HOW DO YOU GUYS DO IT?

[Smokin T]

i am sooo tired! i told some of my patients that i would smoke them some ribs and a turkey breast. mind you this wasn't a full on meal, but i thought, well, if your gonna have ribs, then beans would be a good idea. and how about two different kinds of beans?

and then you must have cole slaw! and what if they want some bbq sauce? well, i'll just make three different kinds! and then, i guess i'd better have some bread to top it off.

well, i spent all day tuesday running between the smoker and into the house to make all these other items. i had five racks of spares and one large turkey breast going. then i thought how am i going to set this up at work? how am i going to keep things warm? :?

i went to smart and final and bought one of those sterno things, napkins, table cloth, little ladles for sauces, larger ladles for beans, cups, drinks and some buffet things to put in my roaster. i put one kind of beans in a small crockpot, the ribs and turkey into the sterno thing.

besides treating patients on weds. i was running back and forth showing people where to go and what was what. also, since i didn't "supervise", some of the patients, mostly male, were apparently just eating the ribs and must have had four or five! another co-worker said she saw several people walking out with plates of food! :evil:

needless to say, at the end of the day, i ran out of food and i was supposed to have saved some for fridays patients who were not going to be there on weds.!

what a job! and i figured i spent about $200 for all this stuff. of course some items are reusable. then i had to clean all that stuff up after working all day and haul it all home again. i am exhausted. how do you all do this on a regular basis. :shock:

[Anonymous]

I know exactly how you feel. To be doing nothing more than cooking a load of briskets, I sure am tired when I 'm done. And this is not a "sport" that one wants to jump in only to make money. You gotta love to cook great BBQ in order to be able to do it right. The more I do it, the easier it gets, but it is still very soul/sole-wearing.

ROCK ON on the great cook. Many more to come. Keep it up.

[Smokin T]

you're right, FATZ, about this not being a sport. i reread my post and it sure looks like i was complaining. in reality, i enjoyed the whole process. it was just that i had never done this before and was a little overwhelmed when it was over. btw, i didn't charge anyone for the meal; it was just something i thought i could do as a "little" surprise for my patients.

it was a very valuable learning experience and i know i will have more as i go along. thanks for the encouragement! t

[Race R Us]

my hats off to you for the generousity and the thinki ng of the patients.

sounds to me you done well.

[texasbill]

Well Smokin T sounds like you experienced what this great "hobby" is really all about. Sounds like a job well done so congrats on your first of many fun times feeding people good Q.

You are right, this is hard work and we all love what we do and that makes up for alot of the work side of this. My hats off to you for completing a great thing for your customers and having them enjoy the fruits of your labor, hope they remember you for a long time because of this and I am sure they will. I never have folks that have enjoyed the food forget about that experience.

Great job and many more to come.

Bill Cannon
Texas BBQ Rub

[BBQ101]

Sounds like you need a mobile pit with a propane burner and grill built-in grill not to mention a upright smoker. You my friend need to call Ritch at Gator Pits and order yourself a Entertainer. Best part is you can lock the upright and the main smoke chambers with pad locks. Just put all your goodies in aluminum pans and toss em in the upright smoker to keep it all warm. Then just turn on the gas assists and its all happy till you serve. Food always taste better right off the pit.
http://www.gatorpit.net/products.htm take a look

[Woodman]

Hey T, good work! You'll be buyin a big log burner before ya know it! I'd sell ya Texas Hottie I , but the freight from Ohio would kill ya! Glad you're havin fun! :) Woodman

[Mac]

Or as a viable option, consider an uprite smoker. Less space, less charcoal/wood, five shelves for loads of food and easily portable.

8) 8)

[Smokin T]

THANKS, GUYS! as tired as i was, there was an exhileration about the whole thing. i loved hearing and seeing the looks on my patients faces when they bit into it. i know it sounds egocentrical, and i guess it is, but i really liked to please the patients. what a thrill!

thanks to all for your encouragement. you guys are super and i can only hope to make good Q like you all. lots of love, t :D

[Anonymous]

Ain't nothing wrong with being proud if you have something to be proud of.

I am always proud when someone compliments my BBQ. Soak it up and use it as "fuel" for the next cook.

[BBQ101]

Qbrotha that's called Bragging rights and you earned it. Well done Smokin T :wink: 8) :shock:

[Paul Taylor]

Hey Smokin T. Great job man. Ya done great. If I may suggest something along the serving lines? Next time, you may wanna either supervise the serving or have somebody else supervise & make sure that noone else hauls *** with a plateful so there will be enough for everyone. Just a thought. Been there,done that. But that was a great gesture of ya. See, I like doing things like that myself. There ain't nothing wrong with giving yourself a pat on the back from time to time. That's what makes things worth while.

Paul Taylor

[dragonlad]

If I may make a suggestion on keeping foods warm, especially if you have to transport them or keep them warm while waiting for judging...I use foil/insulated hot/cold bags that I got at COSTCO, here in Japan...I foil whatever I want to keep warm and then put it into the bag and fill w/ wadded up newspapers...I also use a cooler for larger things like the Steamship Round of Beef that I just did...Same way, just foil it and pack w/ newspapers...The beef was still warm two hours later when we took it out and hung it on the carving station... Keep in mind that you're going to get residual heat cook-off w/ this and adjust your finishing temps accordingly...I pulled that beef at 138 degrees IT, shooting for 145...Was just a smidge over... I also use this method for transporting deep fried turkeys that we do and it works very well w/ them as well.

When I return Stateside, I intend to find a VA Hospital near where I end up and do the same thing.

[Smokin T]

Dragonlad---thanks for the tips. are you a soldier stationed in japan? what about the V.A.? are you going to cook for the vets? am a vet, myself and am currently applying for a position at the V.A. at Loma Linda. i like your signature. thanks, t

[dragonlad]

Smokin' T...

Am retired USN, living in Japan (Viet Vet 68/69) Yes, want to cook things for the Vets, especially Holidays etc...I expect to be in FL in about 2 years time...

[Smokin T]

you sure saw it, brother! one of the reasons i'm applying to the V.A. is to be back with my brothers and sisters, whom i've missed for so long. i would love to give them the best damn 'Q' they ever had! thanks for your service! t

[Woodman]

you sure saw it, brother! one of the reasons i'm applying to the V.A. is to be back with my brothers and sisters, whom i've missed for so long. i would love to give them the best damn 'Q' they ever had! thanks for your service! t

T, man you're right about him "seein" it. 68-69! I have always been facinated with the whole Vietnam War.
Dragonlad, I hope you were offshore shelling Danang, Hue, or Haiphong and not on one of those PT boats in the Mekong! Luckily enough for me, I was only 12 in 1969. Didn't even really realize what was happening. When the movies started coming out in the later 70's, I became real interested. Wrote numerous papers on it in college, and read everything I could get my hands on. Glad I missed it and "Thanks" to you for your work there Dragon! :D Woody

[Cal_BBQ Pit]

Smokin T, good stuff. I hear ya, we feed alot of the neighborhood kids around here, and I tell ya, we dont do it for the money. We had over 22 people for Thanksgiving in our little 700 square ft. apartment. But, when someone looks up and says, man, thank you, this is great! Its all worth it. When a family who hasnt eaten a home cooked meal in a while comes over and leaves with food, thats a great feelin. But, at the end of the day, we fall right into bed!!!! But what a hobby it is!! We cook at least 2-4 times a week..... :D its a more than a hobby, its a lifestyle!! 8)

[dragonlad]

Woodman, Smokin' T... thanx for the kind words...I was attached to US Navy Seawolves...http://www.seawolf.org/ Out of Vung Tau, town at the mouth of the Saigon River. That URL tells the entire story...We just did 4 deep fried Turkeys w/ all the trimmings for the Japanese Security Guard detachment at the US Navy Pier, here in Yokohama...Many had never had an entire American Holiday meal and sure wuffed it down!!! LOL Garlic Mashed Taters...3 Corn-Jalapeno~Cheese Casserole...Cornbread stuffing and Cranberry Relish...Doing 4 Turks tomorrow and two on Xmas day for some Navy families here...Hope YOU guys and all the rest of the Forum readers have absolutely stunning Holidays!!! Take a minute and raise a glass to our Brothers and Sisters over in that damn sandbox...

[Woodman]

Merry Christmas in the Land of the Rising Sun!!! Ho HO Ho!

[dragonlad]

Certainly Christmas in Honorable Nippon!!! Only, we leave fish heads and sake for Santa!!! LOL

[Woodman]

Certainly Christmas in Honorable Nippon!!! Only, we leave fish heads and sake for Santa!!! LOL

Even Santa San knows.....Good head is hard to find! :roll: :oops: Woodman

[Smokin T]

Cal , You're right! i's not about the money. it really feels good to make people happy and now i've found another way. hopefully, if i can afford it, i can help a lot more people. thanks, t

dragonload, WOW! how great! will definately "raise a glass" to our bretheren over the world.

woodman, shame, shame, shame.