Yardbird totals

[RangerJ]

Should I be calculating one piece of chicken per person when catering if there are multiple meats?

Without knowing who eats what this seems like the logical thing to do.

I use an electric knife to cut the leg from the thigh and I cut the breast just below the wing so each 1/2 chicken yields 4 pieces, 8 per whole bird.

Does this make sense?

Thanks.

[toys4dlr]

Hey Wes,

I'm just posting a question, why going through all the work parting the birds??

We actually do Smoked and pulled Chicken for our events and I use skinless boneless leg meat. Ends the I like white meat vs dark meat issues. And I get a 70% yield from the raw product.

No real advice here, I take the per piece items out of play and then I figure 3 people per lb. Some will put it on a biun others on the plate.

Works for us pretty well.

Best of luck buddy

David

[BigBellyBBQ]

what is the cost of boneless leg meat? I only qtra half,as up here pulled does not go over, people like to have a ":handle" on thier chicken...with multiple meats I plan on having 1/2 pound or more of cooked meat per person..put the extra off to the side

[luke duke]

Originally Posted by toys4dlr

Hey Wes,

I'm just posting a question, why going through all the work parting the birds??

We actually do Smoked and pulled Chicken for our events and I use skinless boneless leg meat. Ends the I like white meat vs dark meat issues. And I get a 70% yield from the raw product.

No real advice here, I take the per piece items out of play and then I figure 3 people per lb. Some will put it on a biun others on the plate.

Works for us pretty well.

Best of luck buddy

David

Do you cook boneless ribs too?

[toys4dlr]

Originally Posted by luke duke

Do you cook boneless ribs too?

Well Luke, No I cook great ribs but I would not push those for catering too. Too high of cost for too little return. I'm in business to provide great BBQ and oh yeah, make money.

I only serve BBQ for a living, so I guess I don't know anything.



David

[RangerJ]

Hey Dave, Glad to hear from you, hope things are kicking in AZ, we certainly miss this time of the year there but Texas is home, so here we are.

The work at the end, with the electric knife, is like, seconds per half chicken.

There is a bit more on the front end as I remove all the ribs and the keel bone / breast bone. Something I do for IBCA ( grey area with regards to rules I know) cook offs, so again, seconds with a sharp knife.

While working with Ray Lampe this summer we actually cooked quite a few boneless thighs from Costco and folks here liked them, but when they ask me to cater here in Texas and they ask for chicken, it's going to have a handle.

Glad to see your establishment is still kicking butt and it looks like you and Karen had a good year back in competition as well.

If you get down this way, look me up.

[toys4dlr]

Het Wes,


Good to hear from you, sounds like things are going well for you too. Karyn and I have been lucky that we can sneak away to do a couple comps here and there and the results have been decent.

Sounds like they like bone in and I know you got it covered. I was just posing a question, but I like leg quarters. I just don't like white meat. lol

Hope all is good and if we get out to TX I will look you up.

Wishing you the best

David

[Trailer Trash]

David, when you say, "3 people per pound", is that cooked?

Gerry

[RangerJ]

Originally Posted by Trailer Trash

David, when you say, "3 people per pound", is that cooked?

Gerry

Well I won't speak for Dave but, depends on the number of meats on this end. In Texas, regardless if I have one or more, I always calculate 1/3lb with brisket. And that is cooked. Girls may eat less, guys probably eat more. Running out of beef down here is grounds for hanging...

The chicken number is what I was originally asking about. Last thing I did, they said they had bird left over, but again, if that one person, say the one who signs the check, loves chicken, I have to assume 1 piece of some type per individual.

an entire breast with wing is a bunch of yardbird as is a leg quarter. This entire journey is about managing food costs IMHO. If I'm cooking too much, I'm costing myself money.

[toys4dlr]

Originally Posted by Trailer Trash

David, when you say, "3 people per pound", is that cooked?

Gerry

Yes that is a cooked weight, but like Wes said don't run out of meat. You have to get an idea of the group. I cook a meal for our high school football team and I budget them at a little more than a 1/2 pound each.

Boneless leg meat right now is running around 1.25 or so a lb here. Leg quarters are around .89 a lb.