BBQ Restaurants

[Gary Morris]

+1 for what Keith said, I don't think the demand is there yet, I saw a BBQ place in the Pallasades open and close, never really full and I passed by every day at different times, some quite late. Just an EG.

PS I've read in several papers and online, "The UK is about 20 years behind the US in trends."

[Backyardsmoker]

We are very stuck in our traditional ways. And I think it can all be done in a smoker. I think pies and a full english could be achieved easily. Now I have my big smoker built im gonna try it

[CyderPig]

Ben
It's not easy as it seems!
Just to put up Burgers, find your flavour profile from A hundred styles.
Find the right Burger that you can cook when people are baying for one,
Pulled Pork, do you want to stay up all night. and still have to serve people with a smile on your face all day long.
Ribs, unless they are pre cooked by you can't do it and they take almost as much time as small bits of shoulder
, with far more effort.
All of it needs planning, and I am just trying to start!
I have spent more money than I can get back this year, or, next year!
But don't give up!!!!!!
I still have so many questions about holding times to ask.
I know I can cook well. but I am still walking in the dark when it comes to cooking for large groups.
I can't be getting up @ 2.00 AM, just to cook, to have it ready without knowing if it will be sold, but I love it!!
OBVIOUSLY YOU ARE THE SAME TYPE OF NUTTER AS I AM, SO GO FOR IT,

[Backyardsmoker]

I have no doubt or conceptions that its going to be hard and a long dark road, I still have a long way to go with my cooking yet.I havent set my self a time scale with this. I just know that one day it will feel right and I'll take the plunge.

My way of doing things is to read every website, every book, talk to people on here and hopefully go and try restaurants and trailers like yours and talk to the owners (not that I expect to get much out of them)

At the moment im in the throws of setting up a car dealership/repairs company with a life long friend. And while this is going onn I can now use my newly built smoker and practice. Its partly the reason I built something so big and making the bottom of the garden for entertaining, so I can atart having big groups of friends round and getting the practice in.

Once money is a bit more settled I am going to invite my self down to your farm and bring a shit load of meat and you can give me a master class the. Cyderl pig way

[CyderPig]

Welcome anytime Mate
Si

[Backyardsmoker]

Nice one

[Pooky]

Cyder Pig certainly seems to know what he's on about. I'd also echo what Keith said earlier - Search out John from Bar-B-Q Shack's posts (On here as JokerSmoker) - He's been a professional chef most of his life and has been successfully selling BBQ for a while now - As good as / better than most of what I've had in the US, with good reviews from the likes of Jay Rayner in the national press - However, he makes no bones about how difficult it is, not just from a work-rate/hours point of view, but with regard to how difficult it is to make money too.

[slatts]

With restaurants like Frankie and Bennys and Coast to Coast doing ribs and pulled pork although not very well, us English are used to having that type of BBQ.
What we try to achieve is authentic American BBQ which to me is so much nicer maybe richer and some different flavours, our "American" restaurants have no smoke and just the standard sweet BBQ sauce.

I'd love to cook for people while turning a profit but its the time cooking versus the time selling against cost's that put me off plus i'm not experienced enough to be confident in my food to be consistent enough.
I have friends telling me I should be selling my BBQ because its that good but then I think of the above and it just puts me off. My friends have also not tasted another persons BBQ so cant really compare it, mine might be rubbish

Whoever goes for it I take my hat off to you and please set up in Herts so I can eat the food without having to get up 4 times during the night because my smoker temps are being a pain in the butt.

[keith157]

I have friends telling me I should be selling my BBQ because its that good but then I think of the above and it just puts me off. My friends have also not tasted another persons BBQ so cant really compare it, mine might be rubbish

We're just down the road, and I have a healthy figure to maintain so we'd happily compare your to what we've eaten in the past

I have to second your comment on someone opening up in Hungry Herts, heck I'd even get my passport out and cross the border into Beds

[derekmiller]

heck I'd even get my passport out and cross the border into Beds

Thats if we would have you..