What makes a good cook for an eggfest?

egger ave · May 2016

One of my customers is a food scientist who helps design entrees for companies that manufacture the stuff you find on grocery store shelves and freezers. We were talking about eggfests and the cooks that I have seen, tasted and liked. When I asked him what sells he mentioned 4 ingredients that are the top of the list. I would agree with him.

Carbs preferably high

Fat the more the better, bacon anyone?

Salt sells, bacon again

Sugar the more is better!

IMHO A lot of what we eat and like is the result of marketing and tweaking for our taste buds, not that it tastes great or is good for us.

I take my coffee black BTW

20stone · May 2016

I see things a little differently (not surprising for those that know me). My criteria for eggfest food are:

Can be (relatively) quickly served off the egg, so the protein is still hot. My favorite dishes that @caliking and I have done burn my hands in service (like the kathi rolls at Space City). Most food that sits is never as good as it was when it just came off
Can be reasonably prepped in advance, so you don't kill yourself. I like getting the protein done a la minute', but prefer to have the sauces and other veg prep done at home the night before
Is something you like to eat - At least in our case, we prep too much (generally my fault), so some is coming home with you. It turns out that the tandoori chicken we prepped for kathi rolls was REALLY F'IN GOOD a couple of days

As for me, I love pork belly in all of its incarnations, but get a little "baconed out."

To your other point though, for single bites, heavier salt is a good trick. Something I fight with a bit are how much extra salt to add for single bites (vs a bowlful of whatever), and how spicy to go. I have a pretty high spice tolerance, but don't want to blow up the tasters, particularly when they are eating Indian (or Korean or Hawaiian) food for the first time.

Darby_Crenshaw · May 2016

i liked doing home made sausage, in full length casing, spiraled onto the cooking grid. it allowed me to do three different sausages, cook and flip them all at once, and be done with enough time to actually enjoy the rest of the fest.

i did them raised direct around 400. you don't want them splitting and bursting, or the fat will smolder and it'll flare up.

this is one of mine on the grid, chicken and basil with sundried tomatoes i think. from the 2010 eggfest in NH. that's a buddy of mine tending the grill. not me.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/1j/25bohc504m8f.jpg

you can also do moink balls. those you can prep at home. italian meatballs wrapped in parboiled bacon. smoked/roasted til the bacon is crisp, then dunk them all in BBQ sauce, toss back on until they get gummy.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/r6/607wyq246pvn.jpg

i'm not one for extravagant production. more about traveling light and doing simple stuff that shows off the flavor of smoke and lump. but i admire the pros who really make a bigger (more sophisticated) deal out of it.

and bonus: i can tell you what doesn't make a good cook for an eggfest hahaha

made a late dash to the NH eggfest one year and brought a bunch of duck prosciutto that I was handing out to some forum folks.

got the great idea that we could slice some thin and wrap mango chunks. it's really good. mango or melon.

but that isn't cooking, i'd be getting off easy.

my plan had been to cold smoke it or at least hot smoke and allow to cool, but i didn't get there til a couple hours from the end of the fest. so, onto the BGE with some nice cherry smoke.

well, of course the prosciutto gets hot, with totally changes the motuh feel. no time to let it cool. so we slice it and wrap the melons, and a few people grab at it. one old lady put it in her mouth and made a face that made me realize, yeah, maybe you can't rush this stuff. hahaha

i stopped the presses, and bagged the stuff. when it cooled, like, in a frigging fridge, it was really good. but warm soft duck-boob wasn't a good thing.

20stone · May 2016

I am with you on the home made sausage, as it meets (meats) all of my criteria. Now, if you are a crazy person (@nolaegghead), you can make the sausage on site (at the fest) before you cook it. I, however, am not (yet) that crazy.

dldawes1 · May 2016

I think Blueberry crumble is a big hit at Eggfests. Love good deserts.

At the moonbow Eggfest I did Hotwings, BBQ Wings, and Asian Sweet Garlic Wings...everyone loved them. Pigshots are always good and easy to cook.

bgebrent · May 2016

Never enough beef at eggfests in my limited experience.

Jstroke · May 2016

Well, In my limited experience, food needs to be prepped ahead, or literally no prep at the fest. We did quesadillas last year, which they loved, but were a nightmare because of assembly. We did bacon wrapped scallops which we did ahead which of course were gone in a blink. I did pig shots, but couldn't keep up and they tended to fall over on the grate making a mess. We did crostini but again with assembly it was a nightmare. Just remember--people pay to enter and want to get their money's worth, so it is hammer down if you have a busy day. Our fest was from 11-3. I started cooking at around 10-10:30 and almost never looked up from the table or the egg until 4:00 when I literally ran out of ingredients. We had about 450 attendees. My advice as others have pointed out--super simple.

caliking · May 2016

The salt/sugar/fat/carbs formula covers just about everything - fast food joints, commercially prepped foods in grocery stores, etc. In terms of what works at an eggfest, I think some other components need to be considered.

In TX, I know that folks like spicy foods. I've made at least one Indian item for each of the 5-6 fests that I've cooked, and they have all seemed to be popular. Folks like some variety too, after they've tried a few pork or chicken items. They like "exotic" foods too. I know a lot of people might not want to try fish sauce, but they liked it when it was part of the mango salad for the green curry and Cambodian meatballs we made in Athens.

@20stone and I usually end up complicating our cooking plans, depending on how much time we have to plan, but the end result has always been worth it. I'm trying to work on getting as much prep done at home, so that just the "meat on the egg" part is left for the fest.

And the revelation just came to me that a sauce is important. Folks love sauce. Any kind (it needs to taste good of course).

Most importantly, a cook will be well received if its made from the heart

tarheelmatt · May 2016

I've only cooked for one event, but in my opinion (may not be of others), I go for eclectic style as well as the overall look of the dish. Layering flavor profiles so something isn't one dimensional. This doesn't necessarily mean adding fat, carbs, and sugar, for me at least.

If I cook at another, I'll go for something less time consuming, but eclectic.

Austin Egghead · May 2016

Have done full meals at fest. Pork loin,rib roast, pork tenderloins, Veggies -people still ask for the brussels sprouts. Desserts always good, dump cake, buttermilk pie, s'mores,

HoustonEgger · May 2016

For the folks that have cooked at an Eggfest, do you factor the cost of the food into your planning? I know some folks sell rubs or shirts to help offset the cash outlay, but curious to know how everyone handles the expense of doing an Eggfest

Hotch · May 2016

We have cooked a lot of different things over the past years.
And this year we have keep the same items at each fest. But I think out of all of the things we have cooked, the one that gave us the most joy were the Watermelon Mini Cone cup cakes, pink cake, flavored as watermelon with mini chocolate chips for the seeds and a green frosting, we served for the kids at the Space City Eggfest. Those kids loved them.
After all it is the smiles and thanks from the guests that really makes you feel good about the product you put out there.

RRP · May 2016

Here's another factor I call the repeat draws or ruts. Background first: Saturday, June 4th will be the 14th annual Peoria IL Eggfest. I am the only person to have cooked at every single one of them. While there are always new cooks and new tasters there is also a solid group of returning tasters or Egg groupies! I always serve 5 to 6 different items, but I have 3 items I am known for and the groupies would skin me alive if I didn't fix them year after year! They are Georgia Red Wings, Chili and triple chocolate cake - of which due to the popularity I have baked 2 cakes for several years now.

20stone · May 2016

HoustonEgger said:

For the folks that have cooked at an Eggfest, do you factor the cost of the food into your planning?

Mostly, I hide receipts.

The good news (for me, at least) is that cooking at Eggfests has displaced similarly profligate hobbies, with less risk of death (unless @The Cen-Tex Smoker deep fries something next to me).

RRP · May 2016

HoustonEgger said:

For the folks that have cooked at an Eggfest, do you factor the cost of the food into your planning? I know some folks sell rubs or shirts to help offset the cash outlay, but curious to know how everyone handles the expense of doing an Eggfest

I never give it a thought. Typically I spend $40 or so, but then our dealer gives us a 20# bag of lump in appreciation so net net it cost me about $20. Nobody sells anything at our tests - seems like only the big ones have that kind of draw.

Focker · May 2016

My two faves are Zas and dillas. With the toppings prepped, I've had no issues with assembly. Cooks that showcase the egg, and the egged flavor. Feedback is positive, and always amazes me that peeps are so shocked about these two items cooked on a grill, even peeps that stop by that already have an egg. A fun conversation starter.

Usually end things with a box battered, slightly modded, waffle iron brownie. Use an ice cream scoop and buttered crisco spray. Can bang them out pretty quick. And people love seeing the old iron.

Had success with a pao wok in GA. More quick turnovers, adding lump as needed.

Ron is an absolute beast, and I always make it over for a sample of the big three. I get tired watching him egg, while I get buzzed, and in his way. Lol

The Cen-Tex Smoker · May 2016

HoustonEgger said:

For the folks that have cooked at an Eggfest, do you factor the cost of the food into your planning? I know some folks sell rubs or shirts to help offset the cash outlay, but curious to know how everyone handles the expense of doing an Eggfest

I just drink a lot to forget the pain.

cmac610 · May 2016

RRP said:

HoustonEgger said:

For the folks that have cooked at an Eggfest, do you factor the cost of the food into your planning? I know some folks sell rubs or shirts to help offset the cash outlay, but curious to know how everyone handles the expense of doing an Eggfest

I never give it a thought. Typically I spend $40 or so, but then our dealer gives us a 20# bag of lump in appreciation so net net it cost me about $20. Nobody sells anything at our tests - seems like only the big ones have that kind of draw.

"$40"? @RRP how are you pulling that off? We just did our first Eggfest and probably laid out $500+ on just the food we served. I need your menu!

RRP · May 2016

Focker said:

Ron is an absolute beast, and I always make it over for a sample of the big three. I get tired watching him egg, while I get buzzed, and in his way. Lol

LOL - you're too kind! One of my favorite pictures is of you towering over my little next door neighbor in her sundress with you explaining your pizza she has in hand! We'll miss you this year at the Peoria Fest, but God willing and the creek don't rise I'll be a taster at Pete's 6-18.
PS... I won't know what to do with the reclaimed half of my table when you're not there!

cmac610 · May 2016

First of all, LOVE this thread and following closely as we just took part in our first Eggfest last weekend. We had a blast, and finished #5 out of 30+ teams, but noticed a whole array of different menus and levels of creativity. We decided to do a Brunch theme as it was held on a Sunday. We also started with a couple of brunch cocktails and followed up with three dishes. There were some very successful teams though that I believe only did a single dish, so really rethinking the best way to go on the menu in the future. We figured that there would be the typical pulled pork, ABTs, Moink Balls, etc., so we decided to do what we thought would be different and maybe help us stand out. We got great guest feedback, but at the end maybe we should have gone more traditional and simple? Regardless, it was well run, we met some great people and had a fantastic time!

See our menu below:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/e9/ty37b7ni1qcr.jpeg

Jstroke · May 2016

I figure 100 for a fest not including personal expenditures or beverages. I don't try to sell anything to offset it. Like others, Eggs have replaced other hobbies. We raise money for Cancer and the whole thing is a blast. I have spent way more on much less of a good time.

tolsen5899 · May 2016

I agree in trying to keep things fast and simple. Last year my dad and I cooked an Eggfest and did quesadilla's and flat bread pizza's. Although we had people waiting in line for our food and many repeat customers, it was also non stop prep work and cooking. This year whole beef tenderloin sliced on open faced Italian bread brushed with garlic butter.

egger ave · May 2016

"caliking said:

The salt/sugar/fat/carbs formula covers just about everything - fast food joints, commercially prepped foods in grocery stores, etc. In terms of what works at an eggfest, I think some other components need to be considered."

You are correct and it's not a coincidence that most foods we buy has all three ingredients. The recipes for the manufactured food we buy are designed to meet cost and hit our taste buds and cravings the hardest. Proteins are the most expensive ingredient, fat, salt and sugars the cheapest.

Focker · May 2016

RRP said:

Focker said:

Ron is an absolute beast, and I always make it over for a sample of the big three. I get tired watching him egg, while I get buzzed, and in his way. Lol

LOL - you're too kind! One of my favorite pictures is of you towering over my little next door neighbor in her sundress with you explaining your pizza she has in hand! We'll miss you this year at the Peoria Fest, but God willing and the creek don't rise I'll be a taster at Pete's 6-18.
PS... I won't know what to do with the reclaimed half of my table when you're not there!

Looking forward to seeing you in Sterling buddy.

I'm in the 50 dollar or so camp when it comes to food costs. Showmanship to me, is a low priority at a fest. I'm not the dude who puts sirloin cap on a civil war sword over an open flame. I prefer cheap dough, tortillas, and ingredients..prepped ahead. Again, the yankee cheap a$$ shining through. Catching shoulder on sale, I'd be in the homemade sausage camp too.

RRP · May 2016

cmac610 said:

RRP said:

HoustonEgger said:

For the folks that have cooked at an Eggfest, do you factor the cost of the food into your planning? I know some folks sell rubs or shirts to help offset the cash outlay, but curious to know how everyone handles the expense of doing an Eggfest

I never give it a thought. Typically I spend $40 or so, but then our dealer gives us a 20# bag of lump in appreciation so net net it cost me about $20. Nobody sells anything at our tests - seems like only the big ones have that kind of draw.

"$40"? @RRP how are you pulling that off? We just did our first Eggfest and probably laid out $500+ on just the food we served. I need your menu!

$500???? HOLY COW!!! I have now seen your menu of items which is VERY elaborate but you obviously were serving hundreds and hundreds more people than I do at our small eggfest, but even at that $500? Are you actually a restaurant operator or on the competition circuit? If not, you sure are professional for a first time egger! Not many here are going to be willing to shell out $500 for food to give away!

cmac610 · May 2016

RRP said:

cmac610 said:

RRP said:

HoustonEgger said:

For the folks that have cooked at an Eggfest, do you factor the cost of the food into your planning? I know some folks sell rubs or shirts to help offset the cash outlay, but curious to know how everyone handles the expense of doing an Eggfest

I never give it a thought. Typically I spend $40 or so, but then our dealer gives us a 20# bag of lump in appreciation so net net it cost me about $20. Nobody sells anything at our tests - seems like only the big ones have that kind of draw.

"$40"? @RRP how are you pulling that off? We just did our first Eggfest and probably laid out $500+ on just the food we served. I need your menu!

$500???? HOLY COW!!! I have now seen your menu of items which is VERY elaborate but you obviously were serving hundreds and hundreds more people than I do at our small eggfest, but even at that $500? Are you actually a restaurant operator or on the competition circuit? If not, you sure are professional for a first time egger! Not many here are going to be willing to shell out $500 for food to give away!

Ok, I do have a habit of going a little over the top! And neither of the above, just a die hard foodie/cooker. Maybe I was figuring the Vodka for the Bloodys and the Champs for the Mimosas too. ;-)

DoubleRay415 · May 2016

@cmac610 I volunteered and tasted your food, that smoked salmon pizza was great. I like how you guys went with a brunch menu. I look forward to cooking for next years fest! This is a good starter thread to get some ideas.

bgebrent · May 2016

@theyolksonyou 's glazed bacon-pineapple gems are wildly popular and easy.

cmac610 · May 2016

DoubleRay415 said:

@cmac610 I volunteered and tasted your food, that smoked salmon pizza was great. I like how you guys went with a brunch menu. I look forward to cooking for next years fest! This is a good starter thread to get some ideas.

Thanks @DoubleRay415!

Jupiter Jim · May 2016

bgebrent said:

Never enough beef at eggfests in my limited experience.

Beef = $$$$$$$!

Jupiter Jim · May 2016

tarheelmatt said:

I've only cooked for one event, but in my opinion (may not be of others), I go for eclectic style as well as the overall look of the dish. Layering flavor profiles so something isn't one dimensional. This doesn't necessarily mean adding fat, carbs, and sugar, for me at least.

If I cook at another, I'll go for something less time consuming, but eclectic.

What is this IF I COOK at another? You rocked some great food at the Butt Blast.

What makes a good cook for an eggfest?

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