# needing help on pricing maybe a few other things



## beaummiler (Jun 8, 2013)

i was asked by a catering company to smoke 200 pieces of chicky she said she would pay for the meat then what ever i needed to cook it i have never done anything like this so i dont know what to tell her she also said they have other events coming up wanting q just wonder what should be charged for a butt,brisket,loin,ect. any and all help is wanted please


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## jirodriguez (Jun 8, 2013)

beaummiler said:


> i was asked by a catering company to smoke 200 pieces of chicky she said she would pay for the meat then what ever i needed to cook it i have never done anything like this so i dont know what to tell her she also said they have other events coming up wanting q just wonder what should be charged for a butt,brisket,loin,ect. any and all help is wanted please


For things like brisket and pulled pork you can usually charge around $10 per lb. of finished product, ribs $18-$23 per rack, and chicken basically just double the purchase price at the store.

Those are rough figures, but also check around your local BBQ joints and see what they are charging - then position your prices in that range. After a few events you will know if you need to adjust prices up or down significantly. Keep track of ALL costs and your total time. It does no good to cover costs, but then realize you only paid yourself something like $2/hr. for all your work -unless you are doing a freebie or charity job.


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## beaummiler (Jun 9, 2013)

thank you so much i thought about a doller a piece but seemed high to me the prices you said on pork butt brisket ribs are pretty true any idea on pork loins


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## jirodriguez (Jun 9, 2013)

Depends on how much you pay for your pork loin. I get mine at Costco for $1.99/lb (in the bag), so I would probably look to charge something like $4-$5 per. lb. Loin is not going to have the shrinkage that butts and brisket will have, also you are not cooking a loin to 190°+, you probably want to go to something like 170°. Loin will  cook fast and dry out if you aren't careful - you might consider brining it for extra moisture and flavor. Since loin doesn't stay moist well it is one of the reasons you don't see it at many BBQ resterants.


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## jarhead (Jun 10, 2013)

I go with 3 times the meat price.

1 pays for the meat.

1 pays for the rubs, fuel, misc and foil consumables.

1 pays for my labor and profit.

Good luck.


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## beaummiler (Jun 10, 2013)

thank you thank you thank you im pretty nerves about doing this its one thing to cook for friends&family but to do it for other ppl its differant


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## jarhead (Jun 10, 2013)

Nervous? LOL.

I remember my first vend. I bet I checked stuff three or four times and had dreams of what could go wrong.

In fact, I didn't get a wink of sleep the night before. Made for a very long day.

Take a deep breath and do your Q the way you always do. You'll do just fine.


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## beaummiler (Jun 10, 2013)

i guess i will have to just act like its for family just want the catering company to give me a final choice on what they want to serve they have changed what they want 3 times and the date once they did say if i had to cook on site i would have to get a permit from the health department


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## beaummiler (Jun 10, 2013)

yes nervous is what i ment using my phone it has a mind of it own


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## jarhead (Jun 10, 2013)

beaummiler said:


> i guess i will have to just act like its for family just want the catering company to give me a final choice on what they want to serve they have changed what they want 3 times and the date once *they did say if i had to cook on site i would have to get a permit from the health department*


I would try to get it worded to make you a contract cook. Here, you don't need a permit for that.

Stay away from using the word "Caterer". It might bite you.


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## beaummiler (Jun 11, 2013)

its a caterer that asked me to q for their events if that makes a differance guess it gets requested a lot


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