OT: Competition/Commercial Pellet Smoker

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Alright BBQ dorks. I am close to crossing over to the easy bake dark side...

Considering buying a BBQ rig. My pizza restaurant is basically at capacity on what we can cook on busy weeks/weekends during the summer and ski season. I'm closer to half capacity in the shoulder seasons of fall and spring.

In the shoulder seasons, we get lots of support from locals and between the schools, youth sports, and just regular folks, I can't ask these folks to buy another pizza from me. They do enough. So my thoughts are, let's increase cooking capacity for the busy season and also offer something different (+/-20 restaurants in town, no BBQ) during the shoulder seasons to give locals another option besides Mexican, pizza, and burgers that are everywhere in town.

The cost to remodel the building to either increase pizza capacity or add friers/flattop/or smoker would be 10x of what I could buy a BBQ rig for. I figure I can set the rig up next to my bar and sell BBQ to go or fine in while pizza goes through the pizza restaurant as normal. In the summer we could also use it to cater weddings (there are dozens every weekend from June to October.)

Anyhow, definitely looking at the pellet muchers. I'm 1500 miles for a decent source of oak or hickory and it would cost 3x as much to buy firewood after freight as it would if I were in Texas or Mississippi. Pellets are virtually the same price since they ship well.

The only true commercial pellet smoker is the Fast Eddy line. They are rotisserie and look like Southern Pride's, but can be trailer mounted. I think from a practical standpoint, they are great, but I believe part of BBQ is the show. The local grocery store has a Southern Pride on a trailer outside for rotisserie chicken and it's anything but a show.

Currently leaning towards a custom Yoder trailer with 2 Cimmaron Pellet smokers. Something kinda like this...


I'd get a Santa Maria instead of gas grill on the back for steak night and the show. The Yoder Cimmaron Pellet smokers are just a touch smaller than a 250 gallon propane tank, but probably have a bigger capacity since the pellet smoker is a little more controlled and you can cook throughout the chamber and on the second rack.

The trailer needs to fit in a parking space so max 20-22'.

Any of you competition guys see Yoder Cimmaron Pellet smokers out there? I know the 1500 is out there on the circuit as well.

Is there another offset looking pellet smoker big enough to run commercially I should be looking at? Should I just say 17 it and get a 500 gallon offset on a trailer and use the savings on firewood? This M&M 500 looks badàss too.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

 

[ETK99]

Im hoping all the pellet guys are running the price down on the charcoal grills

 

[HulksStache]

Love my pellet grill……

 

[Dawgbite]

I’ve been away from the competition circuit for about 10 years so I’ve had zero experience with a commercial pellet smoker. I spent 35 years in the wood industry and there is a pellet manufacturer nearby that I had contact with. As I’ve stated on here before I’m not a fan of eating food cooked over pellets because I know what’s going in them. Although I will admit it’s probably only marginally better than the charcoal industry. All the guys I know that had actual restaurants or did catering used propane rotisserie type grills with a wood burning firebox to add smoke taste. I know that you said oak and hickory is difficult to obtain but you could substitute lump charcoal Even one or two sticks of hickory is sufficient for a cook. I’ve probably piled up and burned a few hundred cords of red oak, post oak, white oak , and hickory in the last year and a half from a tornado. I couldn’t even cut it and give it away. I honestly had people tell me they would take it if I’d deliver it when I listed it of FB marketplace, for free!

 

[aTotal360]

This summer at my local "Rock and Wing Fest" I saw something made by Smokin Brothers (I think). It was a compact trailer rig that was essentially 4 pellet smokes smushed into one rig. 4 separate controllers so you could do wings in one, brisket in another and stack ribs in the taller chambers. There's no storage on it, but it looked really cool.

 

[ckDOG]

Competition pellet was an oxymoron back in my competing days. They alllow those now?

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

I’ve been away from the competition circuit for about 10 years so I’ve had zero experience with a commercial pellet smoker. I spent 35 years in the wood industry and there is a pellet manufacturer nearby that I had contact with. As I’ve stated on here before I’m not a fan of eating food cooked over pellets because I know what’s going in them. Although I will admit it’s probably only marginally better than the charcoal industry. All the guys I know that had actual restaurants or did catering used propane rotisserie type grills with a wood burning firebox to add smoke taste. I know that you said oak and hickory is difficult to obtain but you could substitute lump charcoal Even one or two sticks of hickory is sufficient for a cook. I’ve probably piled up and burned a few hundred cords of red oak, post oak, white oak , and hickory in the last year and a half from a tornado. I couldn’t even cut it and give it away. I honestly had people tell me they would take it if I’d deliver it when I listed it of FB marketplace, for free!

I'm not too worried about the pellets. I'm sure some have fillers and oils, while plenty are just compressed sawdust. I went to one in Oregon a decade or so ago and it was nothing but compression of hot sawdust. The heat activated the lignin in the wood and that acted as the binder. Of the millions of things in a restaurant I would worry about for food safety/health pellets are near the bottom.

If/when I go to something permanent for a restaurant smoker I'll probably go with the JR Oyler or M&M rotisserie. Super efficient stick only burners that can cook 70+ briskets on one load of wood in the firebox (about 15 splits or so), no propane. Some of the best BBQ in the world is cooked on Oyler and M&M pits. But rotisserie pits don't lend well for portability, which is what I need for now. It's either going to be an offset stick burner or pellet burner set up to start.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Love my pellet grill……

Does it have a purse holder? What about bottle opener for your husband?

 

[BulldogBlitz]

So for all the time it's sitting next to your restaurant, will it be under cover?

 

[mcdawg22]

 

[HulksStache]

Does it have a purse holder? What about bottle opener for your husband?

Yes…. All the things your heart would desire

 

[The Cooterpoot]

I've refused to move to a pellet grill because of the cost and because I've got my system perfected but the older I get, the more that convenience looks good. It's a bit like hunting with a feeder and cameras.

 

[aTotal360]

I've refused to move to a pellet grill because of the cost and because I've got my system perfected but the older I get, the more that convenience looks good. It's a bit like hunting with a feeder and cameras.

Do you make your own arrows too?

 

[MaxwellSmart]

After a lot of research, the best pellet smoker I found was Lone Star Grillz. The owner is Chris Goodlander, you should give them a call or email him. They do trailers and custom work. If you haven't checked them out, their pellet grills allow the addition of wood chips in the pellet hopper to boost the flavor. From all the reviews and people I've talked to, their smoker puts out more smoke flavor than any of the rest just on pellets. With the chips it's supposed to rival an offset. I've got one on order now. May not be able get the size you want but would be worth checking on.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Well, not quite.

I'll still cook my personal stash at home with oak on an offset.

But to drive an extra $5-10k per week, I can buy the same brisket Buc-ees gets from my vendors and warm it up on the pellet smoker. Unlike the Southern states, this would actually be the best brisket for 500 miles. The BBQ sux up here.

Buc-ees brisket

 

[Dawgbite]

After a lot of research, the best pellet smoker I found was Lone Star Grillz. The owner is Chris Goodlander, you should give them a call or email him. They do trailers and custom work. If you haven't checked them out, their pellet grills allow the addition of wood chips in the pellet hopper to boost the flavor. From all the reviews and people I've talked to, their smoker puts out more smoke flavor than any of the rest just on pellets. With the chips it's supposed to rival an offset. I've got one on order now. May not be able get the size you want but would be worth checking on.

Those are nice looking grills.

 

[ETK99]

Do you make your own arrows too?

I Don't bow hunt anymore. I Got tired of the mosquitos and snakes, you still bow hunt?

 

[aTotal360]

Don't bow hunt anymore. Got tired of the mosquitos and snakes.

So you use modern technology to make your life easier. Interesting...

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

So for all the time it's sitting next to your restaurant, will it be under cover?

No. I will have to bring it in and out, but I do have covered storage off-site. It doesn't really rain or storm like you're used to up here. It's a big deal to get a 1/2" of rain in 24 hours.

Don't think I want to mess with a covered or fold out roof trailer. I can just set up a pop-up if need be.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

Do you make your own arrows too?

Naw, I use a crossbow these days. Cheaper to buy these days, which is why I haven't gone to a pellet grill. I guess I'd probably make it up over time with pellet vs charcoal so it's probably going to happen after my grill is done. I'm just too cheap to do it right now.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Yep. I almost bought one a few years ago for home use. Narrowed it down to the Yoder, Pitts & Spits, and Lone Star for pellet grills. Wish I had gone that direction, but I got a stick burner instead. Elevation makes it a bìtch to keep a cold enough clean fire on offset to cook brisket or beef ribs. That shìt dries out much faster so 225° is the right spot.

 

[katfsh]

I have a Yoder ys640. I really enjoy it, cooks great.

 

[aTotal360]

I have a Yoder ys640. I really enjoy it, cooks great.

Speaking of 640...



@PooPopsBaldHead

 

[HulksStache]

Well, not quite.

I'll still cook my personal stash at home with oak on an offset.

But to drive an extra $5-10k per week, I can buy the same brisket Buc-ees gets from my vendors and warm it up on the pellet smoker. Unlike the Southern states, this would actually be the best brisket for 500 miles. The BBQ sux up here.

Buc-ees brisket

Why do you need a pellet smoker if you are buying the pre smoked meat above?

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Why do you need a pellet smoker if you are buying the pre smoked meat above?

I'm not... Just a running schtick about how I hate Buc-ees.

I might actually try it, just for comparison purposes, but I currently plan on trimming and cooking from raw. That said, my only way to cook anything currently is with pizza ovens. To add any additional methods inside the building will require a significant remodel and hood/make-up air investment that would probably start at $250k.

I figure in a pinch I could buy the frozen pre cooked brisket and reheat on a pellet smoker in a foil pan with some broth instead of a conventional oven. Would be interested in doing this for our brisket pizza. We plan on using any left over brisket/pork/chicken/sausage on specialty pizzas or the nachos we sell in the bar on the weekends.

We have tossed around a few ideas on how to increase revenue for 2025. BBQ and Chinese food are the 2 biggest opportunities in our town. One is cheap and I know nothing about it. The other is not cheap and I really enjoy cooking it. The added bonus is I can cook it outside and it pairs really well with beer which I sell.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

Just turn off the smoke alarm and put a smoke tube in the pizza ovens.**

 

[TheDawg-Pound]

Loading…

www.greenmountaingrills.com

However it doesn't seem big enough for what you're looking for

 

[Nugdawg]

You’ve got me curious where is your restaurant/bar?

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

You’ve got me curious where is your restaurant/bar?

Idaho

 

[Lucifer Morningstar]

I have a Yoder ys640. I really enjoy it, cooks great.

Love my 640. All you need for home cooking.

 

[MS-halfstep]

Learn to make butter chicken, change your name to Poopinder Baljeet, and you can emulate some of the restaurants in the 51st state that sell all three types of food under one roof

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Learn to make butter chicken, change your name to Poopinder Baljeet, and you can emulate some of the restaurants in the 51st state that sell all three types of food under one roof

I like the idea... Can I keep my plastic straws or do we need to drink out of tampon applicators?

 

[MS-halfstep]

Depends on your level of emulation. But you will need to charge a quarter for any take out bags/boxes.