Advice needed for trailer smoker

[Pompey Dinlo]

I'm in the process of starting up a BBQ business having been messing round with smoking for some time now. Although there are a few businesses out there doing it I believe there's room for a few more and there certainly aren't any in my area. Having looked at the various options such as trucks, trailers etc I've settled on the option of a pop up kiosk with a smoker mounted on a trailer.

The kiosk and other stuff has been fine to sort out however the smoker is causing me some issues. I've found a couple of businesses in the UK that build custom smokers however none of them have replied to my enquiries! Having scoured these boards I've read a couple of posts about importing trailer smokers from the US. Has anyone done this and if so, what has your experience been? Does anyone know of someone in the UK that builds/imports trailer smokers and whose presence on the internet is not so obvious and who I may have missed (britpits and BBQ mates I have seen).

In terms of the smoker itself I originally had an idea in my head of the traditional barrel smoker however I've recently seen some cabinet ones on a few US sites, does anyone have any experience of these in respect of commercial smoking?

Appreciate any feedback, thanks.

[Toby]

ok first question is why would you want an offset smoker? for commercial purposes you want something that will churn out great food with zero effort. There are so many variables when cooking using an offset unless you get something seriously insulated that will effect your cook, plus the amount and quality of wood you need (english oak is too bitter to use on its own)

have you looked at the ole hickory range? I do have a vested interest as i import them however they are designed for the commercial environment and we are seeing people moving away from pellets and big offsets because it does genuinely take all the headaches away. check www.americanbbqpits.com

[Pompey Dinlo]

Thanks for the reply Toby.

Just looked at the Ole Hickory range, they appear to be for internal use and also require an electrical source, is that correct? There are also no prices however they look like they'll be priced in the tens of thousands!

I have no particular style of smoker that I'm fixed upon just something that is reasonably priced, easy to work with and reliable for feeding lots of people. What would your suggestion be (other than Ole Hickory!)

[Toby]

Indoor or outdoor use (or in a trailer which a couple have now done over here), they use gas as a heat source and a small amount of power for the fans to control the airflow, easily run by a generator. The CTO which has 20sq ft of cooking space is £5995 plus vat, this includes 250kg of hickory and delivery anywhere in the UK.

i have used pretty much every type of smoker including pellet cookers and wouldn't actually recommend anything else. If you are looking for a solid fuel cabinet you could have a look at the battle boxes, their distributor has a FB page and i will find their site address for you

[Pompey Dinlo]

Indoor or outdoor use (or in a trailer which a couple have now done over here), they use gas as a heat source and a small amount of power for the fans to control the airflow, easily run by a generator. The CTO which has 20sq ft of cooking space is £5995 plus vat, this includes 250kg of hickory and delivery anywhere in the UK.

Thanks Toby, just been checking out the CTO including a Youtube video of one in use. I have to agree that it looks so much easier than using an offset and I feel that I may have have been sold on one! I presume the ones over here that have been mounted on a trailer have been done by a separate firm, would you happen to have any information regarding this?