What to charge for Brisket?

[brandenpro]

If you want to know what to charge for something, you need to know what it costs. Then add a markup that allows for the business to be profitable.

 

[Wolverine]

its not what you charge for the meat its what you charge for the meat and not getting caught by the health department. Safe iced transport from supplier to destination to the cooker is what the HD wants to know. the process, I have people all the time say they will buy the meat if i cook it. If you let them do it, it will take you out of the HD equation, That said I give customers instructions on safe transport and give them coolers to use. I tell them i will temp check the meat before the rub if its not 42 or below i will not cook it. It keeps them honest and they learn along the way. as far as what to charge, I double the price of the meat and it works out good.

 

[quamdar]

Sounds weird to me, why do they want to buy the meat themselves rather than trust the person they're trusting to cook it? Is it some sketchy supplier giving them what they think is a "deal" on the meat? Sounds like something that could easily bite you in the butt later...

 

[daninnewjersey]

I sell at a farmer's market and have had the exact same proposal...several times. My answer is always the same....sorry but I'm very particular about how I buy, prepare, and cook my BBQ. Plus, as mentioned above...the health dept shows up unannounced on occasion. There's ZERO chance I would roll the dice on someone bringing me meat especially because it could be a health dept test.

Same with my friends....no bringing me anything to cook...unless it's one of my REALLY close friends and even then I'll only smoke their freshly caught striped bass, bluefish, etc. The smoking fish charge is usually a decent bottle of dry red....

 

[txsmkmstr]

So when you guy charge by the pound, this is by the pound raw before cooking correct?

I suppose it could go either way but briskets and butts lose 40%-50% weight by cooking. I charge my friends per pound AFTER cooking but it's more expensive per pound then raw meat costs.

Still.... I provide the meat because I know what to look for - and as others have said - have quality control over the entire process.

The real kicker is determining what your time is worth. Once I got past the hard expenses (meat, wood, rubs, supplies, etc.) even a modest 5 bucks an hour for my time turns most people off. Hence, I'm not in the catering business. :wink:

 

[BlkBear07]

It takes about 10 to 12 hours to cook a brisket. I think you should charge no less than what is todays "minimum wage" for your labor, then add the cost of the brisket to include the overhead for using your facility.

I have to agree with the other responders about not allowing your customer to buy the meat. No matter if everything goes right or goes to hell, you are going to be held responsible. In other words, you are either the driver, or the pit crew. Be the driver!

 

[pitbossJB]

One thing, It's not like you are just cooking his brisket alone, you are going to add it into the smoker as you smoke your normal load of meat, so the labor part is negligible. But, for all the other reasons, I wouldn't do it!

 

[rjdanko]

My two cents. I own three food trucks and a restaurant. Focus on the business of selling your menu items to customers. Your free time, if you have any, is better spent doing something besides smoking someone's meat.

 

[rwalters]

110% agree with the others. No way am I going to smoke meat that I did not hand select and handle myself from supplier to smoker. With that said, many times when at friends or family, I am known as Mr. BBQ. I am often asked to cook in someone else's backyard...their meat, their cooker. I can't believe some of the meat selection I've cooked over the years...let alone some of the cookers I've cooked on. That's where the skills that we've acquired really come into play. You just do your best... making due with what you have...swallowing your pride and enjoying friends/family

 

[Mikhail]

it's not that hard. Explain to them if you do it your buying the meat. I have been known to go to every grocery store in town to try and find a good brisket. Do you think your customer would do that?

Me too. But I strongly suspect if these folks were willing to do that for quality they'd also be willing to smoke it themselves. Gosh, it's not that hard.

 

[txsmkmstr]

One thing, It's not like you are just cooking his brisket alone, you are going to add it into the smoker as you smoke your normal load of meat, so the labor part is negligible.......

I respectfully disagree. Labor is never negligible. There's always additional time added, whether it be in selection, trimming, seasoning, post processing (slicing, vac-seal, etc.) that has to be accounted for - even for one extra brisket. Volume only allows for a higher profit margin, which is really thin to begin with.

One area I've had experience with is woodworking. People are willing to "buy the material" but don't even consider the other consumables much less the time to produce a quality product. Production speeds can be increased in certain areas but you still need to tend to each and every item. Just my one-fiftieth of a buck.