When Jennifer Simon pulled up to her food truck, Pete's Meats, on Wednesday morning, she was ready to work. Wednesday nights in Coburg are for Free Concerts in the Park during the summer months, and Simon had put more meat into the smoker on Tuesday night to prepare for an influx of customers. To her dismay, she discovered her smoker was empty, and the meat she had carefully prepared for the day had been stolen.
"I'm hoping whoever did this really needed it, I know that there are a lot of hungry people out there," Simon said. "It's no secret when I'm smoking, you can definitely smell it, but I was surprised because I never had anything like this happen before."
There were four briskets and four butts in the smoker, which amounted to around 100 pounds of meat. Simon estimated a loss of $1,000 to $1,500 in retail product. Instead of closing her truck for the day, Simon picked up some extra tri-tip and got to work. She still had a successful night, serving up chicken, sausage, ribs, tri-tip, and sides.
Sharing her style of barbecue in Coburg
Simon has a long history with cooking. Her grandma was from the south, and Simon grew up sitting on the kitchen stool watching her cook with Crisco oil and bacon grease. Simon started Pete's Meats in 2022, determined to bring her style of barbecue to Lane County.
After a brief stint at Oregon City Brewing and then Public House, she stationed herself at The Greenhouse in Coburg, and fell into a tight-knit community of food cart owners that she loves.
Simon's dedication to cooking from scratch sets Pete's Meats apart from other food trucks, and is one of the reasons that finding her smoker empty was so devastating. Simon's smoker was made by a close friend, and is stationed right outside of the main body of her food truck so it doesn't smoke up Simon's workspace.
"We smoke our meat overnight, hence what happened," Simon said. "Brisket and butts usually go for about 18 hours."
Simon had locks on her smoker when she was at Oregon City Brewing, and is planning on buying locks again now that she has had product stolen. Nothing else was stolen from her truck. She isn't planning on filing with her insurance, because she doesn't want her rates to go up.
Before the burglary, Simon felt safe to leave her smoker unlocked in Coburg. Someone nabbed some of the oak wood she uses in the smoker once, but that was the only theft. Though smash-and-grabs occur in Lane County, the target is usually cash, not product.
However, a study called "Retail Shrink and ORC: Theft and Fraud Remain Top Challenges for Food Retailers" from Coresight Research found that 85% of food retailers reported theft or fraud as the top threat that negatively impacted their business in 2023.
If customers want to show support for Pete's Meats, Simon suggests visiting The Greenhouse food truck pod in Coburg. She wants to draw attention to all of the great food and events happening in Coburg, including the high-quality cuisine you can get at her truck. Visit The Greenhouse at 91070 N. Willamette St. in Coburg.
Samantha Pierotti is the food, drinks and "things to do" reporter for The Register-Guard. With tips on restaurants and local happenings, you can reach her via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Meat in smoker Coburg food truck Petes Meats stolen in overnight heist
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