Planning to buy a commercial smoker

Have a look through the pro forum, there's a lot of info here.

Key question is how big a background do you have in BBQ and do you have an idea of what kind of Q and how much. You really have to know that so you can determine if you need one big smoker, or several smaller smokers (are different meats/quantities and different temps needed?)

Thanks for your help Smokin Okie!

I have always helped my father with his BBQ, he uses a big iron cooker that me made hiself years ago, and the food is unbeatable!!

I am having a hard time guest-a-matting the amount of food to be served a day. The town that I live in has a population of about 15,000-20,000. It is a collage town and the only BBQ placew that has been in town in year prechoppes all of their meat and leaves it seating on the counter top under a napkin and a heat lamp all day. That is not the kind od BBQ I want to serve!!

I plan to cook pulled pork butt's/shoulders, ribs, chickens, briskets, loins, hams, steaks, burgers, hot links, catfish. There will be a full menu of authintic NM style mexican food as well.

Thanks Again,
Melisa

I'd give some thought to a business plan. You need to think about the menu and how much you want to pay for the smoker as well as the rest of your equipment.

You can go a rotisserie style (like the FEC 300/500/750) or other rotisserie, you'll want to think about wood flavor, if you're used to your father's pit (log burner or gas?) Sounds like logs.

There's a LOT of good reading in the pro forum. Some of the pros should be stopping by soon, just ask any questions.

Smokin'

Thanks for the advice.

I am activily working on the business plan, that is why I am spending so much time on the smoker. I want to make sure that I get the right equipment the first time! Don't want to have bad product or make it harder on myself then it needs to be.

Yes my fathers is a log burning unit. He uses pecan and apple when he can't find pecan, tha is why I prefer the flavor.

I understand having several small smokers for different temps, and meats could work. I just always pictured a big walk in smoker! LOL Plus sveral units takes up more room.

I just want to get the best advice from the pros!!

It I get the FEC rotisserie for chickens, then what do you suggest for the meats?

Thanks again!

I had a FEC500 on a trailer. It cooked great and never broke down. Rotisserie is the only to go when cooking a lot of meat if you want it all done at once.

Ok this is a stupid question probable, but what it the difference between the Fast Freddie and the Cookshack?

I guess I never thought about cooking anything other than chicken on a rotisserie. HUMMM something to think about I guess!

I believe you will find all the Cookshack units will be eletric heat, with wood chips to produce the smoke flavor.

The Fast Eddies use a fire pot with wood pellets to produce the heat and smoke flavor. The FEC100 is a box still unit, and the The FEC300,500,750 all use the rotiss tray method. This allows you to cook many different items at one time. The rotation of the trays allow the meat to drip on one another providing a very moist product.

All the larger FEC do well with bigger loaads. The FEC100 would give the ability to do different meats at the various temps that you spoke of.

The quality of the product with the FEC will be very good.

RandyE

You need to take a little time to look at the specs of the different models that Cookshack offers. You seem to be thinking that rotisserie is like the ones you see at the grocery store coking chickens. I'm honestly not trying to be unkind, but if that's where you're at, you need to reconsider thoughts of opening a restaurant. You've got a very steep learning curve ahead of you. Knowing the equipment is the easy part.

Thank you for your explination RandyE! That makes it very clear for me!

Todd G. I appriciate your honest as well. I know that I have a very steep learning curve ahead of me. That is why I got myself my own machine and joined this site to learn.

I know that I have the mexican food down as I have cooked it all my life! It's good if I do say so myself.

As for the BBQ I would love to take a class of find a mentor but there simply are none around here. I am working on all my own recipes, rubs, and sauces to use as well. I also have test testers that give me honest feed back.

I know if the food is not good then I will have a fight on my hands that is why I am trying to get all my info straight and work on the food. I know all of my fathers tricks, and I am practicing on my CS to learn how electric works vs. logs.

Any advice you or anyone else would like to give me would be greatly appriciated!

I am working on therestaurant because I have had more health problems as of late then I ever thought I would have at this age, and I just want to follow my dreams! At least then I will know that I tried! If that makes since.

Well, if you're determined to follow your dreams, then who would we be to stand in your way. Just understand that you asked for it!

For shoulders, butts, and brisket I'd have to be dragged away from a Cookshack smoker. They will make simple, largely foolproof work of these cuts. An FEC 300, or maybe even the 100 would likely be all you'd need for chicken, turkey, and such. Sausage and ribs will work well in either a CS or an FEC. What you will need will depend on volume, cook cycles, and product mix. Some of these things won't be apparent until you're in business.

A CS SM260 and an FEC 100 would offer great versatility and redundancy in a compact package, at a reasonable cost to purchase and operate. Later, additional units can be added if necessary.

I still see some restaurants operating with big offset pits burning logs and I just shake my head. I can match their product quality every day, do so easily, and at a lower cost. Welcome to the 21st century.

If you follow through with your plans, you'll see why conservation of energy(your energy) is so important. Cookshack smokers make a difficult task as easy as it can be.

Thank you for the help! Yes I am asking for it! All of it I can get!

Let's get the bbq down and get that first. You're just starting with a new CS, and there are some learning curves. Once you get happy with that method, you can always grow into bigger smokers and quantity. Start small and get great at that first.

There are TONS of great threads in this Pros forum. Have a read there for plenty of ideas about catering or restaurants. Lot of good people have passed through here.

Smokin'