Starting a Food Buisness and the Cottage Food Law

In a previous post, I wrote about cottage food laws. Michigan and many other states have enacted sets of specific rules and regulations that allow a framework for food entrepreneurs to get started on a small scale. These laws allow individuals to do some test marketing before plunging headfirst into a full scale, licensed, food processing business.

The cottage food laws do have limitations. There are labeling requirements, limitations on the types of foods that can be produced for sale from a home kitchen, and guidelines for maximum annual revenues that can be earned.

Outside of the cottage food law allowances, many states and county governments offer other resources to help guide a prospective small business owner through the process of operating a food business legally. In Michigan, the state government provides significant resources online. The 64-page Guide to Starting and Operating a Small Business in Michigan provides a checklist that can be used to plan for a start-up. The guide covers taxes, business plans, licenses and regulations, hiring, financing, managment, and insurance considerations and many, many more.

All of this may seem like a lot of red tape and hassle for folks that just want to grow a hobby or personal passion into a source of income. I've seen and known many bbq enthusiasts who do bbq and other types of catering "under the radar" and out of compliance with legal requirements. This may seem like a harmless undertaking, but upon closer examination this is a pretty risky proposition. The personal liability is significant and should not be taken lightly.

There is a lot of information available to help you do it right, if you take the time to look for it. And the best part is that most of it won't cost you any money while you progress through the initial planning stages.

If you are aware of other resources that would be helpful along these lines, feel free to post them in the comments section or send me a separate e-mail so I can share the information with others who may find it useful.

Here's an example from the Small Buisness Administration (SBA):

Small Business Assessment Tool

Good luck.

Music to BBQ By - Charlie Daniels Band

This is a continuation of my new weekly feature - Music to BBQ By




When your bbq party gets a little rowdy, put some CDB on the stereo. Or better yet, if you bbq party is dull, liven it up with some CDB.

I attended a Charlie Daniels concert in Dearborn Michigan in 2004. It's been several years now since I first heard this song on 61-Country, my favorite radio station from the late '70's and early '80's out of Kansas City. We spent hours and hours listening to guys with names like Charlie, Conway, and Kenny.

Red Chili Practice Cook



Red chili aka chili without beans


This was my second weekend spent working to develop a contest-worthy-chili recipe. Last week left me a little disappointed, but this week's result turned out closer to my expectations.

I have searched and searched on Google images for what ICS contest chili is supposed to look like with very few results, so I am still unsure whether I am getting closer (or farther) from competitive quality.

Last week I tried to some inexpensive sirloin cuts labeled as "stew meat" on the package. This week I purchased a $15 package labeled as Top Sirloin and the texture and tenderness of the chili was much better.

I feel much more comfortable with the level of heat in the chili too, but that is the area I most unsure about. If a judge is just eating a one bite sample the chili can stand to be a little hotter than if eating an entire bowl (i.e. cup).

Next week I'll be working on a green chili recipe.

A Trip to the Spice Store

As I prepare for my first chili cook-off in a few weeks, I made a trip to the local Penzey's spices store this morning. Here's some of the chili specific spices that I purchased:

I have never cooked a chili contest sanctioned by the International Chili Society (ICS). To help promote chili cooking, contests, and in support of prospective new contestants like me, the ICS publishes winning recipes on ChiliCookoff.com. Last weekend I cooked Jim Weller's Macktown Chili recipe to establish a base to build from. The plan is to make adjustments here and there to eventually develop my own recipe.

I'm a chili novice and I'm a little fearful of making my entry too hot, if that is possible. Most of the past winning recipes look pretty hot to me, so I am sticking to a recipe that is on the milder side of things. I chose some ground chipotle, some guajillo chili peppers, and ancho chili powder for my recipe. All three are the on milder side of the Scoville heat scale.

Chipotle: 5,000 - 10,000 Scoville heat units
Guajillo: 2,500 - 5,000 Scoville heat units
Ancho: 1,000 - 2,000 Scoville heat units

For a comparison, Cayenne pepper is 30,000 - 50,000 Scoville heat units; and a Scotch Bonnet or Habanero pepper yield between 100,000 - 350,000 Scoville heat units.

I plan to enter the "red" and "green" chili categories. From what I've seen on the web, sometimes the green chili recipes are even a little hotter than the red ones.

I'm not expecting spectacular results in my first event, but I do expect to have a lot of fun preparing and competing. Perhaps best of all...the event I'm cooking is in it's 17th year. The event typically raises a lot of money for local charities. The grand total over the lifespan of the event is more than $265,000 in donations.

Look for a new post tomorrow when I put these new spices to use.

Music to BBQ By

I've been writing, talking about, and sharing bbq ideas on the internet for more than 10 years. Most folks that have been reading this blog or my original bbq website that was merged into this current format a few years ago have probably picked up on my personal musical tastes over the years. And to honor some of my favorite styles of music and the artists that perform them, I am introducing a new feature this week - Music to BBQ By.

So here's the first installment...



There have been numerous versions of this song recorded and performed through the years (you can see many of them on YouTube), but I have never being one to conform with what others may regard as "popular" or "normal". I like to explore the "not so obvious" and that's why I picked this version to share with you this week.

The BBQ Guy Tries ICS Chili Cooking

As the weather here in Michigan makes the gentle turn toward fall with shorter days and longer nights, my thoughts turn toward football, and naturally, toward foods that accompany the changes.



Plymouth, Michigan, near our home in Belleville, hosts the Great Lakes Chili Cookoff. The event is scheduled for October 14th this year. I've toyed with the idea of competing in the event, but knowing very little about competition chili cooking other than visiting a few events in Florida and here in Michigan through the years, I've never progressed much past the "thinking about it" stage.



3 lbs of lean beef



Today I decided to give chili-cookoff-style chili cooking another try. For any seasoned chili competitors who might come across this bbq blog post about competition chili cooking, I want to apologize just in case I've violated any cardinal rules of ICS chili.

I've cooked Jim Weller's Macktown Chili recipe as pubished on the International Chili Society (ICS) website a couple of times. Admitting that I know little about cooking chili sans beans and hamburger, Mr. Weller's world championship winning recipe from the year 2000 looked like a good starting point to develop my own novice version of ICS chili.

I did not cook the recipe exactly because I did not have the exact ingredients on hand, but being a bbq cook who likes to tinker with different ingredients and amounts, I cooked the version below this afternoon.

Brian's Chili Recipe

3 lbs of stew meat from the local big box store

14 oz of beef broth (Watkins mix)

14 oz of chicken broth (Watkins mix)

8 oz can of Hunt's tomato sauce

1 C of water

1/2 tsp of hot sauce (Louisiana Hot Sauce brand)

8 Tbsp chili powder

2 Tbsp chipotle chili powder

3 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp garlic granules

1 Tbsp onion granules

1 Tbsp arrow root

I combined the liquids into a sauce pan and heated it for 15 minutes. I cut the beef into small 3/8 inch sized cubes and browned it in a skillet. I combined the liquids and beef into a pot and added 1/2 the spice mixture. I simmered the meat and liquids for 90 minutes, added the remaining spice mix and cooked another 30 minutes on medium-low heat (a slow boil).

I cut the beef into bite sized pieces. I was aiming for 3/8" or "pecan sized".

Beef after browing and draining




Hot sauce

 

In case you're like me and don't know what arrow root is I'll try to explain. It is used to thicken things similar to flour. Unlike flour, a little arrowroot goes a long way.

I have no way of knowing for sure what I need to add to this recipe in order to meet expectations at a chili cook off, but here are a few things I'm going to try based on samples I've purchased at a few events.

• Add 1/4 cup of chopped onions.
• Add 1/4 cup of chopped green peppers
• Add another 8 oz can of Hunt's tomato sauce
• Instead of 1 C water, use 1 C of beef broth/chicken broth mixture
• Use Tabasco sauce instead of Louisiana brand.

Any other suggestions?

Chicken Thighs in a Skillet with Lawry's Seasoning

Taking a certain risk that some of my readers may disagree....Sometimes you just do not have time to fire up the grill or smoker and prepare a proper bbq meal.

We were watching football recently and I had a craving for grilled chicken thighs, but I didn't want to step away from the game long enough to prepare them bbq-style. I headed to the kitchen pantry and looked for some sort of seasoning to use and found some Lawry's Perfect Blend Seasoning and Rub Chicken & Poultry staring back at me.

I seasoned six boneless and skinless chicken thighs with the Lawry's seasoning and let them marinade in the refrigerator for 3 hours. If you like your chicken thighs a little more on the salty side, you can marinade longer. If you like less salt, you might want to marinade for less time, or add less spice rub from the get go.

I added some olive oil to a large skillet and then cooked the thighs on medium-high heat for about 15 - 20 minutes turning occasionally. I covered the skillet with a lid. When I cook chicken like this, it seems to help speed up the cooking process. I cooked them to 175 degrees internal temperature.

It's not real bbq, but it's a quick alternative that doesn't taste half bad.

Low Calorie Dutch Oven Braised Rabbit

We purchased a rabbit from Back Forty Acres in Chelsea, Michigan and today I cooked it in my dutch oven. The recipe and pictures are included below.

Ingredients:

1 rabbit (4 – 5 lbs.)

2-3 slices of bacon

2 or 3 onions – Cut 2 into quarters and chop 1 into small pieces

3 or 4 carrots - Slice into chunks

3 cloves of garlic

2 bay leaves

5 or 6 potatoes cut into small chunks

3 stalks of celery chopped into small pieces

1 can of chicken broth

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. black pepper


Preparation:

• Brown the bacon slices and 1 finely chopped onion in the Dutch oven with bottom heat.

• Add the rabbit and brown it on both sides for 3-4 minutes

• Add 1 can of chicken broth

• Add onion quarters, chopped celery, chopped carrots, and potatoes

• Add enough additional water to cover the vegetables.

• Cook at low heat until meat and potatoes are tender.

Tunnel Bar-B-Q Windsor Canada

Today we make the short drive from Belleville, MI to Windsor, Ontario for a site seeing trip and to eat lunch at Tunnel Bar-B-Q. Since it's opening in 1941, the restaurant has a long history in downtown Windsor.

We stopped by for lunch after a visit to the Riverfront Sculpture Garden offering a great view of downtown Detroit. 

The service was very good with a friendly waitress who is planning a driving trip through Tennessee, down to New Orleans and onward to Texas for a Carribbean cruise in a couple of weeks.

Always inquisitive, Linda couldn't resist asking if they prepare the bbq in a real smoker or in the oven. Since we parked in the rear of the restaurant with no signs of wood, a smoke stack, etc. I already knew the answer. I'll give bonus points for honesty. It is after all "the best policy".

For oven 'que that is far from the traditional southern-style that we prefer, it was acceptable lunch fare.

The dessert menu was the highlight of the visit. Linda and nephew Gus shared a chocolate brownie mousse and I had Peach Melba (ice cream wtih peaches and raspberry sauce).

I can't recommend making a special trip just for the 'que, but if you're already in town and looking for some lunch give it a try.

BBQ Pitmasters Auditions

BBQ Pitmasters is back for another season and is currently accepting entries for consideration to be included in next season's TV series. But there's a catch this time...according to the e-mail that arrived in my inbox today, to be considered you need to live on one of the following states (only).

­‐ Texas
­‐ Tennessee – Memphis Style BBQ
­‐ North Carolina
­‐ Missouri – Kansas City Style BBQ
­‐ Kentucky
­‐ Georgia

The deadline for submission is August 22nd.

I would have loved to post all the details about how you enter, questions to answer, contact information etc., but the information was sent to me as a PDF file.    Perhaps a timely e-mail to BBQPitmasters@originalmedia.com will yield a user friendly format for anyone who is interested in being considered.

BBQ Appetizers: ABT's

Atomic Buffalo Turds are also known simply at ABT's. ABT's provide a simple-to-make, tasty-to-eat, good-to-look-at treat for backyard pool parties and other similar events. I made ABT's for lunch today.

There are several different versions of ABT's made with peppers. Some versions use cream cheese. Other versions use crumbled up breakfast sausage (pre-cooked of course). Another version that I've made in the past, uses a technique that results in more of a stuffed ABT. The version I made today combined cheddar cheese, little smokies, and good 'ole bacon with traditional jalapenos. If you'd prefer a little less heat, ABT's can also be made from poblano's. If you use poblano's, a stuffed technique with breakfast sausage would work well. (Remember to cook the sausage first.)

Start with a handful of jalepeno's and wash thoroughly

Cut the jalepeno's length wise and scrape out the seeds and ribs

You can leave the seeds and ribs inside, but you'll end up with eye-watering ABT's

I like to use cheddar cheese and little smokies

Wrap tightly with thin sliced bacon and secure with a tooth pick



Place on indirect heat on a smoker or grill at 375 degrees



Cook them for 45 - 50 minutes. Brush them lightly with your favorite bbq sauce.

Enjoy!

Tip:  Don't let the bacon grease drip onto your fire. It will cause flare-ups or in some cases a fire that ruins your meal.

Sirloin Tip Roast

I've been planning to bbq a tri tip for several weeks. This morning I visited the local meat counter in search of a tri tip, but after 5 minutes of searching for "tri tip" I had to settle for a 3 pound sirloin tip roast. The sirloin tip roast is a tri tip cousin, but still not exactly what I had hoped for.

I started by preparing the tip roast for 6 hours of marinating.

I rubbed the roast with a thin layer of my brisket rub left over from a brisket cook a couple of weeks ago. Using my Jaccard, I pierced the roast consistently and then repeated the process with two more thin layers of brisket rub on the top and bottom. I have no "proof" but it seems that using the Jaccard after applying the rub versus before helps get some of the rub down into the thicker part of the meat.




I marinated the roast in the refrigerator for 6 hours in a Tupperware container.



I banked the coals to one side of my Weber charcoal grill and I pre-heated the grill to 275 degrees. I cooked the roast for 25 minutes. I then flipped the roast and cooked it for another 25 minutes.



Next, I wrapped the roast in foil and cooked it for another 15 minutes. The temperature in the grill had climbed to 375 degrees just prior to wrapping.

I let the roast rest for 15 minutes before slicing. The internal temperature of the roast registered 146 degrees at that point. The USDA recommends beef be cooked to a minimum of 145 degrees.

The picture above doesn't do the smoke ring on those slices justice. It was tremendous. The slices were a little on the rare side for my personal tastes, but the roast was delicious. I'll definitely cook another sirloin tip roast when tri tip isn't available.

Barter for BBQ

AE's newest television series Barter Kings has given me an idea - Barter for BBQ. 

For anyone in Belleville-Canton-Plymouth-Livonia area of Michigan...I'd be willing to trade day of barbecue lessons for something of equal value. We'd cook chicken thighs, pork ribs, pork butts, and beef brisket using competition methods and of course we'd sample each and you would leave with a vacuum sealed bag of each of the leftovers.

This session has a $450 - $500 dollar value and includes the cost of all the meat (12 chicken thighs, 3 racks of baby back or spare ribs, 2 pork butts, and a packer brisket).

Anyone intersted?

Mustard BBQ Sauce on Ribs?

City Grocery from Oxford, Mississippi was featured on Good Morning America recently. Chef John Currence was in New York City for the Big Apple BBQ event held last week. John Currence, aka BIG BAD CHEF, is the 2009 James Beard Award Winner for Best Chef South

Part of the bbq segment featured Cheaters Backyard Baby Back Ribs. Most ribs I've ever eaten or smoked were rubbed with spices, salt, and sugar; then sauced with a tomato based sauce containing salt, brown sugar, cumin, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. The "Cheaters" ribs from City Grocery were slathered in a mustard sauce like I've never eaten or seen before.

I've looked on the GMA website, but haven't found the exact recipe for the mustard sauce, but the segment did explain that "cheaters" comes from wrapping the ribs in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil and then cooking them on a bbq smoker.

To read more about City Grocery, you can read their blog here.

If you would like to try to make a mustard bbq sauce for your next rib cook, AmazingRibs.com has a nice looking mustard bbq sauce recipe that might be worth a look.

Real BarBQ Canton

I lived in Plymouth, Michigan from 2004 - 2007 and during that time there wasn't a barbecue restaurant to speak of in the Plymouth-Canton area. So after we moved back to the area in July 2011, I was kind of excited to see an "Opening Soon" sign on Ford Road announcing a new barbecue restaurant.

I lived in temporary housing for several months waiting to close on our home and stopped by the restaurant several times hoping to eat some barbecue. My smokers were in storage and I wanted to cure the craving for some 'que. But each time I pulled in the parking lot, the "Opening Soon" sign was still being displayed.

We were running errands today in Canton and were surprised to see Real BarBQ open for business. After cooking 35 lbs of brisket and pork butt for a work event later this week, we weren't craving bbq but after waiting 10 1/2 months for the opening we couldn't resist giving it a try.

Pork ribs, beef brisket, burnt end baked beans, coleslaw and cornbread.



The house bbq sauce at Real BarBQ

I ordered the Ribs + 1 (my plus 1 was brisket) and Linda ordered the Real Chop Shop (pulled pork served on a brioche roll).

While we waited for our meal, I was offered a tour of the kitchen. I didn't ask for permission to take a picture, but they did show me the Southern Pride they cook everything on - 1,100 lbs of pork butts is a lot of barbecue goodness.

I liked the ribs and brisket. I'm partial to my own homemade bbq, but it was good restaurant bbq. The atmosphere is very nice - actually much nicer than I anticipated. The staff is very friendly and the kitchen was organized and clean. Linda is a tough critic for pulled pork and didn't "love" it.

We'll definitely go back and will certainly recommend it to friends and co-workers. After driving an hour to eat at Slow's in Detroit to be told there was a 3 hour wait, it's good to know there is a nice bbq restaurant option much closer to home.

In case you're wondering what a brioche roll (I know I was) here is the definition from Wikipedia: brioche

BBQ Brisket Technique

Apologies to cat lovers, but just like that old saying "there's more than one way to skin a cat", there are several ways to cook a brisket.

• Hot and fast
• Low and slow
• Fat side down
• Fat side up
• With foil
• Without foil
• Baste
• No-baste
• With injection
• Without injection

I've experimented with all the techniques through the years, but during a Saturday afternoon practice cook using my Weber Smokey Mountain several years ago I stumbled on a hybrid method that combines the best of all those options.

1. Start the brisket fat side up and cook for 3 hours
2. Spritz with apple juice every 90 minutes to promote bark formation (I prefer Martinelli's)
3. Flip the brisket to fat side down and cook for 2 hours
4. Wrap in foil when brisket reaches 165 degrees (or after 5 hours)
5. Cook brisket to 194 degrees measured in the middle of the flat
6. Allow brisket to "rest" inside an Igloo cooler wrapped in towels for at least 2 hours (4 hours is even better)
7. Slice brisket with an electric knife (I use a Black and Decker)
8. Lightly sauce each brisket slice with Blues Hog BBQ Sauce before serving
9. Vacuum seal the  "extra" brisket slices and freeze to eat later when you get the craving

15 lb packer brisket fat side up

15 lb packer brisket fat side down

This technique works very well on my old Weber Smokey Mountain. It's won several dollars in bbq contests and it's won the hearts of family, neighbors, and co-workers for the past 10 years. This exact technique might not work the same way on an offset smoker, Big Green Egg, pellet smoker, etc. but perhaps through my trial and error experimentation you will find a golden nugget you like to assist with your brisket cooking results.

***
Want to learn how to make money online?
Click here

Heritage Tamworth Pork

We like to buy local products when possible so with great pleasure we picked up 1/2 a hog last weekend from BackFortyAcres in Chelsea, Michigan. Believe it or not, if you shop around, buying premium heritage pork from local producers is very affordable.

The Tamworth pork was priced at $3.25 per pound - hanging weight - for our 110 lbs. The processing charge for butchering was roughly $80 and we selected a premium sausage option and smoking for some of the cuts, which added another $40 to the total bill with a couple of other miscellaneous charges bringing the final price to $450.

This is only two-thirds of the 110 lbs.
The rest wouldn't fit and is in the spare freezer downstairs.

Some may say that our pork was too expensive. Compared to pork at the local Meijer or Wal-Mart SuperCenter grocery stores, it does cost more but premium pork is worth a little extra.

The Tamworth we bought was raised in the pasture, on dirt, and not in some confinement building. The hog has been fed no hormones, antibiotics, or growth steroids. Since the taste of pork is derived from the environment the pigs live in, healthy living conditions and feed stock produces a very tasty meat. Raising the animals without the aids of hormones, antibiotics, or steroids does take a little longer to reach market weight and does add to the cost of production, so the prices reflect that.

It's a matter of choice. If the quality of food matters to you, like it does to me, the extra price is worth every penny.

Pork Loin Kabobs

Pork loin, bell peppers and onions on a stick

Linda made these delicious kabobs for supper a few nights ago.

The kabobs were brushed with a liberal coating of sauce that included a 1/2 cup of hoisin sauce and a 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar.

BBQ Site of the Day: The Hog Blog

If you are looking for a tutorial on how to prepare contest quality bbq at home, navigate over to The Hog Blog. Reading through the posts on chicken, ribs, brisket, and pork prep will save you quite a bit of trial and error. The site has a lot of nice pictures and the "how to" posts are quite nicely done.

I especially like the post on chicken preparation.  I used to have very good results in the chicken category, but some of my ideas have changed a little after reading Bob's post on chicken thighs.

The post on pork ribs is also noteworthy.  I've noticed a developing trend in rib cooking. Many are now cooking their ribs in a pan versus wrapping in foil.

For anyone wondering how to trim a brisket for the first time, his post on brisket trimming will put you the right track.

The site also features many different views of his very nice looking bbq cooking trailer painted my favorite color -- Barbecue Red.

Beef Packing Discussion

I have purposely delayed making a blog post on the so called "pink slime" issue because I just didn't feel like I knew enough about it. Like it does for many of my friends, the words "pink" and "slime" do evoke certain images and negative thoughts, but I am not necessarily against using the product in consumer products. Initially I thought I was, but based on some further research my personal views have changed a little.

I think the words "Lean Finely Textured Beef" should appear on the label. I also think "treated with ammonium hydroxide" should appear on the label.  If labeled properly, consumers can decide if they want to eat it, or if they want to spend a little more money on something else from another supplier that does not use those ingredients or processing methods.

I was at the local farmer's market yesterday and overheard a customer ask an apple farmer selling apple butter, "what's in your apple butter?". He replied, "apples and a little apple cider". The customer pressed the farmer for more information. The customer was convinced that there must be something else in the apple butter (i.e. corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc.). Like the customer I witnessed yesterday, many people are conditioned to assume that there are additives in our food that we don't necessarily know about and that don't seem to belong there. And that's why I believe labeling practices in beef processing and in all food production should be improved. I am in favor of labeling everything and letting the chips fall where they may.

During the past several years, our personal household purchasing practices have changed. We like to buy from local producers when possible. Sometimes buying local does cost more, but to us knowing where our food comes from and who produced it is worth paying a little extra money.

There is a movement to buy local in this country from people that you know. With a little research, you can find local producers who can provide what you might otherwise buy at the grocery store or retailer.  You can visit the farm where it was grown and see for yourself how the animals are raised or how the vegetables are grown. I think this trend is going to continue picking up speed. And public relations issues like "Lean Finely Textured Beef" provide an additional catalyst for buying local (in my opinion).