October 29, 2003. The refrigerator repair man came early afternoon and replaced the thermostat again but this time with a new factory part. Saturday I opened the refrigerator when I opened up and found it at 48F! I checked where the repair guy left it and it was way to low, I adjusted it a bit cooler and it seems to be okay now.

Friday and Saturday were okay but at least the week was almost as good at out best but that still depresses me. That is why I haven't written anything until now and I really don't feel much like writing still! Today was good though but all I am doing is making the bills and feeding myself. I just received a part for my home furnace that cost $117 over the Internet. Thank goodness it hasn't gotten very cold yet. The last several nights have been in the 40's. Cold enough with no furnace. Got the part today and hooray the furnace is working. Let's keep our fingers crossed it keeps working!

The Brunswick Stew is still killer! We're getting repeats...whenever I give a taste I sell it...every darned time!

Enough...catch me later in a day or so when I feel more like writing...sorry!

October 24, 2003, morning. Was planning to wake up at 4am to crank the smoker thermostat to 275F,  but I slept until 5am. Because the meat load was not so heavy the butts came up to 190F and the brisket to 200F by 7:15! Thought I was going to be waiting until after the time to leave for work. They're beautiful as usual. Poked around with the thermo sensor in all the butts and different areas of the brisket....no doubt everything is done, the sensor penetrate like the meat is butter. It looks so delicious!

Didn't sleep very well thinking about the refrigerator.

I will opening by myself again this morning. Tommy has a doctor's appointment.

October 23, 2003. Called the refrigerator repair man this morning making sure he was on his way. He wasn't! He started in on me saying that I need to turn the thermostat higher and to just wait that everything will be okay. I am trying to tell him that there  is reduced air flow inside the cabinet and the temps are different at various levels and the built in thermometer, which its thermo coupler is outside the cabinet but within the air ducting, is reading 60 degrees F. He talked me into setting the temperature up to 38F from 34F where I had set it last week to hold 38F. He is telling me the thermostat is accurate to the degree...I am telling him then something is wrong. He said call him tomorrow if there is still a problem...geeesh didn't I already say there is a problem? When I hung up with him I immediately called the factory. Explained to them what was and what is been going on. When I told him my thermometer was approaching 60F he immediately asked what is the serial number? "Be right back, need to look up your history". When he came back he said he was going to call them immediately and get them out there. About 15 minutes later the repair man's secretary called and told me that the factory was sending some other part overnight FedEx and that they will be at my place tomorrow probably in the afternoon. Sigh! What can I say.

Tommy had to take his step son to the dentist in Atlanta today so I was left from opening until closing by myself. I handled it very well, if I do say so myself. I am worn out, however, but not as badly as the previous time by myself and I was busier! After getting things heated and put out for the lunch crowd I prepared 3 racks of ribs, then made some coleslaw. After lunch I made beans and put the ribs in the smoker along with all the parts of the ribs I removed to make them St. Louis Style. At about 2 pm I prepared 4 butts and 1 brisket to smoke this evening. The brisket is to make another batch of stew. The stew is really selling fast! I was busy all day but at a nice calm pace enjoying myself. I never even turned on the TV! Today was just another good day. If things continue the way they are then I see no need to advertise except for flyers with some price changes. I wanted a soft opening so I could grow with the demand and wouldn't be so overwhelmed and get stressed or freaked out! It seems to be working that way.

The meat is in the smoker at 7 PM and I just got out of the 105 degree Fahrenheit spa! Man do I feel nice all over!

 
October 22, 2003. Now what? The refrigerator is acting up again...arrrrg! Man what is going on with that thing? It doesn't want to hold a cold enough temp. I put a large pan of ice in it to keep it cold enough until the repair man comes again tomorrow morning. This refrigerator  is supposed to be a top of the line unit. So just because it is the bottom of the top line does that mean it is a cheapee? May be! That goodness it is under 100% warranty.

Just about sold out of stew again today. Many customers came back for it. Matter of fact there were many return customers today and we did rather well today, especially for a Wednesday. My close friend JOe, his wife and some friends, from Franklin, NC, were on their way to the Sam's Club where I go. I called them this morning asking if they would stop at the Super Wal-Mart in Clayton, GA on their way and pick up a whole brisket for me because Sam's only had flats. They were going to stop at my place on the way back for lunch. So when they stopped on the way south I finally got the chance for JOe, my official taste tester, and the rest of the gang to try out the stew. That was kind of a mistake. They all loved it...they really did. Even the couple that was with them...they were retired from south FL and had moved to Franklin and had never tasted Brunswick Stew! Well anyway it was really to early for lunch and they said they would stop on the way back. When they arrived several hours later JOe's wife June stepped up to the window and without saying a word handed me 3 large plastic Glad containers of almost a gallon each. I asked June what was I to do with them...you have to understand that JOe and June think up these neat things that I should use and buy them for me. So what idea are they for, I am thinking. June says to me please fill them with your stew! Excuse me...fill them with stew...why, I asked. She responded with the fact she loved it and wanted to take all she could home. Well I told her that I didn't even think I had that much and what about those many people I told last week that I would have it today. And it exhausted me thinking about having to make more already. She opted for one container full. But I concluded that I need another large pot to double up the recipe!

I am becoming overwhelmed with the outcome of this stew. Boomer...if your reading this it's all your fault for introducing me to the recipe. By the way...it came out just as good as the first batch, I was worried it might not. You know winter is coming up...and a hota stew isa nice-a thing!

October 21, 2003. Am on the way to Sam's Club as soon as I close this out. Had a near disaster that I discovered a couple of days ago with the faucet for the 3 compartment sink. Noticed the water wouldn't shut off all the way and it was getting worse every time I used the hot water. Took it apart and discovered the whole stem or spindle was breaking apart! Couldn't find a marking of any sort indicating who made the faucet. Where in the heck am I going to find this part that looks quite ancient ? Will I not be able to open Wednesday? Will I open Wednesday with hoses running all over the place? Can I get behind the sink with out tearing everything apart if I have to replace the entire fixture?

Gotta go to Sam's club now! Tune in later this evening after I prepare a case or 2 of butts and some ribs for the smoker tonight! Gotta go!!!!

This evening! Yesterday I got on the Internet looking for a replacement for the faucet parts. I also called Food Service Equipment in Gainesville, GA. All they carry is T&S Brass. I looked at Lowe's and Home Depot's web pages and couldn't find among the 100+ different stems. They both had a huge supply but evidently not for anything commercial. So one last thought was to see if T&S had a web page...they did, they even had illustrations of their spindles. When I found something that looked close I zoomed in to the actual size and held mine up to my computer. Found it! Cool! But will the equipment place have it in stock or am I going to have to spend probably and extra $20 for overnight FedEx? Drove there and just about when the sales clerk was going to give up I spotted it! Only $20 and change for a whole kit of 2 stems and more pieces that I knew what to do with. Problem solved all back working again just like new...well almost like new!

Sam's had butts at $.81/lb by the case today as opposed to $1.08 last week. Bought 2 cases and a case of spares. While talking to the butcher he, Mark, made a comment to me that made me very curious. He looked at me kinda funny and made an implication about this being for a bbq restaurant! I didn't know who he was but it sure seemed he knew who I was. After him teasing me along he admitted that he knew about me and had seen me on my web page from the bakery manager, Ronnie, that came out and helped out the very first day of opening. He also admitted that he has a Klose but only cooks for himself, family, and friends and cooks up the best ribs in Gainesville! I mentioned to him about inviting the KC BBQ Forum folks for a day or so bringing their portable cookers (and their own beer) up here to the "river" and having a fun no competition cookout. What might I be getting into!

Put 8 butts of 1 of the cases of 10 on at 6:15 pm, just a while ago, at 225F. Have put a thermometer sensor in one small butt on the top rack and one in large butt on the lowest rack. And set the alarms at 170F. Will crank the heat to 275F when they hit the 170F about 3 am and then set the alarms for 190F which they should reach at about 6-6:30 am.

I just took some pictures of my old smoker, the new Fast Eddy, and the house and surrounding area here on the upper Chattahoochee River at Buck Shoals. The sun was down but some of the pix came out sorta okay. I'll  post one or two and create some links as well. 

The following jpg files are from 106-143K. Pic of the shed with the Fast Eddy, the house, river and dog, the old original mobile Oklahoma Joe smoker and wood grill, and looking from the house down the porch stairway to the river and the lower deck.

October 18, 2003. It appears that business is getting better. Both Tommy and myself have expressed this kind of feeling. It just seems like everything is going to break loose any second! Well it kind of did today, Saturday, around the noon hour. It is about 2:30 now so I'll report about the evening later. About 11:15 we got a call in order for 10 sandwiches and some few minutes later another call in for 3 sandwiches while I was in the window taking an order for 2 rib plates. The man that ordered the rib plates went to his car and his wife came to my window requesting a menu. She said that she has been here a couple of other times and thought it was really great tasting and needed some menus for her place of work. When you hear things like that is seems to give another lease on life, or on the business!

We ran out of Brunswick Stew yesterday and have had many requests today. Thought I might get some made up today but there is a change I want to do in the kitchen with a portable four eye electric stove top. I have figured a place to keep it set up semi-permanently but I'll have to do some rewiring to get the 240VAC it uses. Using the stove top now means moving several item I use to prepare plates to another location, which is a nuisance. 

Found out from an informer that our competition is packed! He said  they're all watching the game and drinking beer! Oh well!

It's a beautiful day today but no one has taken advantage of the picnic table. There were two young Spanish women walking with several small children while pushing their strollers enjoying the day off and the great weather in our peaceful town. They stopped at our window asking in very broken English if we had tacos. After a few moments of trying to break through the language barriers they opted for several soft drinks and chips! I am not sure if Spanish people like our style bbq or bbq at all. It may be many of them just don't eat out often. I do know our next door auto detail business owner must love our bbq. He has come nearly every day for at least a sandwich or two and sometimes a rib plate. Then at about 3:30 everyday his daughter Jo Ann, that must be a 1st or 2nd grader, comes, with her even younger brother, to the window wanting to buy chips and usually a coke. Do you remember the cookies that the bakery manager from Sam's Club gave us many weeks ago? We still have some of those in the refrigerator and ask little Jo Ann if she did good in school this week. And of course her answer is always yes so we give her one of those huge cookies. Her eyes light up so big every time!

October 15, 2003. Did much better today than all the Wednesday, most of the business was lunch with only about 20% between 5 and 5:30. But I have to tell you the Brunswick Stew looks like it is going to be "killer"! I gave just about everyone that came by a taste and all but one bought a 16oz container. The one didn't have enough money with him. Am running out of pork sooner than I thought so I sent Tommy to Sam's Club. He picked up the butts, ribs, one brisket, and everything Sam's has to make more stew and more bbq sauce. 

Although we don't have a very big variety of foods I really think all we have is truly primo! But I am beginning to realize how I am getting into a groove of making and looking for improvements.

It is getting late and I am more than ready for bed but one other thing...I ordered a 16oz bag of minced onions and a 16oz bag of granulated onion. I will experiment with these to take the "chunky" out of my bbq sauce. That is the only complaints I have had, that being a few don't like the chunky onions. I really think they may see it as a worm and it freaks them out! Presently I am using the chopped and sliced from Sam's Club. I do recall, however, that I used to use minced onion but had forgotten recently. Friend, JOe Loewy, told me to stay away from powdered garlic but to use granulated because it provides more flavor. If anyone has any input between the granulated and minced onion please email me.

October 14, 2003. Saturday was a bust again! The weather probably had a major thing to do with that. Total overcast, a bit cool, and looked like rain the whole day plus the fact there were 2 major football games on TV. The weeks deposit was just over $300. there were some small cash payouts from the weeks total too! To make the overhead I need to make at no more than about $138 per week. So I am still floating and still eating other things besides bbq. Funny thing though, I still like eating the ribs and pork! But it is not my first chose so I don't eat much of it...shouldn't anyway!

 Have had a very nice and busy weekend. Finally wanted to do the Brunswick Stew so I went to the local store and bought what I didn't already have. It probably would have cost about $40 buying everything in small quantities at the local supermarket. The recipe is from the University of Georgia which I found by posting on the Kansas City Forum. Among many suggestion "Boomer" came back, with what he thought after many trials was the best, and that was a recipe that was quite simple and large enough but not to large to be practical for me. I made a few minor changes and additions to suit my immediate need and supplies. It called for 6 pounds each of Chicken, chuck roast, and a pork butt to be boiled in a kettle. I decided to use my smoked pork and smoked an 8 pound brisket. The brisket is because someday or days I may offer it and would be able to use the leftovers as a by product for the stew. I even seasoned it with a rub I never used, John Henry's! It was extremely salty so I did not use nearly as much salt as the recipe called for. I added a bit of granulated garlic salt, Kitchen Boutique, and about 3 times the Worcestershire sauce. Next time I think I'll go a little more granulated garlic, haven't decided how much more yet though. The yield was not fully determined due to the fact of test tasting, eating, and munching between 2 adults and one hungry 13 year old. I did put up a bit over two and one half gallons. If it is any consolation the 13 year old, a somewhat fussy eater, seemed to really like it except for the onions, of course! For the recipe click here, click on Recipes, then find the Brunswick Stew further down the page. "Boomer" and the recipe warn you to not cut this recipe into more than half. Even for home you wouldn't want to anyway. It is so good you'll want to freeze a bunch of it for future events, I promise. 

October 10, 2003 PM. Today went okay. It was real nice to have fresh outa the smoker pork. Still refining what to do with the fresh pork for the future. After it cools down to where I can handle it comfortably, still above 140F, I chunk the pork and put it into freezer storage bags and place them in the refrigerator and pull them out and microwave them on reheat as I see I will need them. The ribs have been quite a problem to reheat but I tried wrapping them in film tightly and just take what I need out of the reefer and pop them in the microwave in the reheat meat mode. That has been the best so far. Another thing I am working at is when the ribs aren't so fresh anymore but still have moisture and are reasonably tasty, I reheat them and flood them with bbq sauce. So maybe that is how I'll serve even the fresh unless someone requests sauce on the side. When they are fresh no sauce is necessary because of the rub.

The lunch crowd was fairly good today but between 5and 6 this evening we did over $100. Most were pounds of beans, slaw, or potato salad, rib plates and a few pounds of pork. Today was encouraging!  

It is supposed to be a light rain most of tomorrow!

October 10, 2003. Eight thirty five am! Level one is 190, level 2 is 188, and level 3 190F! See...amazing how all these temps come together at the end! And how about the prediction when they would be done! That is that consistency of the Fast Eddy oven and maybe a little of my experience too! Level 2 just hit 189F so I'll get out of here to pull them off in a few more minutes!

October 9, 2003. Yesterday and today were rather discouraging. Where has everyone gone? If we could get those fliers out that might help. Tommy's son was supposed to distribute the flyers but hasn't showed up yet...guess I shouldn't be so impatient, after all, it has only been a week since he was supposed to do it. He did call last week though, and said he couldn't make it that day and would be by the next day...I know to many people like that. One was a very close friend of many years that would never say no to anyone that asked him to them a favor or work...if he said he'd be there at 8 am Tuesday you learned to think which Tuesday! He is a brilliant man but has little conception of time and priorities.

Just fired up the FE100 here at the house at about 6:40 pm, preheated to 225F by 6:55 pm, put in the 53 pounds of Boston butts, that had already been heavily rubbed with the Bad Byron's Butt Rub where he says a "little Butt Rub makes everything better"! Put 3 remote sensors at each grate level and set the remote alarm to 190F. I'll wake up about 4:00 am and kick the FE100 thermometer to 275F. Then the largest butt should hit 190F and the smallest about 195F by about 8:30 - 9:00 am. I'll put them in the insulated cooler and leave for the "Q" by our usual 9:30 am. It is truly amazing to watch the temps as they cook. They'll start out at all levels and sizes about the same temperature and then they separate around 160F and get as much as 15 degrees apart and then by 180 degrees they are within 5 degrees. I suppose it has a lot to do with their size but probably mostly the fat content. I recall when I started using thermometers how it looked like the internal temp would take an unusual amount of time to get past certain temperatures. Seems like it was around that 160 degree mark. When I do briskets I notice that hesitation even more, probably because of more fat. I know already how beautiful they'll look in the morning, just like they do every time with the FE100! Yum-m-m-m-my! Better come by tomorrow or the weekend for some really super tasty pulled pork!

Been having more thoughts about maybe I did the wrong thing sticking the trailer in a permanent situation. I am sure I am thinking this way due to the slow business. There is profit after all the overhead but it just ain't enough...I know I know, give it a fair amount of time. Well I will because I can't do anything else financially, but in the mean time I will continue where I left off in my pursuit of finding out how to get involved with events, fairs, etc. By spring I ought to have the $3000 loan and some other $1200 debts paid off with perhaps enough money in the bank to be able to put the wheels back on my concession trailer , hookup to it, and yank her off those frame supports!!! Gads, we would really love to be able to the 26 week season with Nascar then kick back until the next season. But I have heard that is probably next to impossible. Hmmm, I just remembered how I almost got to Nascar as a truck driver for an outfit that hauled a 53 foot trailer converted into a restaurant and conference room. They invited executives to the races, fed them, then presented their blurb for their communications setup for transportation. I was going to drive their proposed 2nd rig but it never happened, probably because Qualcomm did it better and maybe cheaper! Seems like that company's name was Road Master.

October 7, 2003. Last day off for my weekend. Made a run to Sam's for some veggies, pickles, etc. and to PFG Milton's for another case of butts.

Had been having fits with the new refrigerator cycling at incorrect temperatures. It would cool down to 30F sometimes and as low as 27F other times while warming all the way to 45F before the compressor would come on. That differential was from 8-12 degrees and only supposed to be 2-4! After calling the manufacture, Victory, they had a tech come down from Clayton, GA, and replace the thermostat. But they didn't have the direct replacement so they replaced it with an generic upgrade that should work much better. Besides it working better it drove me crazy. It apparently is so sophisticated that it needs 8-10 hours to stabilize after making an adjustment. I checked on it Sunday and the manual built in analog temperature gauge was reading 45F....my remote NU-Temp was reading 42F, Arrrrg! I want it to be around 37-41F. I moved the thermostat down a couple of degrees and went home. About 2 am I woke up thinking about frozen food. I didn't sleep much the rest of the morning. Later that morning I checked it and it didn't seem like anything really changed. This time I took the NU-Temp probe and stuck it in the pickle jar brine. It came down to 40F then after a while it struggled to 39F. Wonderful! Leave it! Forget it! Except I will adjust the analog to show the same so the heath inspector won't freak when she would have seen 45-50!

Have applied for the "Smoke Ring" membership. Also I inserted the logo and link, as requested for membership, at the bottom of this page. It works but I will not be in the ring until I am accepted and activated which is supposed to be within a couple of weeks. Check it out!

October 6, 2003. Wednesday and Thursday were much like the weeks before, not to exciting but we did have enough folks to make it worth while, maybe! But then came Friday and all those twenty dollar bills. It was a pretty decent day but still no one has sat down at the picnic table I put out last Monday. I finally borrowed a very sturdy table from my friend JOe. Drove up to NC last Sunday, a week ago, and got most of my personal belongings that have been in his steel barn. I still have no idea where in this little 28 foot RV I am going to find places to hide this stuff. Most of it came out of the old "Big Truck" when I sold it.

Saturday was actually a fun day. The weather was perfect and there was some sort of an event going on in down town Cornelia. We didn't seem to get much traffic from it but it seemed to give a carnival feeling in the air. Everyone seemed up...maybe it was just me having a good time for a change! The picnic table was used so much it almost seemed like there was a waiting line! We had one customer that was a friend of Tommy's and had had my brisket during the 4th of July party on the "river". He and his son enjoyed the pulled pork and a 1/2 rack of ribs so much that he came back within an hour with 3 more kids and I guess his wife! They of course were enjoying their selves at the picnic table. Another group of 3 adults were at the table later on so I went out and sat with them. They too were really enjoying the food. I asked what I should change or what wasn't good and what was good...their response was that everything was great and they'll be back fo sho! They did tell me that they had a most outstanding Brunswick Stew recipe and were willing to pass it on to me to try. What they had told me sounded like what I am looking for.

Another customer was PoppaSam from the Kansas City BBQ Forum. He and his wife were tailgating in Athens and were on their way to the mountains and somehow found us. He complimented the food and then identified who he was. I invited him into the "Q" and showed him what I had and what some future plans might be. I gave him a taste of everything thing but the ribs...he'll have to buy them! He just posted on the forum and stated how he and his wife were trying to figure what my sauce was about. I can tell you this...I was 15 or 16 when our next door neighbor gave me a family bbq sauce recipe. If I recall it was from Buford, GA. I was in love with that sauce but over the next 30 plus years I had been fine tuning it. I like it where it is. If in fact PoppaSam isn't the only person that thinks I have something special then perhaps I'll bottle it. I know a commercial bottler in Tiger, GA just south of Clayton, spoke to them several years ago. If I remember correctly it takes about $500 to get things rolling the first time. Not to bad! 

If you are interested to view the menu with the simple map for the locals then click here.

October 5, 2003. It has been a very interesting week, actually fun...I'll be back soon and elaborate. Right now I just want to watch and listen to the river and not think about business! I need to take some pictures of these surrounding I live in and post them so you can see too! By the way should you have an comments, suggestions, or whatever, my email address is at the bottom of the page. I know it's getting to be a long way down the page so if you never have been there or don't go there then: captpete@alltel.net.