The "I'm Cooking for a lot of People" Thread

[kevwun 15680]

13 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

Re-heating brisket is super easy if you have 2 things: beer, and some of the juice collected from the original cook.  If you put a foil pan below the meat to collect the drippings, put them in a plastic baggy.   Whatever you have left brisket-wise, put in a pan.  Pour the juice and 1 beer into the pan and cover with foil.  Heat up in the oven the next day at 250 for about 30-45 minutes.  The beer and brisket juice will steam and re:heat the brisket.  It also won't change the flavor profile.  

I know of people who also use butter instead of the cooking juices.

[Trey3216 15325]

4 minutes ago, kevwun said:

I know of people who also use butter instead of the cooking juices.

that works as well.  

[baboso 6052]

What does that do to the bark?

[Trey3216 15325]

9 minutes ago, baboso said:

What does that do to the bark?

It will definitely soften it up a bit.  If the bark is your main concern, then you can do the same method then throw back on an offset for another 30 mins unwrapped and should be fine.  

[DallasSooner 277]

Cooked for 60 folks on Sunday.  Smoked two 12 briskets, I think they ate one.  Smoked 3 eight lb pork butts, I would say they ate one.  10 pounds of bologna, they ate 5 lbs.  (Oklahoma folks like their smoked bologna), Smoked 12 racks of St. Louis ribs, they ate 9 racks.    This will help me figure out estimations for next time.  That's the most people I have cooked for at one time.  All in all turned out pretty decent; brisket is still a struggle. Pulled at 200 degrees but still not happy with the results.  I may try and smoke one without temp probes next time.  

[ChampKind 1314]

1. As a general rule you assume 1/2 lb meat (plus sides) for each person;

2. Don't stop your briskets halfway through the cook process. Finish them, rest them, wrap them, refrigerate (or freeze) them;

3. If you're refrigerating brisket, you should do so in paper or foil. To reheat them do not remove them from the paper or foil, just stick them in the oven at 250-300* while still wrapped;

4. Adding beer to any meat that you are reheating will absolutely change the flavor profile. Use beef stock for brisket, chicken stock or apple juice for pork. HOWEVER, if you're reheating an entire cut of meat then don't unwrap it. Keeping it wrapped will help retain the juices and keep the meat from drying out. If the meat is already cut/pulled then you add liquid to reheat; and

5. If you're doing a big party then chopping brisket/shredding pork in advance is an easy way to handle service. Read number 4 on how to keep the meat from drying out.

 

[luke duke 6407]

You'll be fine, you have more than enough help to run the serving line.
And you'll definitely make a boatload more money charging that way, than accepting donations.  I've done over a hundred tailgates, and the one fact that always remained true, is people don't understand-- at all-- the value they're getting at a catered BBQ lunch.  We offered all you can eat BBQ, plus free Tito's vodka, plus free Live Oak beer, and other than the handful of people that got it, most often I'd get people donating $5 for the entire day.  And some of them even  complaining if we ran out before they were able to graze through for their 3rd or 4th helping.

But ROFLBOX told me that $1 was an acceptable donation for all you can eat BBQ and an open bar.

[luke duke 6407]

Get a bigger smoker, more meat and lots of booze.

I’ve got a 22” WSM for sale in Dallas.

[utee94 15747]

1 hour ago, luke duke said:

 

But ROFLBOX told me that $1 was an acceptable donation for all you can eat BBQ and an open bar.

 

lulz.  Then I'm pretty certain ROFLBOX and about 6 dozen of his like-minded friends were regular attendees at my tailgate party.

[elfenix 34201]

2 hours ago, ChampKind said:

1. As a general rule you assume 1/2 lb meat (plus sides) for each person;

2. Don't stop your briskets halfway through the cook process. Finish them, rest them, wrap them, refrigerate (or freeze) them;

3. If you're refrigerating brisket, you should do so in paper or foil. To reheat them do not remove them from the paper or foil, just stick them in the oven at 250-300* while still wrapped;

4. Adding beer to any meat that you are reheating will absolutely change the flavor profile. Use beef stock for brisket, chicken stock or apple juice for pork. HOWEVER, if you're reheating an entire cut of meat then don't unwrap it. Keeping it wrapped will help retain the juices and keep the meat from drying out. If the meat is already cut/pulled then you add liquid to reheat; and

5. If you're doing a big party then chopping brisket/shredding pork in advance is an easy way to handle service. Read number 4 on how to keep the meat from drying out.

 

i do this a lot (out of necessity), and they turn out great (except for when people who don't know how to use a thermometer don't call to ask and things get overcooked).  some people say you can't cook a brisket at high heat and we all know that's not true, right?  so, maybe, just maybe, you can cook it until it's smoked but not done, and then finish the cook a day or two later. 

[ChampKind 1314]

i do this a lot (out of necessity), and they turn out great (except for when people who don't know how to use a thermometer don't call to ask and things get overcooked).  some people say you can't cook a brisket at high heat and we all know that's not true, right?  so, maybe, just maybe, you can cook it until it's smoked but not done, and then finish the cook a day or two later. 

I know its possible to do so; I’ve done it. But its not optimal

[chesthair 231]

My parties this weekend are getting out of control.  each is over 100 folks.  found a really cool place in addison (us foods chef store).  good quality stuff and geared for restaurants and caterers.  they have bulk peppers, pickles, etc and really good meat at good prices.  I now do all my smokes around 300* which cuts time down quite a bit.  planning on getting up sat morning around 1 am (and opening my first beer) to get the meat going.  that gives me 12-13 hours to finish. I'm doing around around 65-70 pounds raw meat between butts and briskets for each party.  a bit more than i usually budget but these are mainly high school boys at these parties so they eat more.  probably keep the smoker going till i get back at night and re-loading it for the sunday party. 

also found out i am doing a crawfish boil for 100 people monday....cant wait to get back to work so i can get some rest. 

[utee94 15747]

Yeah.  I regularly do events like you're describing, one at a time.  But it would take some pretty thorough convincing to get me to agree to 2, or 3, in the same weekend.  

[chesthair 231]

Mandatory pic of our setup. This weekend we are parking the pit next to the pool




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kevwun 15680]

1 hour ago, utee94 said:

Yeah.  I regularly do events like you're describing, one at a time.  But it would take some pretty thorough convincing to get me to agree to 2, or 3, in the same weekend.  

And by convincing, he means paying him several thousand dollars.  No way in hell would I do more than one party like that on a weekend out of the kindness of my heart and I love bbqing.

[chesthair 231]

25 minutes ago, kevwun said:

And by convincing, he means paying him several thousand dollars.  No way in hell would I do more than one party like that on a weekend out of the kindness of my heart and I love bbqing.

tru$t me, there i$ more to it than that. 

[utee94 15747]

Oh, well then if these are catering gigs, that's another story entirely.  

[dcbc 14442]

So far, expecting about 30 with 10 maybes.  I figure this will be about the size group I was expecting. 

[Hank Scorpio 17724]

2 hours ago, chesthair said:

 but these are mainly high school boys at these parties

Enjoy your party, TxTow. 

[utee94 15747]

oof

[chesthair 231]

15 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Enjoy your party, TxTow. 

[dcbc 14442]

List has bounced to over 40 for sure with more than 50 likely.  Overbought for pretty sure, but leftovers are fine.

2 briskets

6 baby back pork ribs

1 Pork Shoulder

2 Chickens

Bunch of sausage

Planning to get the briskets and pork shoulder on the night before on the WSM between 8 and 9.  Will cook the ribs and chicken on the PBC or put the ribs on the WSM when I pull the overnight stuff.  Sausage will go on toward the end.  What could go wrong.

Edited May 26, 2018 by dcbc

[Baboontyme 2808]

That's a good plan. Should be fine. If briskets and shoulder are running slow pull them and put them in the oven.

[dcbc 14442]

34 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

That's a good plan. Should be fine. If briskets and shoulder are running slow pull them and put them in the oven.

I figure if one brisket runs about 14 hours typically, two and a shoulder ought to be good around 16 hours.  In any event, the extra cooker can handle the overflow. I've had pretty good results with the PBC with ribs and chicken, and it cooks fast.

[ChampKind 1314]

I figure if one brisket runs about 14 hours typically, two and a shoulder ought to be good around 16 hours.  In any event, the extra cooker can handle the overflow. I've had pretty good results with the PBC with ribs and chicken, and it cooks fast.

It doesn’t really work that way. Stuffing the pit full of meat will affect how long it takes to get the pit to cooking temp. But once its at temp, the amount of meat on the pit does not really affect cook time

[Baboontyme 2808]

That's actually really good info Champ. It has been a long time since I loaded up the WSM or the trailer and I'm about to do both. I was wondering if it was going to affect my cook times. 

[utee94 15747]

36 minutes ago, ChampKind said:

 

It doesn’t really work that way. Stuffing the pit full of meat will affect how long it takes to get the pit to cooking temp. But once its at temp, the amount of meat on the pit does not really affect cook time

 

Better listen to him, Flounder, he's in pre-med!

[dcbc 14442]

5 hours ago, ChampKind said:

 

It doesn’t really work that way. Stuffing the pit full of meat will affect how long it takes to get the pit to cooking temp. But once its at temp, the amount of meat on the pit does not really affect cook time

Ah, good to know.  Thanks.

[luke duke 6407]

Don’t listen to Champ. This is how he cooks brisket:

http://www.shaggytexas.com/board/showthread.php/28771-smoking-a-brisket

[dcbc 14442]

Just got the briskets trimmed.  Going to set up the cooker and, then, not thing about this for a couple of hours.

[ChampKind 1314]

Don’t listen to Champ. This is how he cooks brisket:

 

http://www.shaggytexas.com/board/showthread.php/28771-smoking-a-brisket

 

Yeah, I look back on all the shit I THOUGHT I knew and think to myself...Jesus, what a fucking idiot

[luke duke 6407]

Don’t worry, I’m here to give you shit about it every couple of years.

[ChampKind 1314]

I know.

Say, remember that time you caught my brand new pit on fire? That was fun

[Baboontyme 2808]

I read that and honestly thought you were trolling until I read the responses a few years later. 

I think my first ever question about smoking on the old site was a thread about whether or not I could run my WSM in the garage to cook a turkey due to a snowstorm. I was talked out of that pretty quickly. Also I used to fill my water pan with Dr. Pepper. 

[dcbc 14442]

Briskets and pork on at 9 p.m. on the dot. Temp is on its way up.

[luke duke 6407]

I know.

Say, remember that time you caught my brand new pit on fire? That was fun

You must have me mistaken with someone else.

[ChampKind 1314]

No it was definitely you.

Me: That firebox is insulated so don't stuff a whole tree in it.

You: (stuffs whole tree in it)

Me (half hour later): you smell that? somethings on fire

You: (runs to open drain valve while I'm hastily shutting down intake and exhaust)

Me: man, this thing is only a week old. Guess its broken in now

Good times. Pretty sure that was the year that we drank the bar out of Lone Star and Bulleit.

[Anastasis 23403]

That shaggy link is almost a decade old. Fuck.

 

[luke duke 6407]

23 hours ago, Baboontyme said:

That's actually really good info Champ. It has been a long time since I loaded up the WSM or the trailer and I'm about to do both. I was wondering if it was going to affect my cook times. 

If you really fill an offset up it can affect your airflow. This could increase your temperature gradient across the pit and could cause problems maintaining a high temperature.

[dcbc 14442]

Pork shoulder came off about 10 minutes ago.  Wrapped the briskets around 7:30 a.m.  Both are sitting in the low to mid 190s at the moment.  Ribs and one of the chickens went on about 15 minutes ago.  Sausage will be a cook of opportunity.

[ChampKind 1314]

Well?

[dcbc 14442]

Cross posted

Got it all done.  One brisket was finished around noon.  The other was stubborn and didn't finish up until 3:00 pm, just enough time to rest it before the party at 4.

Didn't snap any pictures of the ribs, but they turned out fine.

Had a big crowd.  I know there are some leftovers, but it's not much.

 

[Baboontyme 2808]

Nice!

[Trey3216 15325]

On 5/23/2018 at 1:23 PM, chesthair said:

Mandatory pic of our setup. This weekend we are parking the pit next to the pool




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Love 90 Shilling and all of Odell’s offerings. 

[utee94 15747]

On 5/26/2018 at 6:41 PM, ChampKind said:

 

Yeah, I look back on all the shit I THOUGHT I knew and think to myself...Jesus, what a fucking idiot

Man, is that Champ advocating cooking at-- or BELOW-- 225?  

 

Those were crazy times my friends.  

 

[chesthair 231]

So glad to be back at work, really need the rest.

 

Lost count, but ended up serving around 150 pounds of brisket, pork, chicken, ribs over the course of the weekend.  Sunday morning i woke up realizing i also had to cook 3 bags of crawfish that day.  Everything turned out wonderful and everyone was happy.  The best news? I did indeed manage to maintain a 4 day drunk and only passed our saturday night.

[hornian 5207]

I do a Memorial Day barbecue every year, usually between 50-60 folks (friends, family, neighbors) come through over the course of the afternoon. 

I really enjoy smoking the main course (brisket, ribs, sausage, turkey, etc.), but not the biggest fan of the slicing, serving, setting up tables and chairs, and then cleaning up afterwards. 

I’m considering hiring out a crew to do all the grunt work next year - except the smoking the barbecue, that’s my zen. 

Anyone done that? Any idea what it would cost? Is there a company in town (I’m in Austin) that is set up to do that sort of thing?

[utee94 15747]

I'd guess there are companies that do that.  Back in grad school at McCombs, we hired out the tent set-up for the MBA tailgate party.  They did tables and chairs, too.  I didn't manage that personally though, so can't make a specific recommendation.

 

 

[GringoSalado 1651]

We do a huge fundraiser BBQ every year (almost 750 served this year) and we hire a catering company even though we (volunteers) cook all the food. I did have to find a few meat-cutters separately from my restaurant contacts (after trying and failing to teach the catering employees the art of meat cutting), but the caterer does all the other serving and bussing, brings chafers and plates and other supplies, and we pay them a price per head served (I can't remember what that $ is though).

 

[Baboontyme 2808]

I got my case of briskets today. 3 of them are CABs and 2 are actually Prime. I don't think I've ever cooked a prime before. I'm pretty comfortable with where I like my briskets trimmed, anything I need to do different with a prime? They are all pretty consistent in size (around 12 lbs) EXCEPT one. Fucking 17 lber. I guess I better start that one at 5 or 6 tonight. The rest I plan on putting on around 9. Along with the butts. And before you ask....the Coke/Vernors/Monster etc are for mixers to bring onsite tomorrow and remain somewhat covert. It is an elementary school you savages.