# Smoking on the Run



## captainfletcher (Nov 12, 2014)

Hello, we are considering starting a BBQ food truck, as our city as just passed ordinances that will allow food trucks.  We are stumped by one ordinance that seems universal among a lot of cities. How do y'all "smoke on the run"? With a 4 hour time limit at one location, we can't set up camp in one place for 12 hours or so to smoke brisket and butts, and we can't drive to another location with smoke billowing out of our truck or trailer.  I'm probably overlooking something obvious, but we are stumped over it.  We've considered smoking away from the truck and brining the meat to the location, but code requires any food sold to the public be prepared in a commercial kitchen, not sure they'd consider my driveway a commercial kitchen.  Lol  We've seen BBQ trucks in other cities, and I'd assume that their codes are similar.  I'm pretty much old school and love it low and slow, but how in the world am I gonna pull this off?  Lol


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## bruno994 (Nov 12, 2014)

Why couldn't you just cook in your truck, in your driveway?  This would be your commercial kitchen right?  All prepping and cooking right there?  I would assume that for the trucks that do a higher volume, they have a commercial kitchen that they can do their heavy hitting in, but I may be wrong.


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## captainfletcher (Nov 12, 2014)

I might be misunderstanding the codes, but I was thinking that a commercial kitchen required all sorts of stuff, dishwasher, sinks, and such.  I like the idea of doing it at home in my driveway, but if we did, it would leave only one of us to sell off of the truck and the other to tend to the fire at home.  I've seen a lot of trailer smokers around town smoking while they are driving to the game or wherever, but something tells me that's not legal.  Lol.


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## captainfletcher (Nov 12, 2014)

Duh, I'm an idiot.  lol  Use the truck with all the commercial stuff at home.  lol  

Anybody have a truck they sell out of? It's beginning to sound like I might be smoking the day before I sell, meaning I won't be able to sell everyday, cutting my income in half.


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## bruno994 (Nov 12, 2014)

Not a business for someone who wants rest...or sleep...


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## jirodriguez (Nov 12, 2014)

If you are just doing the lunch crowd you would do your long smokes in the late afternoon into the night the day before. Chicken could be done in the morning... or late afternoon.

Like Bruno said.... not a lot of sleep. Your not selling time is basically going to be spent cooking and prepping for the next day.


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## themule69 (Nov 12, 2014)

Glad you joined the group. The search bar at the top of any page is your best friend.
About anything you wanna know about smoking/grilling/curing/brining/cutting or slicing
and the list goes on has probably been posted. Remember to post a QVIEW of your smokes.
We are all smoke junkies here and we have to get our fix. If you have questions
Post it and you will probably get 10 replies with 11 different answers. That is
because their are so many different ways to make great Q...

If you will start this thread somewhere other than roll call you will get more answers.

You will have to smoke ahead of time. That is the way almost all BBQ places do it Mobil

or not. Some use proof-er ovens some reheat. 

Happy smoken.
David


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## gary s (Nov 13, 2014)

*Good morning and welcome to the forum, from a cloudy and Cold  day in East Texas. Lots of great people with tons of                    information on just about  everything *

            *Gary*


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## captainfletcher (Nov 13, 2014)

Awesome!! We've been looking up the legals on smoking while moving to a different location, and here in Texas supposedly, it "could" be considered in the unsafe motorist department.  Not too sure how to view that as.  Lol.  It'll be just me and my wife to start the business up, and if we have to smoke offsite from where we will be selling each day, it'll leave just one of us tending to the truck and the other tending to the fire.  I'm contemplating just leaving the smoker going when we have to travel between locations.  We won't be going down the highway or any faster than 50mph or so.  As long as we are not sending cinders and burning logs out onto the road, I'd figure we'd be ok.  The smoke wouldn't be any different than the smoke from all those diesel trucks out there.  lol.  Ideally, we'd like to smoke prior to selling our product, but I think for us starting small, it might be more work than the two of us can handle.


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## kc5tpy (Nov 22, 2014)

This is one of those "how bad do you want it" things.  IF you start driving with your smoker going you risk ( although slight ) starting a grease fire in your smoker.  It happened to me though I do not have a food truck.  *IF* you start that grease fire while driving and don't "catch it" you may/can burn your meat and destroy your profit for the day.  A good BBQ joint in this region of the U.K. would be a "GOLDMINE"!  SERIOUSLY!  You could not take the money fast enough!  There is a Cr** "BBQ" place near here and you have to TRY to book a table.  They steam their ribs and then pour cheap bottled BBQ sauce over them; no wood, no smoke.  The Brits are going crazy over it!!  With a good BBQ joint you could acheive millionaire status.  NO LIE!!  I gave SERIOUS thought to opening a business.  I gave up the thought.  That is a 24 - 7 - 365 commitment.  *The money is there but I am just too old to start that.*  As stated above that business is a TOUGH go until you get it up and running on it's own!   You keep stating one person to man the truck.  WHOOP! THERE IT IS!  As I see it the only way you make it work is you cook all night and the wife sells during the day.  Maybe hire someone to help her.  NOW!  Can you change you menu?   Can you be more creative and offer something that doesn't take 12 hours to smoke?  Successful food trucks are all about a certain menu item or a gimmick.  From what I see on TV.  Find that ONE menu item or gimmick and it should be a success.  That's my 2 cents worth.  Hopefully someone will come along with the "magic" answer.  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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