According to longtime Cookshack customer Bill Kamp, owner of Kamp’s Meat Market in Oklahoma City’s chic Nichols Hills neighborhood, “Our Series 200 Cookshack smoker allows our business to create a diverse and profitable smoked product line with consistent results and minimum effort. It’s like magic. You plug it in and money spews out of it.”

• Barbecue restaurants and caterers often add whole or sliced brisket, pork butt, and chickens “to go” for holiday parties, and turkey and ham are favored menu items.
• Grocery/Deli businesses profit from smoked food platters for festive get-togethers.
• Meat markets and small processors custom-smoke all kinds of meats and sausages for gift-giving and party platters.

Cookshack smokers work 24/7 to smoke profitable, value-added meats, poultry, fish, and seafood for their owners. Call us at 1-800-423-0698 to talk with one of our experienced sales staff. No hard sell, just good information which will help you decide if a Cookshack or Fast Eddy's by Cookshack is right for you.

Going to a trade show can be fun -- and profitable -- if you approach it with a little common sense. Experienced "attendees" have a few tricks to make the most of their time and money. We've tried to cover the most essential ones in this booklet.  

1.  Make deals with suppliers.

Trade shows are excellent buying opportunities. Many manufacturers offer significant savings, in the form of "show specials", on equipment purchased at shows. They want to provide you with an incentive to make your purchase at the show. If you arrange in advance to purchase equipment off the show floor, you can sometimes save shipping costs. (After all, the exhibitor doesn't want to ship it back to their warehouse.)

2.  Take advantage of advance registration savings.

Most shows offer a discount for signing up early.

3.  Make sure you know the show hours.

It's frustrating to arrive at 2pm and find out that the show closes at 2:30pm.
 

4.  Look for new ideas.

Even if you already know everything there is to know about your industry, try to look at the trade show as an opportunity to get new ideas and a fresh perspective. Remember, if you get just one good, money-making idea, the trip was worthwhile.

5.  Take a few moments to look over the show directory.

When you arrive in the exhibit hall, pick up a show directory and look through it. Write the booth numbers of exhibitors you especially want to see on the front of the directory. It's easy to forget once you're in the middle of a crowded hall.

6.  Bring a pen and a notepad, or a tape recorder.

Make sure you can record ideas, things to follow up on, etc. It's too easy to forget once you leave the exhibit hall.

7.  Take some business cards or stick-on address labels.

Even if the show has imprinting badges (those plastic "credit card things"), it's a good idea to have some business cards with you. You won't spend so much time waiting for your name to be taken at exhibits in which you have only a marginal interest.

8.  Walk the show systematically.

Start on either the far left or far right aisle. (Tip: most people turn right -- if you want to avoid the big traffic flow, go the left.) Walk each aisle in order. Check your show directory from time to time to make sure you see each of your specially marked exhibits.

9.  Stop at exhibits that are related to what you are already doing.

Ask how their products can work for you. Listen to what they have to say. Try to be open-minded. If you don't agree, thank them and move on to the next booth.

10.  Look at both sides of the aisle, and make a mental note of what each exhibit is displaying.

Good ideas come from all kind of places. Pay attention.

11.  Take breaks.

If it's a big show, don't try to do it all at once. Most shows last two to five days. Give yourself enough time to see everything, and to spend time with exhibitors in whose products you are seriously interested.

12.  Ask questions!

If you're not sure what an exhibit is about, or if you want more information, ask someone who works in the booth. That's what they are there for. Most companies send friendly, knowledgeable staff to shows.

13.  Ask to be put on the exhibitor's mailing list.

Most exhibitors are glad to take your name and contact you at a later time. If you are interested but not quite ready to buy, ask to be put on the exhibitor's mailing list. You'll be kept abreast of new products and special price offers.

14. Smile.

Approach each exhibit with a smile. You'll find the booth staff knocking themselves out to help you get what you want.

“Fast Eddy’s by Cookshack (FEC) smokers allow the competition cook to gain control of his or her life at BBQ events. Most pits control the cook by requiring constant watching and tending. Not the FEC! The FEC’s IQ4 controller puts you in charge of accurate smoke-cooking time and temperature. Get a good night’s sleep, be fresh and sharp on turn-in day, and enjoy the drive home. Spend time socializing with your BBQ buddies that you have met on the cook-off trail while the FEC’s IQ4 controller tends the fire. When it’s turn-in time, you are assured that the product that you turn in will be the same winning ‘que that you have turned in before, even if it was on another type of pit! You can reproduce trophy-winning recipes week in and week out easier than ever with the consistency and reliability of the FEC and its IQ4 controller,” says Ed “Fast Eddy” Maurin, inventor of the FEC’s.

Competition cooks love this smoker. Using the latest technology and old-fashioned principles of making winning barbecue, the FEC100 consistently brings cooks to the winners’ circle. 

• Capacity is 100 lbs. pork butts, 80 lbs. brisket, 60 lbs. ribs, or 24 chickens per load.

• The FEC100 features a digital Cookshack IQ4 controller. Operator sets the smoke-cooking time and temperature, and the holding temperature. When the smoke-cook cycle has finished the controller drops automatically to the hold temperature. Optional meat probe allows user to specify a smoke-cook temperature. When the temperature is reached, the smoker automatically drops into a hold cycle.

• Thermostatically-controlled temperature eliminates large heat fluctuations that dry and shrink meat.

• The FEC’s heat and flavor source is 100% food grade wood pellets. Pellets are easily obtainable, inexpensive, and easy to store; available in a variety of flavors.

• Pellet heat is controlled by a fully automatic patented auger system.

• With continuous use, the FEC100 produces about 8 oz. of ash per 40 lbs. of pellets used. Danger of a fire from removing hot ash and embers is eliminated, unlike log burners that require removal of live coals.

• The FEC100 runs at 5 amps @ 120 VAC, which means pennies per hour operating cost.

• The FEC100 features double-walled construction surrounding 850° spun-glass insulation for superior heat retention and fuel savings.

• Clean-burning wood pellets produce very little ash, with low creosote build up.

• (4) Nickel-plated steel 23” x 17” shelves are removable … easy to power wash.

• The FEC100 is ruggedly built with a 16-gauge stainless steel interior. Exterior is 22-gauge stainless steel.

• Standard equipment includes: casters, operator’s manual, 40 lb. bag of pellets, and a Cookshack Spice Kit containing: 1 gal. Spicy Barbecue Sauce, 1gal. Mild Barbecue Sauce, 5 lbs. Brisket Rub, 5 lbs. RibRub, 5 lbs. Spicy Chicken Rub, 10 oz. Chili Mix, and 10 oz. Spicy Barbecue Sauce Mix.

• No-risk purchase … Fast Eddy’s by Cookshack smokers are covered by a two year limited warranty and Cookshack’s 30-day money-back guarantee.

• Optional accessories include a meat probe, rib racks, stainless steel shelves, and a cover.