Which grill for this many people; Coal/gas? Where buy used?

bbqlou · 05-20-2014, 01:14 PM

Hello all, and thank you for welcoming me to your community. I'm looking forward to learning from all of you and sharing what I learn. My first post, so please go easy : )

My wife and I grew up grilling at family barbecues, and my wife hails from New Orleans, a place with a rich food tradition. However we've never made a barbecue for a very large number of people beyond around 30-40 people and we're going to be taking on a new challenge we'd appreciate your advice on - throwing a regular barbecue throughout the summer for 150-175 people for a club event we're hosting in the SF Bay Area. We're not caterers and the largest number of people we've ever cooked for is about 35 on Thanksgiving (and that was with folks bringing food as welll).

1) For an event for 150-175 people, with hamburgers, franks and some veg burgers, taking place 5:30PM-8:30PM, with people starting to trickle in at 5:30PM and almost everyone there by 6:30PM, with most people probably finished eating by 7:30PM, what size grill would you suggest? We're thinking about 3 ft x 2 ft or 4 ft x 2 ft. Figure that we can pre-make some burgers and franks starting 5:15PM and store them in a Reflectix insulated large box, like those used to keep pizza warm.

2) Charcoal or gas? We prefer the taste of charcoal, but will it be difficult to use for this size grill? How much charcoal would we need for the 3 ft x 2 ft and the 4 ft x 2 ft grill for one evening for this much food? How much gas?

3) Should we use lighter fluid to light up the charcoal quickly for this size grill? For smaller family grills, I always start the charcoal without lighter fluid with just a chimney.

4) Where would be a good place to find a used 3 x 2 ft or 4 x 2 ft grill locally in the SF Bay Area? Sincerely appreciate any used restaurant supply or auction place that would carry them. We've been unable to find any on Craigslist. These are the type of small commercial grills we thought would be big enough:

http://www.belson.com/PORTA-GRILL-I-...arbeque-Grills

http://www.smokymtbarbecue.com/store...l#.U3gLcSh2brc

4) Do we need a top to the barbecue to speed cooking or wind shields on the sides given that we'll be using the grill in a spot with a 6 ft fence around which provides wind protection.

Thank you very much for your advice - we need to choose and find a grill fast and really appreciate your help.

Bludawg · 05-20-2014, 03:30 PM

TailGateJoecom · 05-20-2014, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbqlou

Hello all, and thank you for welcoming me to your community. I'm looking forward to learning from all of you and sharing what I learn. My first post, so please go easy : )

My wife and I grew up grilling at family barbecues, and my wife hails from New Orleans, a place with a rich food tradition. However we've never made a barbecue for a very large number of people beyond around 30-40 people and we're going to be taking on a new challenge we'd appreciate your advice on - throwing a regular barbecue throughout the summer for 150-175 people for a club event we're hosting in the SF Bay Area. We're not caterers and the largest number of people we've ever cooked for is about 35 on Thanksgiving (and that was with folks bringing food as welll).

1) For an event for 150-175 people, with hamburgers, franks and some veg burgers, taking place 5:30PM-8:30PM, with people starting to trickle in at 5:30PM and almost everyone there by 6:30PM, with most people probably finished eating by 7:30PM, what size grill would you suggest? We're thinking about 3 ft x 2 ft or 4 ft x 2 ft. Figure that we can pre-make some burgers and franks starting 5:15PM and store them in a Reflectix insulated large box, like those used to keep pizza warm.

2) Charcoal or gas? We prefer the taste of charcoal, but will it be difficult to use for this size grill? How much charcoal would we need for the 3 ft x 2 ft and the 4 ft x 2 ft grill for one evening for this much food? How much gas?

3) Should we use lighter fluid to light up the charcoal quickly for this size grill? For smaller family grills, I always start the charcoal without lighter fluid with just a chimney.

4) Where would be a good place to find a used 3 x 2 ft or 4 x 2 ft grill locally in the SF Bay Area? Sincerely appreciate any used restaurant supply or auction place that would carry them. We've been unable to find any on Craigslist. These are the type of small commercial grills we thought would be big enough:

http://www.belson.com/PORTA-GRILL-I-...arbeque-Grills

http://www.smokymtbarbecue.com/store...l#.U3gLcSh2brc

4) Do we need a top to the barbecue to speed cooking or wind shields on the sides given that we'll be using the grill in a spot with a 6 ft fence around which provides wind protection.

Thank you very much for your advice - we need to choose and find a grill fast and really appreciate your help.

This kinda thing is right in my wheelhouse as I grill for large group parties like this regularly, you can google me to check out what I do.

I prefer gas, but for a group that size and something that will stand up to regular parties that size, the gas grills get pretty pricey. I see you linked to some charcoal grills. The company that sponsors me makes a charcoal grill that I think is a better grill than either of those 2. I would be happy to put you in touch with my contact at the company who will give you my discount, arond 40%, which I think makes it a cheaper option as well. Check out this video and compare it to those 2. Feel free to email me your info at [email protected] if you are interested.

As far as lighting, no need for lighter fluid, you can just grab 2-3 chimneys or get a weed burner.

As long as the weather isn't too cold and windy and you are hot and fast grilling flat items like burgers you should be fine without a hood. What you can do if you want cover is pick up a few hotel pans, turn them upside down, and drill handles on top.

bbqlou · 05-21-2014, 01:45 PM

Thank you very much TailGateJoecom for the very helpful advice and discount. Will ping you right away. I regularly see food vendors at local farmer's markets using charcoal grills like this one, either for taste or because they are cheaper than gas rigs, so I know you can use charcoal in a grill this size to feed many people.

I came across the BM60 as well. Models of this size and type look pretty similar. What makes it a better model?

About how many lbs charcoal do you think would be necessary for a grill of this size to feed a group of 150-175? Figure that we can also pre-make some burgers in the 30 minutes before people show up and store those in an insulated envelope/tray/box.

TailGateJoecom · 05-21-2014, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbqlou

Thank you very much TailGateJoecom for the very helpful advice and discount. Will ping you right away. I regularly see food vendors at local farmer's markets using charcoal grills like this one, either for taste or because they are cheaper than gas rigs, so I know you can use charcoal in a grill this size to feed many people.

I came across the BM60 as well. Models of this size and type look pretty similar. What makes it a better model?

About how many lbs charcoal do you think would be necessary for a grill of this size to feed a group of 150-175? Figure that we can also pre-make some burgers in the 30 minutes before people show up and store those in an insulated envelope/tray/box.

The biggest difference for me is the leg design. I like the reinforcement at the legs and most of all I like the push pin instead of threaded legs, it seems it will last longer in the commercial environment. I also like that the grill height adjustments are built into the grate and not the grill body, which allows the grill to sit more compact and flush across the top for storage and not have those side walls standing up at the ends which can bend in transport.

As far as charcoal usage I don't have a great answer, I am not good with that. Heck, I can't even tell you how much pellets I use in my fec120, lol.

As far as pre cooking, I cook 100's of burgers for my tailgate parties of 100-400+ people. I find that if I just cook and dump them on the line from the beginning some lines can form, so I precook and dump a ton at once, then just keep filling in. To pre cook I will cook the burger to barely medium rare just outside of rare, with the cheese barely but not yet melted, then place them on shallow aluminum pans in a single layer, then into the cambro. A bunch of trays of those sitting in the cambro will bring them all to a nice medium doneness and the cheese nice and melted. I do use think sliced cheese from restaurant depot and I use very high quality meat so I want the medium IT. If you are using the standard foodservice burger you might want to cook to a higher temp.

bbqlou · 05-21-2014, 02:43 PM

I'd prefer push pin over threaded as well.

A barbecue for 400 people? I can't even imagine.

Could you explain a bit better what you mean in terms of how you pre-cook? By some lines, do you mean lines of people? Is the cambro a food warmer?

What do you mean by "medium IT"? Internal temperature?

bbqlou · 05-21-2014, 03:05 PM

About how much $ would decent quality hamburger meat run, pre-shaped into hamburgers? How large (in inches or pounds) would you suggest to get the hamburgers? I think pre-made patties would be the way to go - I can't imagine hand-shaping that many burgers.

How much $ would decent quality franks run?

Do you suggest doing hamburgers only (no franks) the first time to keep things more simple?

What are good sources for the meat? Can you get decent quality meat at a good price at Costco? (not talking about their lowest grades)

What are good sources for fixings, like pre-cut tomatoes, onions, etc. and bulk pickles and relish? We could cut tomatoes and onions with a food processor, but again we're trying to reduce any prep time.

TailGateJoecom · 05-21-2014, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbqlou

I'd prefer push pin over threaded as well.

A barbecue for 400 people? I can't even imagine.

Could you explain a bit better what you mean in terms of how you pre-cook? By some lines, do you mean lines of people? Is the cambro a food warmer?

What do you mean by "medium IT"? Internal temperature?

Ok, by lines I mean the food line. What I meant is when you have 100-150 people, everyone is going to grab a burger, some grab 2 "for their friend not on the line." If I am only dumping 30-50 burgers out there at a time, the line of people stops as people wait for burgers. This happens even if there are other items on the table as everyone is afraid if they get off line they will miss getting a burger, lol. So I like to have a continuous supply off the back for that first wave of people. So I build up a stockpile of burgers and just keep replenishing them on the table as people grab them.

Now, a lot of caterers like to cook up a bunch of patties and dump them into a pan of some liquid, like beef broth. I think this is an unappetizing greasy mess. My solution, that works for me, is to cook my burgers to just below serving IT, and quickly in a single layer on shallow pans put them into the cambro. A cambro is an insulated food carrier that has shelves for food pans to slide in on and stack. It is only a cooler, it does not have any heating element or cooking capacity. The thermal mass of all those cooked burgers in the cambro works as carryover heat and also generates steam that brings the internal temps to that perfect medium that i am looking for. The steam generated also keeps them from getting dry. Now, this is not a solution to hold burgers for hours, I generally just hold them there for 30 minutes or less, just to get through a few grill loads of burgers and build up a bunch.

And yes, medium IT means medium internal temperature of the meat. Medium is 140-145.

TailGateJoecom · 05-21-2014, 03:51 PM

About how much $ would decent quality hamburger meat run, pre-shaped into hamburgers? How large (in inches or pounds) would you suggest to get the hamburgers? I think pre-made patties would be the way to go - I can't imagine hand-shaping that many burgers.
Pricing is not really possible to answer due to fluctiations in beef pricing right now, the difference in geographic location between us, and where you are buying (distributor vs costco vs super market vs butcher).
As far as size, I find 1/3 lb to 6 oz is what I like best. Any smaller that 5oz and they shrink too much on the grill and people just end up eating more burgers, which means more grilling and more lb per person eaten overall. Keep in mind, grilling, as opposed to griddling, burgers leads to more shrinkage.

How much $ would decent quality franks run?

I think Sams/Costco has Sabretts at 13-15 bucks for a 5lb package. Figure 40-50 franks per package depending on the frank size they are selling.

Do you suggest doing hamburgers only (no franks) the first time to keep things more simple?

Franks don't take much space and are cheap and may keep people from grabbing 2 burgers.

What are good sources for the meat? Can you get decent quality meat at a good price at Costco? (not talking about their lowest grades)

I am not the hugest fan of costco burgers, and I am talking about the fresh ground stuff. But some people love them and it is probably from a different distributor at your costco than mine so apples to oranges there. What I would do is go to costco, see what they charge per lb, then go to a few quality local butchers/meat markets and ask them if they can compete with that price for your bulk order. I did this in my earlier days before I got hooked up with a distributor.

What are good sources for fixings, like pre-cut tomatoes, onions, etc. and bulk pickles and relish? We could cut tomatoes and onions with a food processor, but again we're trying to reduce any prep time.[/QUOTE]

You do not want to buy pre sliced tomatoes or onions, yuck. Better to do without in my opinion. I don't even know where to get pre sliced tomatoes, lol. If you are a member of kcbs you can get a pass to Restaurant Depot, which may be the answer to all your buying needs. If you do, post a thread asking on how to shop there for meat because it can be a little confusing if you aren't in the food biz.

hmbrewr · 05-22-2014, 11:00 AM

Have you considered renting a large BBQ. Call a couple of Party stores in the Bay Area. Most party supply stores that rent table chairs etc. also rent large BBQ's. I have never rented a gas one but when I lived in Redwood City I rented a large charcoal BBq many times. Unfortunately That was over 25yrs ago and I don't remember the place I used to rent from. Good Luck. By the way, my wife is from NOLA also.

View Poll Results: Which size/type grill?
3 x 2 ft Charcoal	2	15.38%
3 x 2 ft Gas	0	0%
4 x 2 ft Charcoal	10	76.92%
3 x 2 ft Gas	1	7.69%
Voters: 13. You may not vote on this poll

05-20-2014, 01:14 PM	#1
bbqlou Found some matches. Join Date: 05-19-14 Location: SF Bay Area	Which grill for this many people; Coal/gas? Where buy used? Hello all, and thank you for welcoming me to your community. I'm looking forward to learning from all of you and sharing what I learn. My first post, so please go easy : ) My wife and I grew up grilling at family barbecues, and my wife hails from New Orleans, a place with a rich food tradition. However we've never made a barbecue for a very large number of people beyond around 30-40 people and we're going to be taking on a new challenge we'd appreciate your advice on - throwing a regular barbecue throughout the summer for 150-175 people for a club event we're hosting in the SF Bay Area. We're not caterers and the largest number of people we've ever cooked for is about 35 on Thanksgiving (and that was with folks bringing food as welll). 1) For an event for 150-175 people, with hamburgers, franks and some veg burgers, taking place 5:30PM-8:30PM, with people starting to trickle in at 5:30PM and almost everyone there by 6:30PM, with most people probably finished eating by 7:30PM, what size grill would you suggest? We're thinking about 3 ft x 2 ft or 4 ft x 2 ft. Figure that we can pre-make some burgers and franks starting 5:15PM and store them in a Reflectix insulated large box, like those used to keep pizza warm. 2) Charcoal or gas? We prefer the taste of charcoal, but will it be difficult to use for this size grill? How much charcoal would we need for the 3 ft x 2 ft and the 4 ft x 2 ft grill for one evening for this much food? How much gas? 3) Should we use lighter fluid to light up the charcoal quickly for this size grill? For smaller family grills, I always start the charcoal without lighter fluid with just a chimney. 4) Where would be a good place to find a used 3 x 2 ft or 4 x 2 ft grill locally in the SF Bay Area? Sincerely appreciate any used restaurant supply or auction place that would carry them. We've been unable to find any on Craigslist. These are the type of small commercial grills we thought would be big enough: http://www.belson.com/PORTA-GRILL-I-...arbeque-Grills http://www.smokymtbarbecue.com/store...l#.U3gLcSh2brc 4) Do we need a top to the barbecue to speed cooking or wind shields on the sides given that we'll be using the grill in a spot with a 6 ft fence around which provides wind protection. Thank you very much for your advice - we need to choose and find a grill fast and really appreciate your help.

05-20-2014, 03:30 PM	#2
Bludawg somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 07-04-09 Location: Jonesboro,Tx	Gas! __________________ I'm a Proxy Vegetarian> Cows eat grass & I eat cows.

05-21-2014, 01:45 PM	#4
bbqlou Found some matches. Join Date: 05-19-14 Location: SF Bay Area	Thank you TailgateJoe! BM60 Thank you very much TailGateJoecom for the very helpful advice and discount. Will ping you right away. I regularly see food vendors at local farmer's markets using charcoal grills like this one, either for taste or because they are cheaper than gas rigs, so I know you can use charcoal in a grill this size to feed many people. I came across the BM60 as well. Models of this size and type look pretty similar. What makes it a better model? About how many lbs charcoal do you think would be necessary for a grill of this size to feed a group of 150-175? Figure that we can also pre-make some burgers in the 30 minutes before people show up and store those in an insulated envelope/tray/box.

05-21-2014, 02:43 PM	#6
bbqlou Found some matches. Join Date: 05-19-14 Location: SF Bay Area	TailGateJoe pre-prep; Cost of decent quality hamburgers and franks? I'd prefer push pin over threaded as well. A barbecue for 400 people? I can't even imagine. Could you explain a bit better what you mean in terms of how you pre-cook? By some lines, do you mean lines of people? Is the cambro a food warmer? What do you mean by "medium IT"? Internal temperature? Last edited by bbqlou; 05-21-2014 at 03:04 PM..

05-21-2014, 03:05 PM	#7
bbqlou Found some matches. Join Date: 05-19-14 Location: SF Bay Area	Cost/source decent quality burgers, pre-prepared fixings? About how much $ would decent quality hamburger meat run, pre-shaped into hamburgers? How large (in inches or pounds) would you suggest to get the hamburgers? I think pre-made patties would be the way to go - I can't imagine hand-shaping that many burgers. How much $ would decent quality franks run? Do you suggest doing hamburgers only (no franks) the first time to keep things more simple? What are good sources for the meat? Can you get decent quality meat at a good price at Costco? (not talking about their lowest grades) What are good sources for fixings, like pre-cut tomatoes, onions, etc. and bulk pickles and relish? We could cut tomatoes and onions with a food processor, but again we're trying to reduce any prep time.

05-21-2014, 03:51 PM	#9
TailGateJoecom is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 02-01-10 Location: NYC & WPB FL	About how much $ would decent quality hamburger meat run, pre-shaped into hamburgers? How large (in inches or pounds) would you suggest to get the hamburgers? I think pre-made patties would be the way to go - I can't imagine hand-shaping that many burgers. Pricing is not really possible to answer due to fluctiations in beef pricing right now, the difference in geographic location between us, and where you are buying (distributor vs costco vs super market vs butcher). As far as size, I find 1/3 lb to 6 oz is what I like best. Any smaller that 5oz and they shrink too much on the grill and people just end up eating more burgers, which means more grilling and more lb per person eaten overall. Keep in mind, grilling, as opposed to griddling, burgers leads to more shrinkage. How much $ would decent quality franks run? I think Sams/Costco has Sabretts at 13-15 bucks for a 5lb package. Figure 40-50 franks per package depending on the frank size they are selling. Do you suggest doing hamburgers only (no franks) the first time to keep things more simple? Franks don't take much space and are cheap and may keep people from grabbing 2 burgers. What are good sources for the meat? Can you get decent quality meat at a good price at Costco? (not talking about their lowest grades) I am not the hugest fan of costco burgers, and I am talking about the fresh ground stuff. But some people love them and it is probably from a different distributor at your costco than mine so apples to oranges there. What I would do is go to costco, see what they charge per lb, then go to a few quality local butchers/meat markets and ask them if they can compete with that price for your bulk order. I did this in my earlier days before I got hooked up with a distributor. What are good sources for fixings, like pre-cut tomatoes, onions, etc. and bulk pickles and relish? We could cut tomatoes and onions with a food processor, but again we're trying to reduce any prep time.[/QUOTE] You do not want to buy pre sliced tomatoes or onions, yuck. Better to do without in my opinion. I don't even know where to get pre sliced tomatoes, lol. If you are a member of kcbs you can get a pass to Restaurant Depot, which may be the answer to all your buying needs. If you do, post a thread asking on how to shop there for meat because it can be a little confusing if you aren't in the food biz. __________________ [B][COLOR=Green][URL="http://www.tailgatejoe.com"]TailgateJoe.com[/URL] -- the #1 NY Jets gameday fanclub/tailgate party[/COLOR][/B] [B]Fast Eddy's Cookshack:[/B] Dual FEC120s [B]Meadow Creek:[/B] BBQ42 [B]Weber:[/B] Ranch Kettle, 22.5 WSM, OTG 22.5 [B]Pit Barrel Cooker[/B] [B]Crown Verity gassers:[/B] 4 MCBs from 36-72 inch [B]Instagram/[/B][B][B]Twitter[/B]/Facebook: [/B]@tailgatejoe [B]Youtube: @tailgatejoedotcom[/B]

05-22-2014, 11:00 AM	#10
hmbrewr Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 07-13-10 Location: Modesto Ca.	Have you considered renting a large BBQ. Call a couple of Party stores in the Bay Area. Most party supply stores that rent table chairs etc. also rent large BBQ's. I have never rented a gas one but when I lived in Redwood City I rented a large charcoal BBq many times. Unfortunately That was over 25yrs ago and I don't remember the place I used to rent from. Good Luck. By the way, my wife is from NOLA also.