Using FEC 100s in New Barbecue Restaurant

If you are speaking of brisket and pork butt, the FEC 100 is excellent for cooking overnight. That is how I cook my briskets and butts with no problems. It is an excellent smoker and is used in many restaurants throughout the states in just your situation. You might want to contact John Shiflett at Cookshack so he can give you some references as to other restaurants using them.

If it were me, would turn to the 200 series Cookshack commercial smokers. Operating cost is just the electricity and a couple chunks of wood. They don't catch on fire. The heat control is constant. The venting requirement are minimal with very low smoke output. They take up very little room. There is no ash clean up. Any employee can use it.

Pig,

If your starting out, under sizing the units may be a mistake. I think it I was going to do what your getting ready to do.

I would look very seriously at the FEC300. It can give you a large amount of flexablity. There is no chance of fire because of the fire pot location.

Grease is easy to deal with, ash is easy to clean out with a small vac. Controller is the same easy to use unit as the FEC100. Ribs can take a lot of space in a cooker unless you place them on their edge. And the 300 will give you the space, and still let you cook many other foods at the same time.

And it will still roll through the door.

RandyE

pig,

I would also urge you to call John Shiflet, Cookshack's sales manager. He won't put any kind of "hard sell" on you, our philosophy is that we are here to solve people's problems. He is a straight-shooter who has been with Cookshack for 23 years, and he has helped thousands of people get started in the bbq restaurant business (and has been in the bbq catering business himself), and he knows both Cookshack and Fast Eddy's by Cookshack equipment inside and out. He can help you figure out which smoker would be best for your operation. He's at 1-800-423-0698.

quote:

Originally posted by pig:
...WE REALIZE THE OUTPUT WOULD ONLY BE ABOUT 60 POUNDS OF RIBS PER FULL LOADED FEC 100. PIG

It will do more. With the rib racks, I did 40 racks of spares this past weekend for a People's Choice. Put 10 in each rack. They were probably about 3lb'ers so that's 120 pds.

The racks hold the ribs on there edge, front to back.

Pig, we are in the same position and considering the FEC 100 to open the business with and as business picks up, we also do pizza and steak so it is not our main business, we will add a FEC 500. Any restaurant owners out there using a FEC 100?

Good advice from all above.

I'll split and give one more choice.

Although the FEC 100 s can be operated by many folks,overnight,without too much tending,the CS 100,or 200, can require even less attention by employees doing big meats overnight.

The traditional CS can also coldsmoke,and the fuel cost is almost non existent.

One CS 150 and an FCE,with its extra versatility with ribs,chicken,etc might be something to discuss with John.

Just a thought.