLY FORUM. Currently it is in the pellet grill forum and may be missed by 120/240 owners. As always, talk with the folks @ COOKSHACK. Good luck!

I moved it to the Pros Section since some of the question will be Pro related.

What's your background in BBQ and in Restaurants? Helps us know how much information to add.

To answer your question you should ask your Fire Marshall, but I'll be they require it to be under a hood because it will be putting out smoke and the smoke has to go somewhere.

Some FM also think it needs fire suppression (although the fires are self contained).

My opinion about your ribs is to NEVER cook the day before. I know some do and then grill them off but the quality suffers and given the short time, fresh ribs will sell a whole lot better.

I would suggest you think about exactly what you want to cook, in terms of quantity how many #'s of each item, and the time to cook) if you haven't already. Ribs and Chicken will restrict your amounts if you cook them together and the ribs must be above the chicken. The Health Dept will comment if you cook poultry over anything else. But I wouldn't do it anyway. Poultry will leave nasty looking streaks on anything below it AND you have to worry about cross contamination.

If you have to put a hood in, make it big enough to add more capacity (more smokers) down the road.

Any other pro questions?

FYI, CS has a class in the summer for Pros, I taught part of it last year, but I won't be around for it this year.

Dear SmokinOkie,

My experience in restaurants comes from serving in management with McDonalds, Long John Silvers and running a Subway shop.....McDonalds taught me solid skills in a very methodical manner. BBQ has been a journey of about ten years in which I've done catering.

In Las Vegas, actually Clark County I will have to use a hood.....there's a grocery store just down the road that has an Amerique (sp) in their deli and it is under the hood....

I plan on putting in a 12ft hood with fire suppression.....gonna purchase a 120,240, and a 36" CS Charbroiler....I will also be adding a 36" stove and two double fryers.....I will have fire suppression. I'm also buying a convection oven and steamer (alto shaam), but I don't think they have to go under the hood.

My dilemma is on the ribs....I will serve St. Louis style ribs.....I will be at my store at 8 am every morning.....is there a formula that would cook those ribs in 3 hours?

Chicken shouldn't to difficult to time, and YES I know not to put chicken on top.

I'm thinking that we could load up the 240 with brisket and pork and turn it on around 9pm, and just let it cook all night.

There's a possibility that I might bring someone out here for a couple of days to help me get things right......who would turn down a free trip to Vegas?

SmokinOkie, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

check with your fire dept and health dept. in california the smokers and fryer,stove can not go under the same hood. seperate systems

They key will be that you have to play with your weights and timing.

When you start the night before and the weight of the food (heavy or medium or light briskets) will determine when they come off.

You also need to check the spec on your ribs. If you're buying from a Food Service company you can by them already trimmed (more expensive) and by weight. So if that's the way you're going, check with them for what they have and see. You can get smaller St. Louis (like 2.5 lb) but we served 3.25 to 3.50. Then it's a function of what rub and how hot. We would cook at 275 for 4 hours and be done right at 4 hours. +/- 15 minutes. But you need to experiment because your smoker, how much smoke you want, if there is a lot of sugar in the rub, etc, etc.

It's all doable, it's just figuring out the quantity and timing. We only made fresh for lunch then at 1 put in the ribs for dinner. Fresh sells better but if you experiment a little you might like a grilled rib that you smoke the night before and reheat on the grill (but I suggest some sauce or glaze at that point) and the CB works great for that. Too bad you're too far, I have my 36" CB for sale.

Rick- I was wondering if you have been to http://rollinsmokebarbeque.com/
We always make a point to go there when we are in town (Las Vegas). In fact I was there this past weekend. The food is great, and the owner is really cool. Gave us a tour of the kitchen. Might be worth a visit??? Oh and get the 1/2 slab beef ribs! And the corn nuggets! OMG!

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Elmore:
Dear SmokinOkie,

My experience in restaurants comes from serving in management with McDonalds, Long John Silvers and running a Subway shop.....McDonalds taught me solid skills in a very methodical manner. BBQ has been a journey of about ten years in which I've done catering.

In Las Vegas, actually Clark County I will have to use a hood.....there's a grocery store just down the road that has an Amerique (sp) in their deli and it is under the hood....

I plan on putting in a 12ft hood with fire suppression.....gonna purchase a 120,240, and a 36" CS Charbroiler....I will also be adding a 36" stove and two double fryers.....I will have fire suppression. I'm also buying a convection oven and steamer (alto shaam), but I don't think they have to go under the hood.

My dilemma is on the ribs....I will serve St. Louis style ribs.....I will be at my store at 8 am every morning.....is there a formula that would cook those ribs in 3 hours?

Chicken shouldn't to difficult to time, and YES I know not to put chicken on top.

I'm thinking that we could load up the 240 with brisket and pork and turn it on around 9pm, and just let it cook all night.

There's a possibility that I might bring someone out here for a couple of days to help me get things right......who would turn down a free trip to Vegas?

SmokinOkie, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

Best wishes on your new endeavor Rick.
I have a similar setup at our restaurant, using an FEC-120 and SM160, along with a CB36" Charbroiler. All our equip is under a hood with fresh return air, and our local code doesn't require suppression for the smokers, just the charbroiler. I do ribs and chicken on the FEC, and Butts and Briskets on both the SM160 (Electric) and the FEC. Okie already mentioned some cook times for ribs, which is about our experience as well. Lighter ribs can cook in 3-1/2 hours, larger 4+ hours (at 270 degrees). If your doing ribs 'hot and fast' like this, you'll really need to keep your eye on them and learn your finish times, when to flip them, etc. Something else I'll mention is that we do Butts and Brisket on both smokers, and the FEC-120 definitely takes longer than the SM160 smoker. I attribute this to the SM being a moister environment. I'll finish a load of butts and Brisket on the SM smoker in 12 hours, where the FEC-120 typically will take 3 to 4 hours longer (at 225 degrees). We love both our smokers, but the versatility of the SM smoker with it's faster finish time is something to consider. The FEC produces a nicer 'bark' then the SM smoker, but the SM typically produces a bit moister product. Something else to consider, depending on how deep you want your smoke profile, is supplementing the FEC smokers with 'little logs'. I have a shelf added to the side of my FEC burn pot, and typically burn an additional block of hickory or other wood in addition to the pellets. Goes a long way for adding deeper smoke to ribs.

Another factor that can come into play is temps on the FEC. If smoking on low temp (225), it should be a good load, not just a rack of ribs. These smokers are so efficient that they can put themselves out if not enough meat in them. The smoker holds 225 degrees for several minutes without the need to feed pellets, and the burn pot burns it's fuel, and theres no fire left to ignite pellets when it starts to feed again.

Another point is regarding the CB36. Depending how you burn throughout the day (one or both burners on), they can eat some pellets! Find a good source for affordable pellets - you can PM me and I'll let you know who I use. Typically, shipping is the issue with pellets, but the larger the load shipped, the more cost effective.

Will your smokers, CB , two fryers and oven all fit under a 12 ft. hood ? Keep in mind the side clearances needed for the FEC's to get to the fire box to clean/empty. Also if you plan on expanding your line in the future. (I'm up against that little issue right now, and mine is a 12 ft. hood).

Best to ya -
Rick

Great reply Rick. Thanks.

Smokin,

No problem. Thank you for all the help.

R