Rookie looking for basic advice

blane7171

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The short story is that I have been doing pulled pork in an amateur capacity for a couple years - retirement parties, graduation parties, birthdays. I have done 2 for profit jobs but most have been for charity or at cost for friends. I've been using a homemade smoker I converted from an old wood stove. Works fairly well but I can only do max 7 butts and feed at most 100 people.

So all of that was practice for a longer range plan to get into a concession trailer and do it commercially upon retirement. I retired last fall and have been shopping for trailers - with limited success. One thing I'm surprised to find is that most of the trailers I've shown some interest in are ALL ELECTRIC. I also own a travel trailer and am very familiar with propane appliances (refer, stove, hot water). I expected concession trailers to have similar technology - especially the stove and refer. (Stove would be for beans and perhaps tamales - my current smoker has a flat top that I put the beans on.)

So I guess my main questions: Is an all electric set-up pretty standard? How does one deal with this for catering private parties and even prep in my backyard (I do not have a 50 amp plug in wired and prolly don't have the capability in my current panel.)? I imagine most festival venues provide electric, but I'm not so sure about other venues like breweries and such. Is a propane refer uncommon in the concession business?
 
Welocme Bill!

I moved this thread to our catering and vending section since you are asking a specific question.

Feel free to post an introduction in the Cattle Call section if you want to!
 
My trailer is a mixture. I have an electric fridge, warming cabinet, etc., but my oven/range and steam table are gas.
 
My trailer (which is for sale by the way) has an electric fridge and electric steam table. The stove and griddle are both gas. It has a 50 amp hookup but the trailer is usually only pulling about 20-25 amps. It's plugged into a 50 amp plug that wired into my garage that only has 40 amp service and it's plenty.

If you're looking to get set up fast, I've got my entire operation up for sale in the Brethren Sales and Ventures forum. I'll make you a great deal! :becky:
 
Thanks for responses. So far it sounds like propane refers are rare. So I assume folks have generator for set-ups that do not have electricity - such as a private catering job, or my backyard. True?
 
Most trailers I know of are mixed. You will want to plan on having a generator if you put more than a 110V circuit running the trailer as most places won't have 30 or 50amp plugins for you. For private parties, you'll be lucky if you get a decent 110v service. You'll also need to go to the health dept and submit a plan review for $75 before you purchase any trailer it must be cleared by the health inspector.
 
Well that is good to know. Changes my plan slightly. I’m just used to propane appliances from the RV world. And they are so efficient! I wonder why more are not in concession trailers? And yes I’ve already been working with Health Dept. so I know what I need there. BTW another surprise for me was there the requirement for municipal water. I was told it was all but impossible to get a permit for my well.
 
BTW another surprise for me was there the requirement for municipal water. I was told it was all but impossible to get a permit for my well.

It varies a lot, depending on location, but that's also the case where I am set up. The primary reason that I have to have a commissary kitchen agreement is for refilling my water tank with municipal water.
 
BTW another surprise for me was there the requirement for municipal water. I was told it was all but impossible to get a permit for my well.

Not true it happens all the time in Virginia. You will be required to have testing done annually on your water. My commercial kitchen is on my property in the county on a private well and I know many others who are the same.
 
Not true it happens all the time in Virginia. You will be required to have testing done annually on your water. My commercial kitchen is on my property in the county on a private well and I know many others who are the same.

If it's anything like Louisiana it can vary from County to County, or even from inspector to inspector.
 
If it's anything like Louisiana it can vary from County to County, or even from inspector to inspector.

Most definitely, however, if you raise enough stink and go over their head to the district manager you can usually get things approved even when an inspector of an area does the opposite of others in different counties.
 
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