Happy Thanksgiving….on Black Friday!

Well, now that the Thanksgiving holiday is behind us and Black Friday is upon us it’s time to start thinking about all those upcoming Holiday events!  Heck, it’s time to start booking your 2010 events as far as that goes!  Our calendar is filling up for the Spring and early Summer months next year and we’d LOVE to add your event.  Our 2010 Menu is going to change a bit, but our current favorites will all still be there, so if you’ve got a Holiday Party, Family Gathering or Company event coming up, think about adding some slow cooked, wood-smoked, ‘North Carolina Style’ BBQ!  We keep our smokers burning year round and what a great way to share good times and create memories with friends and family! 

Our pulled pork is cooked with the NC tradition always in mind…low & slow over Hickory and some Apple wood and MAN is it tasty!  Add a bun, some Carolina Style Vinegar Slaw and a bit of Hoover’s Southern Fusion BBQ sauce and it’s a marriage made in heaven!  Actually, it’s made here in South Middleton Township along the mountain…but you get the point!  We offer something for everyone in addition to the Pulled Pork, we’ve got incredible ‘Beer Can’ style smoked chicken which gets to soak up not beer, but an incredibly fragrant and tasty blend of fresh herbs and chicken stock, delivering a taste that is hard to beat.  We also have tremendous, lip smackin’ ribs that once beat the guy (Butch) who’s ribs beat Bobby Flay’s on the Food Network’s ‘Throwdown’ TV show…I think that means that they’re pretty tasty!  Finally our Beef Brisket is a taste of Texas right here in Central PA!

All of our meats, sides and desserts are prepared to order for your event and are served to you and your guests as fresh as can be.  Our smoked meats come right off the smoker and straight to your event, our sides are home made and complement our “Q” perfectly and our Desserts are sure to please.  We offer a variety of catering options for all types of events and are capable of serving 25 to 1500 folks with over 350 square feet of smoker space!  AND…as if that’s not ENOUGH to tempt your tastebuds…we are offering a 5% Discount on ANY sized 2010 event booked by December 31st!  That’s a 5% savings and you’ll lock in at 2009 prices…not a bad deal for Black Friday!

SO..if you’ve got an event coming up and you want something a bit different, consider our craft cooked meats and sides, it will be a meal that folks remember for some time!

Checking in from BBQ-Ville!

It’s been a while since my last post and I have no reasonable excuse to offer other than the standard ‘been busy’ line, so I’ll spare you!  Thought a quick update on what’s been going on around here might be in order:

• We’ve begun the process of looking for the right Co-Packer to do a commercial run of Hoover’s Sauce this Winter.  It’s an arduous process and there’s LOTS of opinions and possibilities out there, so I sure would appreciate any advice or experience that readers might have with or about co-packers!  Heck, then I’ll need to ride that distribution learning curve too…so once again, any help….much obliged!
• We’re actively working on a complete re-vamp of the menu for 2010 and so far have been having fun with concepts and test recipes…more news to come on the ‘10 menu soon!
• Still putting together plans to open a walk-up/concession location in early Spring, financing (as always) is the issue these days!  We have now included an “Investors” page on the website (www.GreatQ4U.com) which following initial conversations to insure sincerity and commitment, folks interested in being a part of GreatQ4U! will have a chance to take a detailed look at the plans and the numbers.  If it all makes sense for them, we’ll offer a package that offers the opportunity to earn a substantial return on your investment.  All the while investingating traditional financing options as well.
• Keeping the smokers burning!  We’ve got test recipes, competitions and lots to do in the coming months, so we keep the Hickory and Apple burning!

So, that’s all I have to say about that!  It’s APPLE SEASON…take the family to Adams County, PA this weekend and pick up LOTS of apples! – jak

2010 BBQ Competition Season is FAST Approaching….

I know that in some context I say this every year and I have since this whole crazy odyssey began, but NEXT year we are definately going to spend some time on the competition trail!  You see, back when this all began it was in our home kitchen brewing up a BBQ sauce.  Not just ANY sauce mind you, but “Hoover’s” sauce!  It was my goal to develop a primarily vinegar based ‘red’ sauce (just like most folks in North Carolina prefer) that could actually win a comptetition.  You see, back then and to a significant degree still today, vinegar doesn’t win competitions.  It seems that the majority of judges prefer some thick, sweet smokey sauce…at least that’s MY impression.

With that in mind I made batch after batch of sauces to try and strike just the right balance between the two.  In fact, I made so many batches that good friends began to cry “Uncle”, reminding me that they already had several bottles of my sauce.  I wasn’t deterred by their pleas for mercy and kept loading them up!  Finally after nearly 5 years, ‘Hoover’s Southern Fusion’ sauce was born.  With a touch of Kansas City, a smidgeon of Memphis and a whole lot of those North Carolina roots it was still a discernably vinegary sauce, but I thought it just might have a chance!

With the sauce complete, I embarked on learning the fine art of choosing the right meats and tending the Pit.  It was a steep learning curve and I had LOTS of help from others who were involved in KCBS competitions on a regular basis.  While it didn’t take as long as I thought to become proficient at the Pit, I’ll steal an analogy from my golfer friends and say that learning to swing and send the ball in the general direction you want it to go is one thing, building the perfect swing is another thing entirely!  So, I continue to work on my techniques to this day and have had a lot of fun doing it!

While friends kind of complained about the bottle upon bottle of sauce that they had piling up in their kitchen cabinets, I never have heard any complaints about the ziplock bags of Pulled Pork, Brisket or Chicken!  Alas, it was all that handing out freshly smoked meat that led to the beginning of the catering business.  Ever since then, it’s been cater, competition, cater, cater and more catering!  I am certainly not complaining, I love to meet new folks and even better to find new fans of Hoover’s sauce!  BUT, this whole thing started out as a way to win in a competition using a non-traditionally favorite sauce of the judges! 

We’ve had a blast year after year at Pork-In-the-Park in Salisbury, MD and then moved on to our busiest season for delivering GreatQ to parties, weddings, family gatherings, events and even a Hoe-Down (not sure how to spell that)!  However, I would like to spend some more time on the competition circuit and next year we are going to do just that!  Finally I am coming to the point of this ramble…if you are interested in being on the GreatQ4U! BBQ Team, we’d LOVE to hear from you.  I would request that you join (if you’re not already a member) either the Kansas City BBQ Society (www.kcbs.us) or the National BBQ Association (www.nbbqa.org) before contacting me so you’re already on the way.  Better yet, join BOTH…as well as your local BBQ Association too!  Membership will bring with it a great deal of access to knowledge along with a support group of fellow BBQ enthusiasts!

Once you’re a member of the Associations, shoot me an e-mail (Jim@GreatQ4U.com) or call the office at 717-254-1937 and we’ll talk about your interest, your availability and we all have to offer each other!  Hopefully this will lead to a more consistent presence at KCBS events across the country in 2010!  I look forward to hearing from you and wish you happy “Q”! – jak

Recession, Schmecession….let’s EXPAND!!!

Well at least those are the plans!  As I have hinted many times before and even given small details, I thought I’d blog about what we plan to do over what used to be the ’slower’ Winter months this year.  We are quite grateful for all the customers that we have and for the many new fans of Hoover’s Southern Fusion sauce!  Here’s to the Vinegar lovers out there….not that we don’t like you ‘thick & sweet’ sauce folks, we’re just a bit different that way!  To be honest, we are butting up against full capacity and something’s gotta’ be done to allow us to accomodate growth!  NOW, I say that knowing that too much of a good thing can often turn it bad and as a guy who is committed to first and foremost producing high quality, wood smoked meats and home made sides.  That said, we’ve got to do something and for that I’ve got a plan!

We are fortunate enough to have some great friends at Blue Mountain Outfitters (www.bluemountainoutfitters.net) in Marysville and Doug’s willing to let us have a temporary presence there during peak months to help fill the bellies of hungry paddlers and passerbys alike.  SO, I have been working for months now to design a Concession trailer that also houses a Commercial Catering Kitchen.  This would allow us to accomplish many different things; first of all it will help meet our goals for rational expansion, secondly it will give us greatly enhanced abilities to provide complete off-site options to our service lines, thirdly (if that’s a word) it will allow us to provide an expanded menu and it will also allow folks to have GreatQ on demand by simply walking up to our windows!

All that said, we still have a few hurdles to overcome.  Choosing the right rig is imperative to this working out right…I’ve got it narrowed down to a few builders, but am not yet ready to pull the trigger, so-to-speak!  Also, as you might imagine, financing in this economy is challenging to say the least.  In fact, we are exploring a number of options, including offering up a piece of the action to customers or investors looking for an alternative to traditional investments with a higher return than just about anything out there.  Again not procrastination, but deliberative contemplation.  (See, I can use big words!)  Finally and most importantly, we’ve got to do this without sacrificing the “Q” since that IS the reason for all of this insanity!  We started out with a goal to make authentic, real-deal BBQ and I intend to keep it that way!

So, for now we move along down the path of steady growth and expansion with a bit of trepidation and lots of good friends to support us.  As if that isn’t enough, I am actively seeking a packer to bottle up a good sized run of Hoover’s sauce for all you fans out there, but same deal…not willing to sacrifice quality for quantity, not now, not ever!  Anyone with any ideas, please feel free to toss them my way!  I’m always appreciative of assistance.  I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween, look out for all those Ghosts and Goblins while you’re driving around at night! – jak

GreatQ4U! BBQ Catering in Central Pennsylvania

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What….Winter???

Who says?  Heck, as I am typing this the World Series has yet to begin!  They are the ‘Boys of Summer’, why is this weather in the Northeast SO miserable?

As luck would have it, I’m not that big of a baseball fan to begin with (don’t hate me for it) but it sounded like a good line to start a Mid-Fall blog entry with!  Just a few things to say today so you all don’t feel like I have abandoned the blogosphere!  We are keeping busy as the leaves begin to drop, which I appreciate VERY much and hope to keep up all Winter (banish the thought) long.   Smokers are burning night and day and I’ve seen a few customers smile as that Pulled Pork sandwich is ripped with their teeth…so all is well in “Q”-ville.

All of this smoking has been keeping us a bit distracted from the 2010 Menu which will include some old favorites and some new additions.  We are trying new recipes and scouring the country to find out what the ultimate BBQ side dishes are and I’d be interested in what you’ve got to say too!  Let me know what your favorite BBQ side dish is and perhaps it’ll make it onto the Menu.  In fact, if it’s REALLY good, I’ll even name it after you…how about them apples?

That’s it for now…keep on keeping on!

jak

Crisp Mornings and Low Hanging Smoke

Fall has always been my favorite season for a whole bunch of reasons, not the least of which (I assume) is that I was born in October!  SO…all you other October children out there, here’s a big Happy Birthday shout out!  In addition to Birthdays, there is the crisp cool air that greets you every morning and the hint of a change in the color of the leaves on the mountain!  In a few weeks the colors will be in full glory and I’ll be reminded even more why Central PA is such a nice place to live and work!  Finally, as it pertains to BBQ (I may have mentioned this before), cooler weather typically means a bit longer on the smoker for our “Q”, which I believe lends itself to a bit tastier product!  Alas, that’s just MY opinion…you should try some and see for yourself!

We’ve got LOTS going on around here wrapping up the busy Summer season and preparing for the influx of Holiday Party and Family Gatherings to come.  We’ve still got plenty of room to add your event if you are looking to offer your guests a BBQ treat in the next couple of months!  We are also still offering a reduced Booking Fee for any 2010 event booked by Halloween, if you’d like more details you can call us at 717-254-1937 or shoot me an e-mail: Jim@GreatQ4U.com

Thanks again to all of our clients who got to share the love this past summer, we truly appreciate your business!  We are working on adding quite a bit for 2010, including a whole new menu that will feature our traditional favorites along with many new offerings that will be sure to tempt your taste buds.  Our progress toward opening a walk-up service location on the West Shore is slowly coming along, but like so many other things we are measuring our growth as the economy continues to lag!  If you are interested in helping us to grow, please don’t hesitate to let me know, I am always open to suggestions and help!

That’s it for now, but I’m sure there’s more news to come soon! – jak

New Menu Items…what do you think?

We are neck deep in re-working the menu for next year to include some customer requests and accomodate for our new kitchen facilities and are looking to bounce a few menu items off some folks to see what they think…I suppose we’ll do this a few times to see what folks think about additions to the menu.  SO, here are a few for you:

• Pulled Pork Chili with Pinto Beans and Black Eyed Peas
• Fresh Hush Puppies
• Garden Fresh Salads and Fresh Fruit Trays
• BBQ Spaghetti

WELL..that oughta’ get you thinking!  I would personally welcome any feedback, thoughts, suggestions, personal experiences, etc. that you might have about these items!  Just cause they’re here doesn’t mean that they’ll wind up on our menu, but they are concepts that have made it past the smoker so-to-speak!

Thanks in advance for your input!

Fall has arrived!!!

SO much for keeping the Blog even remotely up to date!  I cannot believe that the Summer has officially passed yet again without a vacation…not a complaint mind you, but merely an observation.  Fall has arrived and we are keeping the fires burning…literally.  Lots of catering to do yet this year as we are planning a complete overhaul of our menu for 2010 to include some GREAT additions and changes based on our observations and customer input!  We are also in the final stages of putting together the Business Plan and more importantly, the financing package to open a walk up location on the West Shore that would be open 4 days a week from Thursday through Sunday.  Our menu would include all of our specialties, but would also incorporate some of the Pit Boss’s specials based on what’s fresh that week!  From authentic seafood gumbo to some of the best hush puppies you’ll ever git…we’ll have lots to tempt your taste buds!

As you might imagine…feeding all of our Fall customers, planning a new menu and starting a walk-up addition to our catering business is keeping us more than a bit busy!  Not to mention the new additions to the family (photo below)!  I’ll do my best to keep you apprised of our progress here and in the mean time…if you know anyone in the banking business or who’d like to have a stake in BBQ catering business…call me!!!  – jak

Little Bit and Little Cross

Post Labor Day Update

I know…I should have posted an update sooner…Hoover’s passing was a blah note to leave it all on and we were REALLY lucky to have a chance to spend any time with a dog like him…he got me through A LOT of stress for a few years immediately preceeding my current BBQ lifestyle!  SO…in his honor we have brewed up a special ‘Organic’ batch of “Groovie Hoovie’s 7 Pepper Hab Sauce” made with our own organic Habenero, Jalapeno, Hot Banana, Cayenne, Cow Tongue, Cow Horn and Pablano peppers!  We have a VERY limited number of bottles left…10 or less to be exact…and we are offering them for $25 (5oz. bottle) with all proceeds going to a Hoover memorial in next year’s garden!  (He LOVED to eat…particularly carrots!  So I am thinking a carrot patch!)

Things remain busy here and I am personally quite thankful for that!  I truly appreciate everyone’s business and hope that we have exceeded all our client’s expectations!  We have quite a bit on our plates and are in the process of re-working and expanding our menu.  In addition, we are actively looking to add walk-up service at least 4 days a week at some point in the next 6 months…depending on many details!  I’ll keep you posted on our progress!  Finally, we are booking events into 2010 and currently offering a reduced booking fee of 25% on any 2010 event to our online readers…so it’s a good way to lock in at 2009 prices and save 5% on your booking at the same time!

Stay tuned for upcoming news about competitions, appearences and our new menu!

Sad Day…Happy Memories…

On His Throne!

…it is with a great deal of sadness that I am typing these words to announce the passing of our Bloodhound “Hoover”.  His face addorns every bottle of our Signature BBQ sauce and was ever present in the kitchen during the 5 years or so of R&D that went into creating his namesake sauce!  He was not just a good dog, but a great dog!  We were fortunate to have him in our lives and thankful that we had a chance to be such a big part of his!  While many folks know the pain of having to say goodbye…it is never an easy task!

Alas, Hoover will live on…his “Southern Fusion Style BBQ Sauce” will remain his and his photo on every bollte we produce!  His presence in the kitchen during all those menu trials and tribulations will be sorely missed, but his influence and inspiration will always be a part of our philosophy!  Be Good, Take It Easy and Enjoy the moments you have!