Cooking for the Masses question (graduation party)

Dadeo719

Dadeo719

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So posted this awhile back but now that it is coming up I have some more finalized numbers. Here are the Facts:

1. There will be aprox. 100 people at the party.

2. I will be cooking 60# of bone-in pork butt (hoping to be 6 butts at 10# ea)

3. 50-60 leg and thigh quarters

4. 20-25 racks of trimmed St Louis Spares.

5. I will have (1) two grate UDS, (1) single grate UDS, (1) maybe (2) 22.5 weber kettles, a 26.75 in Charbroil kettle, and a COS.

Main question is what would be your timeline if the food needs to be ready at 1pm? Any help with finalizing this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
How much room do you have to hold cooked meat? Do you have a friend with a large offset or a place to rent one from? It will make your life much easier.

Also, you are going to have a lot of leftovers. The ribs alone are nearly enough meat for 100.
 
Thinking on the wing...

I would cook the pulled pork early, at least a day early and have it all done. If you have a vacuum packer, all the better. You can precook and rewarm pork butts easily.

I would use the kettles and one UDS to do the chicken quarters. And the COS and the other UDS to do the ribs, I think you will need rib racks. Failing that, to do 25 racks of spares, I think you would need all the cookers, in which case, you will need to cook the chicken quarters early, and let them cool. You can then reheat them in a pan with some foil in one of the kettles while using the UDS's, 26" kettle and COS to do the ribs.

You have an ambitious menu for this cook, given the cookers you have.
 
luke duke said:
How much room do you have to hold cooked meat? Do you have a friend with a large offset or a place to rent one from? It will make your life much easier.

Also, you are going to have a lot of leftovers. The ribs alone are nearly enough meat for 100.
Click to expand...

I might be high on the ribs meant to say they have 25 lbs of ribs so I'm guessing 3 to 4 racks. Sorry. No large offset. But I do have the use of large cambros and we can cook the butts all day Saturday-vacuum seal, crash cool, and re-heat in boiling water. If you think that would be the best route? We also have plenty of coolers and the use of a certified kitchen with all the fridge space we need. But I'd like to keep it all there cause I'm stubborn.
 
landarc said:
Thinking on the wing...

I would cook the pulled pork early, at least a day early and have it all done. If you have a vacuum packer, all the better. You can precook and rewarm pork butts easily.

I would use the kettles and one UDS to do the chicken quarters. And the COS and the other UDS to do the ribs, I think you will need rib racks. Failing that, to do 25 racks of spares, I think you would need all the cookers, in which case, you will need to cook the chicken quarters early, and let them cool. You can then reheat them in a pan with some foil in one of the kettles while using the UDS's, 26" kettle and COS to do the ribs.

You have an ambitious menu for this cook, given the cookers you have.
Click to expand...

It is very ambitious. Good thing is its family, bad thing is....its family. If I did the butts early, and with 25 lbs of ribs not racks, could I get them on around 7ish and have room for chicken at say 11ish with them both done at 1? I do have rib racks. Wonder if I could prop the quarters up in a couple of rib racks too?
 
Ah, 3 to 4 racks, that is a lot easier. 25 racks, that is a challenge. You are good to go, I would still do the butts early and reheat them.
 
Yeah sorry. that does sound a lot better. just saw 25 in the email and didn't read it right. so it is more doable now. What would be your timeline?
 
25 lbs of ribs so I'm guessing 3 to 4 racks.
Click to expand...
Don't forget, there's say 40% loss across the board -
5 racks, minimum, and who is guarding the hen house? (rib house)
Those ribs will disappear like you can't believe.
Need control over the servings.
Not to mention, there are what 15 ribs per slab. 100 People?
10 slabs.
 
mchar69 said:
Don't forget, there's say 40% loss across the board -
5 racks, minimum, and who is guarding the hen house? (rib house)
Those ribs will disappear like you can't believe.
Need control over the servings.
Not to mention, there are what 15 ribs per slab. 100 People?
10 slabs.
Click to expand...

We plan on the ribs at the end of the line and maybe even carving them as people go through. I will double check the rib count and confirm. Thanks
 
You can easily do 10 racks on a COS, at least most of the COS units I have seen. Leaving two UDS, with 3 racks each and a large kettle to handle the chicken. I would figure 45 minutes cooking and 15 minutes rest for the chicken quarters. The ribs, of course, is all about temperature, but, if you can get the COS to run at 280°F or so, allow 5 hours for those, and 15 minutes rest. Pork will take an hour to reheat if in chunks. Maybe 30 minutes or so if pulled.
 
Everyone here will probably blow up at this suggestion, but - put your butts on for a few hours (4 or so) in the smoke, then move them to the oven to finish. Just leave the oven cracked for about 20 min when they are done and the close it up and let it sit for up to 4 hrs. This will allow you to concentrate on the higher cooking temp items and have everything ready at about the same time. I would not cool the products down and reheat, unless you absolutely had to as the reheat will take several hours at best.
 
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